Although the 2-0 loss continued an undesirable stretch that began with a loss to Turner on Sept. 14, Chieftains coach Brian Kroll said the team showed much improvement.

The match was a lot closer than the previous three for THS (1-13), during which it was outscored 17-2. Ward was part of that, defeating Tonganoxie 8-1 on Oct. 7.

The Chieftains got a much-needed boost from the return of goalkeeper Keaton Truesdell to the lineup.

Next up for THS is a 6 p.m. Monday road match at Basehor-Linwood, a makeup date from a match originally scheduled for Sept. 2. Tonganoxie lost to BLHS, 3-2, on Sept. 30.