He had just raced down the middle of the field, beaten an Apex defender and then pushed the ball past the Cougars’ keeper to score the winning goal in the final two minutes of Panther Creek’s 2-1 victory on Oct. 13.

That’s quite a different scene from two years ago — the Catamounts’ inaugural season — when Panther Creek went 7-11-2 and 2-11-1 in conference, losing eight of its final 10 games.

But the Catamounts have made steady progress, advancing to the third round of the state playoffs in 2007 before being ousted by eventual champ Broughton.

These days, Panther Creek is among the class of the Tri-Eight, boasting a 13-4-2 overall and 9-2-1 conference record.

“When I got this team in 2006, we were all ninth- and 10th-graders, but obviously there was a lot of talent,” said coach Todd Schuler. “So we’ve been building to this moment.”

The Catamounts have been blessed by a core group of players who were freshmen and sophomores on that 2006 squad. In three seasons, they’ve learned about one another, developed a strong bond and — as team leader Lester Nare puts it — become a family.

“It’s a bunch of guys who have been together as family. We’re a solid team, we’re a solid family and we know how to get the job done,” said Nare, whose coach called him the core leader of the team. “We take pride in being a close-knit group.”

Part of that bond comes from the players’ team-building off the field.

Instead of just doing soccer-oriented training, the teammates will often go on jogs together or play pick-up basketball, for instance. They emphasize getting to know one another beyond the pitch.

“We know each other more than just as a soccer team,” Nare said. “On the field, we’re close and off the field, we’re close.”

Oblach added: “We know what to expect from each other … where he’s going to end the run, where he’s going to put the ball. We can just read each other.”

It’s also about overcoming adversity and not letting missteps become major obstacles. Just like their uphill climb from a tough first season two years ago, the Catamounts showed some of that grit against Apex.

The Cougars scored less than a minute into the second half and controlled the ball much of the period, but the Catamounts scored when given the opportunity.

“We get a goal down to Apex and we don’t quit,” said Gabe Latigue, who scored the game-tying goal in the 48th minute off a free kick. “We kept working hard and won.”

You might say that’s a microcosm for the Catamounts’ philosophy this season: Don’t look back and don’t get caught up looking ahead. Focus on the task at hand.

For example, after losing two consecutive games early on to drop to 3-2-1, the Catamounts didn’t fold up shop.

Instead, they responded by starting conference play with a seven-game unbeaten streak.

“This team has done a great job of living in the moment, not living in the past or looking ahead,” Schuler said.

So far, that seems to be paying off nicely for the Cats.