COQUILLE — Last year, Coquille’s girls soccer team had a breakthrough season, its best in the young history of the program.

The Red Devils had failed to recapture that magic through several close losses this fall that featured tough defense, but an inconsistent offense.

That changed Monday, when Coquille broke out with six goals and another sparkling defensive effort to beat visiting Douglas, 6-0.

Coquille’s players hope the win will jump-start their season. One thing is clear, the victory helped erase the frustrations of the team’s near-miss against Umpqua Valley Christian earlier in the season, when the Red Devils gave up a three-goal lead and settled for a tie.

“After our UVC match, we needed this to get us going,” said Coquille senior Katlyn Shaw, Coquille’s explosive forward, who had a role in five of Monday’s goals.

Mark Usselman, Coquille’s head coach, was relieved to see the team break loose on offense.

“The offense finally came together,” Usselman said. “We’ve been struggling.”

It took the Red Devils just a minute to get the first goal Monday, when Shaw assisted Lea Price.

Shaw added goals in the 13th and 38th minute of the first half.

Shaw completed her hat trick 18 minutes into the second half, and then combined with Price on perhaps the prettiest score of the day. Shaw blasted a corner kick that Price headed into the net, drawing loud cheers from the Coquille sideline.

For kicks, the sixth goal came from one of Coquille’s exchange students, Dora Suhrer, in the 76th minute.

Nearly every score was set up by teamwork, which made Usselman particularly happy.

“We finally made passes,” he said. “We’ve been stressing that they need to make their teammates better.”

The constant this season has been defense. Coquille has yet to give up more than three goals in a match, though the team has lost to Brookings-Harbor, South Umpqua and Glide.

“Our defense did really good,” said Emily Usselman, Coquille’s sweeper.

Usselman and fellow defenders Megan Sullivan and Miri Erdlenbruch did a good job keeping goalie Joelle Wheeler from having much work to do in her shutout.

“We work really good back there together,” Usselman said. “It’s nice.”

Last year, Coquille finished the season with a 5-8-1 record. With several veterans, the team expected a solid year.

“We should be (in the) playoffs,” Shaw said, of the team’s hope of a top-four finish in the Far West League. “If we play like we did today, we should be there.”

Lancers beat Monarchs

SouthUmpqua topped Umpqua Valley Christian 4-0 in another Far West League match Monday.

Victoria Jackson scored three goals, two on assists by Chelsea Duffy, and Duffy had the other goal as the Lancers improved to 4-0-1 on the season.