Cleveland's Sam DeBien prepares to take a shot while Chattanooga Christian's Roo Rogers, right, applies pressure during their match Monday at the Cleveland Soccer Complex.

CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Cleveland girls' soccer coach Andy Byrd told his Lady Blue Raiders on Monday evening that there was a small ray of sunshine that was starting to get bigger after their performance against Chattanooga Christian.

Maybe it was a glimmer of Hope.

Senior Hope Haas got Cleveland on the board with a goal in the 17th minute, and Sam DeBien added a second-half goal for a 2-0 victory over the Lady Chargers at the Cleveland Soccer Complex.

"We knocked the ball around well, but we weren't able to put one through," Byrd said. "Hope is a player that is always involved when she's on the field -- she's everywhere. We need more consistent play from her, but she was good for us tonight."

The Lady Raiders attacked most of the game and had a lot of good opportunities, but some shots sailed high and an attempt by Tanya Anchondo glanced off the side post. The Lady Chargers' best attempts came from Allie Vannoy and Hannah Henry, but CCS coach Cal Sneller saw progress from the team's first game to the most recent.

"We're taking care of the ball better. The girls are starting to learn their roles," Sneller said. "At this stage, there are going to be little mistakes -- it's part of the learning curve. We just have to keep pounding away."

McKenzie Harris assisted on DeBien's goal in the 70th minute.

"That ray of sunshine is peaking through the clouds, and it's starting to get bigger," Byrd said. "I saw where we made some progress tonight, and I hope that continues to grow as the season goes along."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6311. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.