They aren’t talked about extensively in newspapers and when people mention the best players on the team, they usually come up as an afterthought.
Don’t let those facts fool you, though; the defense of the Middletown High School Knights girls soccer team has been a critical part of the team’s success.
People talk about the scoring prowess of Haley Dalphon and Alizah Johns-Boehme or the slick midfield play of Theresa McMunn and Krista Sullivan, but not much has been said about a defense that has arguably been the best part of the team.
Middletown will need every bit of its defense’s success to carry over as it takes on a Century High School Knights team that has been hot offensively in the 2A West Regional Championship, on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.
Middletown has only given up 1.07 goals per game and has given up one or no goals in 12 of their 15 games this season.
Except for a patch of three games against the Westminster High School Owls, Governor Thomas Johnson Patriots, and Linganore High School Lancers in which Middletown got tattooed for nine goals, the defense has been a calming force when Middletown use the wings on offense extensively, taking away a pace of game that has the speed of a 100-yard dash.
Middletown has some of the best statistics for a defense in the county, but take out those rough three games and things start to look even better for Middletown.
Minus those games, Middletown would have a 0.58 goals allowed average and have racked up five shutouts on the season with three of the shutouts coming against local powerhouses.
Middletown has also been strong recently giving up just four goals in the six games that have taken place over the past three weeks.
Even better is how Middletown has done since it started the playoffs.
With the exception of a early goal against Oakdale in the 2A West-Section I Championship, Middletown has shut out its opponents through the past 240 minutes using multiple weapons to help confuse opposing attackers.
One of the things that has helped the defense has been the addition of Middletown senior Mary Ann Pritts to the back line at crucial times during the games.
Pritts will usually start most games up front at striker, but once Middletown puts one in the back of the net, the view for Pritts becomes drastically different.
Pritts has been moved to the back at some point during almost all of the games for Middletown this season, and, whether with a lead or tied, has provided a stabilizing force for the defense.
“Mary just makes the back line more stable,” said fellow MHS defender Sarah Kovalchick. “We know Mary is a reliable player so we don’t have to worry about covering her on defense. We can worry about our sides of the field instead.”
Pritts has not been the only thing that has helped the defense as chemistry between the players has provided a great understanding of all of the members of this tight knit unit.
“We’ve played each other for years (and) we know our strengths and weaknesses,” said Kovalchick. “We always know that we have each other’s backs and we know when to trust each other in different situations.”
MHS junior goalkeeper Maria Tartaglia agrees with that sentiment. “We’ve built up a relationship and have trust (in) each other,” she said.
The defense will be more important than ever in tonight’s matchup as Middletown takes on a Century team that also plays offense with a high pace and has been hot offensively coming into this game.
The Section II Champions have score an average of 3.5 goals in their past six games and have shown an ability, like the Knights, to use the sides of the field to find attackers in the middle and stretch the defense creating lots of chances.
The game against Century will give both teams a chance to show off their best side as it will pit Century’s dynamo offense against a stubborn Middletown defense in a game that should prove a lot about both units.
“It’s going to be between who wants it more,” said Kovalchick. “The Oakdale game showed us we can win if everyone wants it.”
Century is coming off a 2-1 win against the Liberty High School Lions in which Maddie Hart took a ball off a corner kick and sent into the back of the net to give Century a sectional championship in the pouring rain.
Century had a bye during the quarterfinal round of sectional play in the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association and then went on to take down Winters Mill, 2-1, in the semifinal round.
The last time this pair of Knights played each other came back in 2010 when Middletown embarrassed Century by a score of 5-1 in the 2010 2A West Regional Championship game in Middletown, the year that Middletown won its first of three consecutive state championships.
Players on Middletown believe that this last meeting won’t be a factor for either team in the preparation for tonight’s game.
“We are gonna treat this game like every other one,” said Tartaglia.
Middletown will need a big effort from their defense if it is going to make it to states for the fourth year in a row and take down a Century team that is looking to win its first regional championship since 2007.
Who knows, with a win, the defense might even get talked about a little more.
