The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy girls’ soccer team is in a bit of a David vs. Goliath situation this season.

“We have a very, very young team,” said new Lady Saints coach J. Michael Dick.

The squad features six freshmen, six juniors, four sophomores and three seniors. Of those 19 players, only five girls play year around travel soccer, while two others play advanced soccer in the fall.

Injuries have also plagued the Lady Saints, making an already difficult schedule even more daunting.

So far this season, Dick said his team has taken on the No. 2 and No. 5 teams at the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I level and the No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 teams at the VISAA Division II level.

All of those games have resulted in losses, but NSA (2-9-1, 0-3) has enjoyed blowout wins against Portsmouth Christian School and The Steward School, while tying Northampton High School.

Though the difficulties have been great, “they’re beginning to put things together,” Dick said of his players.

The Lady Saints, which went 3-8-1 overall last season, saw five players graduate, including striker Darcy King, and Dick said another player transferred out.

“I lost all of the statistical leaders from last year,” he said.

While things may appear grim this season, Dick has a plan for helping Nansemond-Suffolk girls’ soccer to be successful that goes far beyond this year.

“I’m in this for the long haul,” he said.

Dick brings with him 12 years of experience coaching for a club team. He currently coaches a successful Western Branch Soccer Club squad, including several Lady Saints that have been playing for him prior to his getting the job at NSA.

He plans to encourage more players at Nansemond-Suffolk to get involved in soccer outside of the spring high school season.

As he will lose only three players from this year’s NSA varsity squad due to graduation, he said he is pleased with how stable he will be able to keep both the varsity and junior varsity rosters, aiding talent development.

For this season, he said he has tried to take a very pragmatic approach.

He wants beat the same conference teams the 2014 Lady Saints defeated — Greenbrier Christian Academy and Peninsula Catholic High School — while also getting a win against any or all of the following teams — Norfolk Christian School, Walsingham Academy and Hampton Roads Academy.

Nansemond-Suffolk fell 6-0 to host HRA on April 2 but has yet to play Peninsula Catholic and Walsingham.

The backbone of the Lady Saints formation this season consists of five players: senior forward Maya Venkataraman, junior attacking midfielder Katie King, sophomore defending midfielder Allison Gottlieb, sophomore center defender Kelly Hogan and junior goalkeeper Meagan Todd.

The team’s up-and-comers, all of which are contributing starters as freshmen, include midfielder Kaylee Moore, attacking/defending midfielder Penn Birdsong, defender Meredith Horne and defender Kate Lutz.

NSA hosts Peninsula Catholic on Tuesday.