RAPID CITY - The Rapid City Stevens girls soccer team is on fire, but it's not going to mean much unless they keep it going through the state tournament which begins Thursday in Aberdeen.

Stevens dropped its first two games of the season to Sioux Falls Washington and Sioux Falls Roosevelt, but the Raiders have reeled off 11 straight victories since then and head into the state tournament with plenty of momentum and confidence.

"The girls are playing with a lot of focus and intensity," head coach Troy Anderson said. "We seem to be peaking at the right time."

The Raiders lost to undefeated Washington (13-0-0) in the first game of the year 4-3, when starting goalkeeper Felicia Reimann was out of action with a broken right wrist. Reimann's return to the pitch allowed defender Rachel Eisenbraun to return to her role out on the field.

"That was probably something, looking back, that I would change," Anderson said. "Rachel did a great job in goal, but not having her on the field really hurt us."

One of the team's captains, Ali Kinzley, said having Eisenbraun back in her old role is huge.

"She 's back out there dominating on defense," Kinzley said. "She's just a dominant defender."

Reimann agreed.

"We really need Rachel out on the field," the junior keeper said. "That was part of the problem."

While starting the season with two losses may not have been the optimal way to begin the year, the Raiders feel it might have been exactly what they needed.

"We started the year kind of like, 'Let's just go out there and play,'" senior Haylee Weisgram said. "Now we're working together and playing together as a team and it's clicking. We're starting to shine."

After giving up six goals in the first two games, the Raider defense has given up just 12 scores in its last 11 contests.

Stevens hopes that they get a chance to see Washington again this season.

"It would be nice to get another chance to play them," Anderson said. "I know that's what the girls want."

Especially Kinzley.

"Now we're not going to lose to Washington," Kinzley said. "We're bringing home the state trophy, I'm hoping."

The Raiders actually held a 2-0 lead at the half of that season-opening loss, before suffering a lapse in the second half.

"We lost our focus for a while and they had some shots go in," Weisgram said. "We actually played really well, it was one of our better games of the season except for about 10 minutes in the second half. Our goals are high right now, we're gunning for No. 1."

No matter what happens, the Raiders have a strong group dynamic to help them through the tough times.

"This team is really close," Kinzley said. "If you get mad at somebody, usually you pick them right back up, you don't really take it personally because everybody gets along so well. And most of the time it's just really positive talk."

Weisgram, the team's leading scorer with 13 goals, says that camaraderie is huge on the field.

"We can read each other really well," Wesigram said. "If someone makes a run we know where to go, almost like it's automatic."

A state championship is a long way from automatic for the Raiders this season, but if it continues to play the way it has over its past 11 games, the chances for a title are anything but slim.