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Ardrey Kell's girls' soccer team went to the state championship last year and lost. That was hard to take, but only three Knights graduated. The rest of the team was coming back, and they knew that 2009 could be very special.
After Saturday's 2-0 win against Providence in the N.C. 4A quarterfinals, the Knights admitted they didn't think the season could be this good.
Ardrey Kell (20-0-1) has six straight shutouts and 18 for the season. The Knights have given up three goals all year, but none during regular play. Teams have only been able to score on penalty kicks and free kicks.
“During tryouts, we had a tough time getting used to formations,” senior goalie Megan Dent said, “but we just kind of fit. We just didn't think we'd be this flawless.”
Saturday, Ardrey Kell sophomore Liska Dobberstein scored both goals, and if it weren't for a brilliant save by goalie Kristen Lawson, Dobberstein would've had a hat trick.
But the stars of this Knights team are the folks in the back: sophomores Kaitlin Johnson and Nicole Steyl and seniors Rebekah Hellberg and Christine Dent, the goalie's twin sister.
Hellberg and Christine Dent have been tagged as Region III Premier players, meaning they're among the best in the nation. Steyl and Johnson are solid, and combined, they make Megan Dent's life easier.
Providence (14-5-2) is ranked No. 9 in the N.C. coaches poll and has scored 52 goals this season. The Panthers are one of three teams to score against the Ardrey Kell back wall this season.
Saturday, though, Providence barely made a peep.
There was one ball that hit the crossbar late – when the Knights had subbed liberally – but other than that Providence never really got a meaningful opportunity. It had to be frustrating to constantly push the ball on the Knights' side of the field and see passes deflected, headed and kicked away.
Providence goalie Lawson had six saves, half of them brilliant and two in point-blank, one-on-one situations. The Panthers offense couldn't make any of that good work stand up for coach Shannon O'Brien, who stood all game despite being eight months pregnant.
It took O'Brien's Panthers nearly 33 minutes of the first half to even pressure the Ardrey Kell goal, and even then Providence – missing two starters who traveled to a club showcase event in New Jersey – didn't get a shot attempt.
A missed pass wobbled weakly toward Megan Dent, who scooped it up and sent it away. It looked like a football team driving the length of the field, getting close, getting stopped and having the field goal fly wide right.
And for Providence, that kept happening.
In the first half, Providence got no shots. For the game, Providence had three.
“It's experience,” Ardrey Kell coach Jeff Mercado said. “It's ability. It's persistence and it's knowledge. I knew they could be this good.”
Dobberstein was one of six Knights starters who planned to leave late Saturday for the New Jersey showcase. Both teams hoped to play Friday night, with full rosters, to avoid the conflict.
Dobberstein said having such a strong defense on the opposite side of the field, almost like an NBA team with a dominant defensive center like Orlando's Dwight Howard, just makes her job tons easier.
She said if she misses an opportunity, she doesn't have to get down. She'll get another. She just isn't sure if the other team will get much.
Butler will be next. Ardrey Kell beat Butler 3-1 and 1-0 earlier this season. Dent, the goalie, said her team hopes it can keep the defensive performances going.
“We don't seem to think about it,” she said. “If we think about the big picture, it can be overwhelming.”
Kind of like that D.
