BUTLER TWP — Battling through the snow flurries and strong winds, the Butler girls soccer team took a step toward salvaging its season Saturday at the Butler Intermediate High School.

Brittnie Spithaler scored in the first half and Rachael Woessner scored in the second to propel the Golden Tornado to a 2-0 non-section win over McDowell. The win improved Butler’s record to 8-9 overall.

While the Golden Tornado are already eliminated from the playoff chase, Butler has a chance to finish .500 with a win at Hollidaysburg Tuesday.

Getting that win is something Spithaler takes seriously. The Golden Tornado, who haven’t reached the playoffs since 2003, haven’t finished with a losing record since 2011.

“I think for the last couple games we should work our hardest so we can get motivated to go to the playoffs next year,” Spithaler said. “Getting .500 will make us feel that next year we can make it to the playoffs.”

Evening the record took some climbing from Butler. The Golden Tornado started the season 1-3 before rebounding with a pair of wins.

Butler coach Steve Perri said he thinks his players are starting to feel more comfortable with their roles.

“I’m not sure, recently,” said Woessner about when asked when the Golden Tornado started playing their best soccer. “Not at the beginning of the year, it was rough at the beginning. We are really finding ourselves now.”

Spithaler found the net in the first 10 minutes against the Trojans (6-8-1). McDowell, which has qualified for the playoffs in District 10, never found solid footing. Butler dominated possession and left the Trojans with few chances.

“We tried to kill the sting out of the game,” Perri said. “If we had the ball, we weren’t going to give it to you. … It was the philosophy that if we have it, you can’t score.”

Woessner gave the Golden Tornado breathing room about 15 minutes into the second half. She booted a ball that rocketed into the top of the net, doubling Butler’s lead.

“Our forwards held the ball pretty well and we completed passes through the midfield to switch the field,” Woessner said.

Woessner, who is a junior, hopes Butler can find the right mix again versus Hollidaysburg, which is 10-1-1 and will be in the District 6 playoffs.

Evening the record is still a possibility.

It gives the Golden Tornado something to play for in their final game.

“That was our goal, as soon as the playoffs did kind of slip by,” Perri said. “We thought we have to reset and refind our goals. … We want to continue to build and continue that trend. If we’re not going to get into that next step and get into the playoffs, we want to keep that base and keep building on that.”