File photo – Isaac Johnson in action for Arcata at Eureka last weekend.

The South Fork Cubs showed why they’ll be no pushover this season, despite falling 4-1 to Arcata in boys soccer on Wednesday.

Playing at Miranda, the Cubs battled the bigger program most of the afternoon, before low numbers and injuries took their toll on the team.

“Honestly, they looked great,” South Fork head coach Torey Haus said of his team, which finished the game with just nine players. “I don’t think they expected us to come out that good.”

Arcata got a deserved win, but the Tigers showed some early-season rustiness in the first half, before overcoming an 0-1 deficit with four unanswered goals.

“We had a rough first half, and picked it up in the second half,” said Arcata head coach John Davidson, who added that playing South Fork in Miranda is always a difficult prospect. “They’ve got a couple of guys who can play, it’s a bumpy pitch, and we were flat again. We generated chances, and so did they.”

Freshman Omar Villarreal put the Cubs up in the opening half, and they had a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 only to be denied when Arcata goalie Everett Namen saved a penalty kick.

But the deeper Tigers battled back, tying the game before halftime when Mathias Severn scored off an assist from Izaiah Grosveld.

Ethan Geynis added two second-half goals, with a goal from freshman Daniel Davidson sandwiched in between.

“We’re starting to gel as a team,” the Arcata coach said. “I think this was a big wake-up call.

“They’re starting to turn the intensity up on their own.”

Despite the size of the school and having to compete in league against the bigger H-DNL programs, the Cubs have built a reputation for being a tough opponent at home in recent years, and that should continue this fall.

“They’ve got a lot of energy,” Haus said of his team, adding that the refs complimented them on their attitude afterwards. “They want to win, they’re eager to play and they’ve got a lot of heart.”

Senior goalkeeper Kobe Gellman, who was making his first-ever start between the posts, had an outstanding debut and is expected to provide some valuable leadership this year as one of two team captains.

As is junior co-captain Gavin Salomon, who will anchor midfield for the team.

Senior striker Jaimes York got the season off to a flying start with an impressive performance up front in the opening half of Wednesday’s game, but was forced to the sideline in the second half because of sickness and he was missed late in the game.