Unheralded defense key to Women's Soccer success

Story written by Kevin Winter for CUWFalcons.com

As the horn sounded on another Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Soccer victory last Saturday against MSOE, 11 players rushed to their bench to congratulate one another on a hard fought win. The Falcons had just shut out the Raiders, 2-0, to move to 2-0 in the NACC and 7-1-2 on the season.

To the casual observer, credit immediately goes to goal scorers, in this case Emily and Nicole Ciesielczyk, and certainly they deserve the credit they get. Head coach Ryan Middendorf knows wins come from a full team effort. One that includes a strong defensive unit and the Falcons have that in the quintet of Krista Oelhafen (Allenton, Wis.), Faith Palmreuter, Abigail Freeland, Josie Dombrowski and Tehani Dee, who have proven to be the backbone of team's success.

"Myself and [assistant coach] Hannah [Kaul] were both center backs, so I think we both understand that we don't get the recognition all the time, but that's also a mentality of a defender," said Middendorf. "They will do whatever it takes for the team to win regardless of whether they get the credit or not."

The Falcons lead the NACC with a 1.06 goals against average to go along with a conference-best three shutouts. Considering the strong non-conference schedule CUW played early in the season, the defense has certainly done its part in shutting down high-powered attacks, such as Lake Forest and UW-Whitewater (both ranked top-15).

"The goal scorers get their fame when they score goals, but when we get a clean sheet it gives us a boost of confidence," said Freeland.

CUW has posted those clean sheets on multiple occasions this season. The defensive group has played remarkably well, considering all five players had little to no experience playing the position. Of the five, only Dee (Slinger, Wis.) and Palmreuter (Frankenmuth, Mich.) had really played defense before, the others playing in more offensive roles at the high school and club levels.

"I started as a forward and went to the midfield," said Freeland (Grafton, Wis.). "I never saw myself as a defender. It is hard for us not to get any recognition because we are used to touching the ball."

Middendorf recruits a special type of person to play the position. He sees certain traits in players that could translate to being an elite collegiate defender.

"We look for people who have a competitive edge to them," said Middendorf. "They refuse to get beat, particularly in one-on-one situations. Secondly, we look at their athleticism and ability to defend one-on-one. Do they position themselves correctly? Do they tackle at the right moment?"

Often a player is forced to change their mindset in order to be successful at the position. They have to handle going about their business regardless of the amount of recognition or praise they receive. Those who truly understand the game, know the value the backline brings to the team.

"It is hard because there is no way to measure what we do on an individual basis," said Palmreuter. "Shutouts get attributed to the goalies, goals get attributed to forwards but I think defenders typically are selfless and they play because they love the game."

Playing the position can also be high stress. Opponents are continually coming at you and challenging you throughout the contest.

"It can be hard sometimes because you are constantly getting attacked," said Palmreuter. "You don't always get to see the results."

The offensive results have come more frequently because Middendorf encourages his defenders to push the ball forward. The outside backs can become heavily involved in the Falcons offensive attack, even in resulting in a Freeland goal earlier this season in a 1-1 tie with then No. 14 Lake Forest.

"Over the last few matches that has been a huge part of our success," said Middendorf. "The ability for Abby to get forward and make runs up the left flank to get involved in the attack has created a few great opportunities, even scoring herself making a run out of the back."

He has high praise for another strong offensive weapon on the defensive half. Josie Dombrowski (Barlett, Ill.) may not appear in the stat sheets often, most center backs don't, but she has the ability to help the Falcons maintain possession, a skill important to any club.

"Josie is a converted midfielder. She has a composure to keep the ball and distribute from that position rather than knocking it long all the time to clear the ball," said Middendorf. "We are able to retain possession almost every time she touches it."

The Falcon defense will get its toughest test yet on Saturday in trying to stop the high-powered Aurora Spartans, led by forward Nicci Bermudes. Bermudes leads the NACC with 13 goals this season, and also scored three in last year's NACC Championship against the Falcons, a 3-2 win for the Spartans. The defense knows what is at stake Saturday, and what they are going up against.

"Obviously Nicci is a really good player," said Freeland. "The key to beating them is shutting her down. With Nicci, communicating with the center backs as a defensive unit is going to be important."

"We should beat them in all other areas of the field," added Palmreuter. "She is really their most dangerous player."

The test against the Spartans comes Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Fitting Field for the Falcons. The CUW backline will once again play a key role, albeit one that may go overlooked. And that's just fine for the talented Concordia University Wisconsin backfield.