The No. 1 Archbishop Spalding girls soccer team, the defending Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference champions, has already had its share of tight games in its 6-0 start.

Both No. 5 South River and Eastern Tech took the Cavaliers to overtime, their opener against No. 8 Severna Park was scoreless at the half before a 3-0 win, and in their league opener at No. 7 Mercy on Wednesday, the champs earned a 2-1 win.

Spalding coach Bob Dieterle said this early season has been reminiscent of last year when the Cavs won a number of overtime games.

"It's a good thing and that's what I tell the kids," Dieterle said. "It builds character and mental toughness, and helps you prepare for the bigger games later in the season."

In this week's ESPN RISE Top 50 poll, Spalding moved from No. 5 to No. 3, while IAAM foe McDonogh cracked the top ten at No. 8. The Eagles, who were ranked No. 14 last week, made the jump after knocking off then-No. 3 Pennington Prep (NJ), 2-0, at the McDonogh Tournament on Saturday.