Head Georgia soccer coach Billy Lesesne liked what he saw out of his squad in its third game of the spring season against Auburn in Decatur, Georgia Wednesday night.

The Bulldogs have used the spring to work on two main areas of their game, intensity on defense and understanding each other on the offensive end. Despite a 3-1 setback to the Tigers, Lesesne believes that the team is progressing well in the areas it’s working on.

“The spring is a time for us to work on our game,” Lesesne said. “Seeing new players play new positions or getting new experiences was good to see. I thought we competed at a high level, especially on the defensive end. I think we still have some distance to cover, but I like the progress that we’ve made so far and I’m excited for the remainder of the spring.”

Several younger players on the UGA roster stepped up in Wednesday’s match. Sophomore Clara Gastaldi found the back of the net in the second half, while junior Stephanie Krouskos nearly scored a goal, hitting the crossbar early in the first half.

The Bulldogs are now 0-2-1 this spring with a 1-1 tie against Georgia State on March 1 and a 4-1 loss to South Carolina on March 19. Georgia is back in action Saturday, April 9 with a pair of matches against UNC Wilmington at 11 a.m. ET and Virginia Tech at 5 p.m. ET. Both games will be played in Winston-Salem, N.C.