WEST NEWBURY — The Pentucket girls soccer program took one step backward to take two forward when coach Greg Scruton took the reins of the team in July 2008. With little time to go through the requisite bonding period between a new coach and his/her players, the Sachems struggled last year, missing the state tournament for the first time in five years and finishing dead last in the Cape Ann Large at 4-11-1.

Though this year's depleted Sachems fielded only three substitutes in yesterday's 2-0 loss to Masconomet in the season finale, the team doubled its win total of last season with an 8-5-5 record. The Sachems earned their way back into the state tournament with a dedication to fitness, according to striker Breanna Yocum.

"I think it's hard coming in after a summer to get in shape, but definitely every single person has worked hard on the field, and we've put it all out there at practice," Yocum said. "The change with the new coach and a new team was hard to adjust to last year. But this year it just kind of clicked after knowing (coach Scruton's) expectations and having the confidence that we can reach them."

Scruton said the team was further along this year because his players knew the expectations were higher, and clearly had put in the work in the offseason.

"In any sport I feel the most important thing is to be fit, so if we come into a game fit there are no excuses," Scruton said. "You can go out in the morning for a run, you can go for a run at night, you can do that on your own, there are no excuses.

"This year they came in and really wanted it," Scruton said. "I told them tryouts were going to be much harder (last year), so they came in expecting it to be harder and they knew they had to show up in shape. They worked hard in the offseason, they knew what the expectation was, and they came in ready to work. They've just done a phenomenal job listening, and they're all just a great group of kids wanting to be coached, wanting to be successful, and that was huge."

With an 18-game schedule, 18 points was the goal and the tally the Sachems needed to reach the state tournament. Pentucket eclipsed that total with a win over St. Mary's of Lynn Oct. 23 and finished the regular season with 21 points. Now they will take their chances in the tournament with whatever draw they receive tomorrow when the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association releases its tournament pairings.

"Last year you could see the potential was there; it was just a matter of if they all were going to work hard with the time they were going to put in," Scruton said. "I feel that if a team puts in the effort off the field in the offseason and they work together and pile up their talent, the sky is the limit. We were able to meet our goals, which was to make the state tournament."