When Durango High School and Fruita Monument began the girls soccer season, neither team could buy a goal.

It was a different story Thursday in the penultimate game of the regular season.

The DHS Demons (6-4-2, 4-3-2 Southwestern League) quickly trailed 1-0 against Fruita Monument (7-4-1, 5-2-1 SWL) but responded with two unanswered goals to win the match 2-1 at Riverview Sports Complex in Durango.

“The scorer’s sheet definitely was different from the last time we played Fruita, but it was the same battle we had eight weeks ago,” DHS head coach Dalon Parker said. “It was a very aggressive game. Both teams were sound and played their hearts out.”

The two teams battled to a scoreless draw when they met March 7 in Fruita. It didn’t take the Wildcats long to score Thursday, as they put a shot past DHS goalkeeper Kelly Perry just 20 minutes into the game.

The Demons scored an equalizer before halftime as junior Lauren Milliet scored off a corner-kick pass from Madeline Robertson.

DHS went ahead when senior Steffie Wilson scored on a penalty kick 25 minutes into the second half. The opportunity was created when Milliet created a one-on-one situation with a defender and was fouled in the box.

The Demons were able to hold Fruita Monument back the rest of the game to secure the victory, their fourth in the last five games after a four-game winless streak (0-3-1).

“Beating Fruita is big for us. We are trying to make a statement and pad our résumé for the playoffs,” Parker said. “Being a Western Slope team, we never know what we are going to get from the seeding committee.”

DHS will finish the regular season at 5 p.m. Friday against Grand Junction (5-5-1, 2-3-1 SWL) in another home game. The Demons are 2-2 at home this season.

heraldsports@durangoherald.com