JEFFERSONVILLE — Mired in its toughest stretch of the season, the Jeffersonville girls’ soccer team didn’t have to wait long to see how bad things could really get.

Visiting Providence scored less than three minutes in, jumped out by three goals before the 20-minute mark of the first half and rolled past the Red Devils 8-0 on Thursday.

The Pioneers (4-1) put on an offensive clinic throughout the game, peppering Jeff goalkeeper Jordan Rodeghier with point-blank shots from the opening whistle. In the end, five different Providence players found the net, with six of them coming off a teammate’s assist.

“This is a very unselfish group and very balanced,” said Pioneer coach Dave Smith. “We have a lot of players who can play multiple positions, and that means we can make changes on the field. We have a lot of interchangeable parts.”

It seemed as if all those parts came out at full strength, with Providence’s Sarah Frey emerging for a clear shot less than two minutes into the contest. While Rodeghier snagged the attempt, Frey would get another chance moments later, taking a pass from Caley Marlin and firing the ball directly at the Devil keeper, who bobbled the ball and watched it hit the back of the net.

Frey’s goal was barely on the board when the Pioneers’ Madeline Smith found Laura Jenkins streaking down the middle of the field. Jenkins took the pass and fooled Rodeghier with a shot directly into the goal’s left corner.

With 36:27 on the clock — less than four minutes in — Providence led 2-0.

“We’ve always played tentatively against Providence,” said Jeff coach Michael Dennis. “Providence has been a powerhouse around here for years, and I don’t know if that intimidates us or what. But we are getting better at playing them, particularly in the second half.”

The intermission couldn’t come fast enough for Jeff, which didn’t get its first clear shot until the three-minute mark of the first half, and it was saved on a dive by Pioneer keeper Alyssa Hendershot.

In the meantime, Casey Marlin found the left corner of the net off a pass by Cristian May-Boquiren, and Kayla Meisner took a pass from Caley Marlin for the Pioneers’ fourth goal of the period with 15:48 remaining.

“The object was to come out with intensity at the beginning, instead of starting slow and building intensity as the game goes on,” Smith said. “So maybe that had something to do with it (the fast start). Maybe we just made some good plays, it’s tough to say.”

It took even less time for Providence to strike in the second half, as Casey Marlin notched her second score at the 38:18 mark. May-Boquiren would then tack on her first goal on what may have been the Pioneers’ prettiest play of the night — as Jenkins lobbed the ball over the advancing Rodeghier and directly into the path of May-Boquiren, who pushed the ball into the empty net for a 6-0 edge.

Both players would go on to score again. Jenkins scored off a goal kick with 22:47 left, and May-Boquiren took a long lead pass from Madeline Smith and easily tucked the ball into the right corner of the goal.

Jeff’s best chance to score came when Shelby West — one of four freshman starters on a young Red Devil team — just missed to the right on a pass from Devin Conway. The Red Devils’ Bekah Burgin, a left-footed freshman forward, also had a clear look at Hendershot in the second half, but her attempt flew over the crossbar.

Heading into the week, Dennis knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Jeff lost to a loaded Jennings County team 12-1 on Tuesday and will host Jasper on Saturday afternoon.