The Sparks girls soccer team was saddled with a second lopsided loss in the early season but coach Jerry Miller said the Railroaders were better than a week ago in Tuesday’s 6-0 home loss to Incline in 3A North, Tahoe League action.

Sparks was beaten 11-0 in its season opener by defending state champion Truckee last week so there was reason to point out the Railroaders’ improvement.

“We were a little more organized and more aggressive in our attack up front,” Miller said. “We’re still lacking in our midfield play but that’s tough to learn, but all in all it was a better effort.”

Incline built a 2-0 lead after quick goals by Emily Hanna and Chelsea Bolton in the 12th and 13th minutes. The visiting Highlanders upped their edge to 3-0 by halftime thanks to a goal by Sarah Scott at the 38-minute mark.

Incline tacked on a trio of goals after halftime as well. Three minutes after the intermission, Sasha Severance gave the Highlanders a 4-0 lead. Incline capped its scoring when Kelli Cherry and Erin Canino scored two minutes apart, in the 73rd and 75th minutes.

Sparks got off just three shots on goal, all in the second half. Miller said that was more shots than his Railroaders took in their previous three halves of play.

The Railroaders’ second-year skipper said his club’s struggles are due largely to inexperience.

“We just have not played that much soccer. We’ve got a few seniors, but many are first-year players,” he said. “Most of the goals we give up, you can see that it’s going to happen. We’re not closing in on the shooter. It’s a mental block and that’s normal for inexperienced players. We just need game experience and the only way to get it is to play.”

Sparks returns to the playing field Thursday when it hosts Fernley at 3 p.m.

Boys

Sparks picked up what could prove to be a key league win Tuesday when it held off Incline, 2-1.

The Railroaders got on the scoreboard first thanks to a goal by Abey Quintano four minutes after the opening kick. Sparks got possession of a loose ball in the middle of the field. Sparks midfielder Oscar Carvajal fired a pass up the field to Quintano, who stayed just ahead of the last Incline defender to avoid an off-sides call. Quintano then ran down the pass and fired a shot by the Highlanders’ goalkeeper for the score.

Sparks increased its lead to 2-0 with a goal three minutes before halftime. Gustavo Murrillo sent a corner kick into the box for Sparks and Carvajal directed the soccer ball into the net on a header for the second Sparks score.

Sparks coach Frank Avilla said his squad has been working on its corner kick set plays, leaving him ecstatic to see the SHS squad score following a corner sequence.

“We were very fortunate to get that done, but the boys have been working hard to get things done in practice,” Avilla said. “In fact, we had another play we’d been working on and we almost scored off that. Our shot hit the post and missed.”

Incline trimmed the local school’s edge to the final 2-1 margin with a goal in the 47th minute, but that’s as good as it got for the Highlanders, who failed to muster any offense in the final 33 minutes.

Sparks hosts Fernley in a non-league affair at 5 p.m. Thursday.