Conant has had what some might call a serpentine season.

The Cougars have won more than they’ve lost -- currently six victories against five defeats and a tie -- but it’s also been a streaky campaign.

Conant was victorious in four of its first five matches and outscoring its opponents 17-3 in the process.

Then came a three-game losing streak, all shutouts.

Now, they’ve started to right the ship again.

The Cougars welcome intracity and Mid-Suburban League West Division rival Hoffman Estates to their pitch at noon Saturday. They hope to keep building on some hot off the griffle successes.

In their most recent game, they took a 1-0 victory over Prospect on Wednesday.

Hoffman Estates’ season has been struggle so far.

The Hawks began on a high note offensively, scoring four times at West Chicago, but settled for a 4-4 draw.

Since then, it’s been a different story. The Hawks have lost nine in a row, and only managed to find the back of the net in one of those contests.

"We are playing better as of late," said Hoffman Estates coach Mary Dansdill. "However, we have struggled to score all season. Hopefully, we can turn things around before the playoffs."

Preferably starting with Saturday's match.

"This is a fun rivalry for us," added Dansdill. "Conant is always a tough and well-coached team. It should be a lot of fun."

Natasha Navarro has scored five goals this season for the Hawks; Mallory Anderson has posted three helpers.

"Natasha is our biggest scoring threat," said the coach. "Mallory and Katie Paszkiewicz play box-to-box and control the middle of the field for us.

"(Also) Karla Castillo has come into her own in goal in the last few games and is playing confidently."

Both teams will be looking for their first divisional win.

Conant coach Jeff Melone looks forward to a challenging matchup.

“I know that they (Hoffman Estates) are usually competitive against us,” said Melone, “because it’s a conference game and somewhat of a rivalry game.

“We played well (against Prospect), and I’m hoping we can build off that with another solid effort.”

Conant has enjoyed balanced scoring so far this year.

Gabby Coyne, a freshman midfielder, leads the team with five goals.

Three other players -- Megan Ferengul, Reese Staniak and Lilly Maio -- have each tallied three times.

In the assists department, Sophie Dobrincu, Claire Husnick and Avery Connelly pace the team with three apiece.

“(Senior forward) Sophie Dobrincu is our target,” said Melone, “and she’s done a great job creating chances for her teammates all year.

“(Senior midfielder) Megan Ferengul works for 80 minutes nonstop in the center mid.  She wins everything in the air, and she communicates and organizes the entire game.  She’s scored some important goals for us.

“And (senior defender) Amani Urban is a phenomenal leader both on and off the field.  She has been a lockdown defender all season long.”

Melone also singled out Husnick and Staniak for praise.

“They have played extremely important roles as centerbacks,” he said. “They’ve helped with our six shutouts and also have five goals between the pair.

The coach added that freshman goalkeeper Annabel Danso has been playing well lately.

“This season has had its ups and downs,” said Melone.  “We’ve done a great job competing in every game. We’ve been creating chances, but we’ve struggled to find the back of the net as of late.

“As with most teams, we are dealing with a few injuries to some starters.  We’re looking forward to getting those players back soon.”