They’ve been beaten up and bloodied.

Injuries have become an all-too common theme this fall for the Kentwood High girls soccer team.

“We’re just hoping we can compete with each other in practice and not knock each other out for the game,” said Kentwood coach Aaron Radford. “I can’t say we’re really back at full health yet.”

While that may be the case, Kentwood appeared to be at full strength last week, when the Conks knocked off Mount Rainier 3-0 followed by a 4-0 blanking of Auburn Riverside.

Those two wins, however, came without a handful of players, including: Courtney Roller (fractured toe), Tori Clark (sick), Sara Bindl (knee strain), Mykala Benjamin (rolled ankle) and Mariah Lee (ODP soccer). Making last week’s run more impressive is the fact that the Conquerors are still very much coming together as a team. Though Kentwood is among the favorites to win the SPSL North this fall, it will have to do so with an almost entirely revamped lineup as seven players graduated from last year and four others either are injured and out for the season or transferred before tryouts began.

“We lost a whole team practically,” Radford said. “It has taken a little longer than I wanted to click, but we’re finally getting some more rhythm.”

That rhythm took a hit early in the season. After opening the fall with a solid 3-0 win over Jefferson, the Conquerors lost to eighth-ranked Kentlake 2-1 on Sept. 9, a loss that ended Kentwood’s 41-match SPSL North unbeaten streak.

The loss served as a wake-up call for the Conquerors, who entered the week having ripped off three straight wins since the defeat.

“I think it helped make the team more aware of what it takes to work hard each game,” Radford said. “It was disappointing that we lost the game, but there’s a lot of room to grow. We’ve been trying to focus on that as a team.”

A team that has had to dig deep to get back to where it was at the end of last year.

In fact, during last week’s two wins, Radford pulled up to the varsity from the junior varsity forwards Haley Higgins, a freshman, and sophomore Cassidy Meyers. Meyers proceeded to score a goal in each of Kentwood’s wins.

“I am not sure I can give these two girls back to the junior varsity,” Radford said.

Meanwhile, with the roster depleted, senior midfielder Kiana Kraft stepped up her game. A two-time all-leaguer, Kraft scored twice against Mount Rainier and once more in the win over Auburn Riverside.

“I’d say that game against Auburn Riverside was the best we’ve played all year,” Radford said.