The ConVal boys’ soccer team is firing on all but one cylinder thus far this fall, and the Cougars hope a few small adjustments and some extra effort will set them right the rest of the way.

ConVal’s one shortcoming was showcased in Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to visiting Merrimack Valley, as the Cougars kept the goal well, defended staunchly and created offensive opportunities but couldn’t put a ball in the back of the net. The Cougars (4-4) have only allowed two goals in the past five games, but as it happened, both led to 1-0 losses. First-year ConVal head coach Nel Lima expressed his frustration after the game.

“These guys, they deserve better,” Lima said of his team. “Some of those games need to fall our way. We’re coming together even stronger. Today the effort was there. We’re cohesive. They’re just not falling for us at the moment.”

Junior keeper Owen Halliday played a flawless game in net, making saves when he had to and coming out of the net and well out of the box to stop a breakaway chance.

“Owen’s been fantastic,” Lima said. “He made a couple crucial saves today. He kept us in the game.”

The Cougars trust their defensive trio of Jack Harris, Aidan McClusky and Sean Cattigan – the team’s only seniors – to limit their opponents’ chances.

“I’ve got all three seniors in the back,” Lima said. “That’s where we’re strongest.”

The visiting Pride did all their damage in the 21st minute with an end-to-end turnaround for the game’s only goal. With the ball deep in MV’s defensive corner, a Pride defender booted a clearance that sailed up and over the midfield and dropped in just past the last line of defense, setting up a well-struck cross and a one-time goal.

ConVal had its share of chances in the first half and even got an 11-on-10 opportunity when a Pride player was briefly sent off for non-regulation shin guards, but freshman River Allen and the rest of the ConVal forwards were unable to get anything past MV keeper Trevor Simonds.

“The beautiful thing about this game is you can try and try and try it still comes up short,” Lima said. “Or sometimes you can try a little bit and you still come up ahead. It’s a beautiful game but it’s a weird game.”

Lima switched his formation up at the half, moving Max Cail up from a secondary striker position to create a two-pronged attack up top, and the alteration seemed effective, as ConVal was able to put more pressure on and create even more chances.

With Ryan Close manning the defensive midfield, freshman Harlan Bielagus playing nearly the whole game and giving effort at various positions and junior co-captain Garret Rousseau flying around to get the ball into scoring position, the Cougars were right there, peppering Simonds with shots, including a five-shot flurry in the final minutes. But everything was either saved, blocked or off the crossbar.

“The positive thing is that we changed the tactics in the second half for more attacking,” Lima said. “We demonstrated that we could attack more if we put some more bodies up front. We hit the post, a few blocked shots. If one of those goes in, it’s a different game.”

After the game, the ConVal players expressed interest in increasing their practice time in order to ready for their home game against Trinity Friday and the rest of the season.

“That’s a sign of a good team,” Lima said. “It’s a sign of a team that’s committed, and I love hearing that.”