Coach Adam Bonin set a preseason goal for the Southside High School girls soccer team that appears modest in retrospect.

The Sharks went undefeated in district play last season in Bonin’s first year with the program, posting an overall record of 18-7-1. The Sharks entered the playoffs as a No. 10 seed and advanced to the regionals after notching their first postseason win by defeating No. 23 Benton.

It made sense for Bonin to pencil in a quarterfinal appearance as the Sharks’ next goal. As it’s turned out, however, the Sharks could be in the mix for a much loftier finish.

Southside won its first 12 games before losing 6-1 to St. Joseph’s Academy on Wednesday at the Youngsville Sports Complex.

“The girls believed. We played some tough teams as we got going,” Bonin said of the start to the season. “We have a really good chance to make some noise in the playoffs. The potential is there. The talent is there.”

The Sharks, who came into Wednesday’s contest as the No. 1 seed in the Division I power ratings, outscored their opponents 53-2 in the first dozen games. Goalkeeper Brooklyn Crouch, who allowed less than one goal per outing last season, hadn’t been scored upon until the meeting with No. 4-rated St. Joseph’s (9-0-1), the reigning Division I state champs.

“Our defense hasn’t given her much to deal with,” Bonin said. “Our organization has been the key. For the most part, we’ve stayed organized. We hadn’t faced an opponent with the kind of speed and technical ability of St. Joseph’s. It was a good learning lesson.”

Briana Olson, Juliana Cantrell, Ana Grimaldo, Payton Bienvenu and Emily McAnally have been defensive mainstays. Olson, Grimaldo and McAnally have combined to score four goals. Bienvenu has scored three goals with six assists.

Offensively, the Sharks are led by Mylia Payne (11 goals, two assists), Emma Arceneaux (eight goals, seven assists), Marley Barnhill (seven goals, four assists), Emma Kate Rogers (four goals, two assists) and Emily Romero (four goals, five assists). Briley Angelle, who scored her first two goals of the season against Comeaux on Dec. 19, has four assists.

“Losing four seniors, I knew I had young players who were going to be able to step in,” Bonin said. “Mylia Payne is a freshman who immediately became a starter.”

Bonin said Payne’s effort sets her apart. Arceneaux, a leading performer on last year’s team, is described as “dynamic.” Barnhill does everything well as a center-mid.

When Crouch missed a game last week with an injury, Molly Graham stepped in at goalie and shut out Benton 2-0.

Southside owns a marquee win over Division II No. 2 Caddo Magnet, handing the Shreveport program its only loss on Dec. 15. St. Joseph’s played undefeated Division II No. 1 St. Thomas More to a 3-3 tie on Dec. 5.

“I told the girls that it’s disappointing to lose, but we have to be able to take the positives away from it,” Bonin said. “We can humble ourselves. Now we know what the level looks like.

“We’ve gotten out of the second round in the playoffs. Let’s get to the third round. Winning district would be huge. It’s all there. We just need to put the pieces together.”