The start of the season has been tough for the Dartmouth boys soccer team, but teammates are not giving up.

“It hasn’t been our greatest start, but we’ve had moments where we’ve shined and moments where it’s been a mental block,” captain Dylan Senra said.

So far, the season record is 4-3-1.

Senra’s co-captain, Owen Ribeiro, said this year, players are particularly young, and they are still working on building chemistry — especially since many of them have never played together before. The team is rebuilding after the loss of many strong players who graduated in the spring.

“Everybody’s main focus has to be on the team right now,” Ribeiro said. “We’re playing as 11 individuals when we should be one team.”

At a practice on October 5, players were clearly working hard at building rapport, often shouting encouragement to each other as they ran drills and scrimmaged.

“We’re going through some growing pains,” Coach Josh Silva said. “I think we’ve got good senior leadership. When the moment’s big, these guys really rise to the occasion.”

Silva noted that the pre-season goes by quickly and doesn’t give teammates much time to get to know each other and how to work together.

The team is also working on building consistency and scoring goals.

The next game will be against Brockton at Marciano Stadium on Tuesday, October 9 at 6 p.m.