Taylor Hensh, Marriotts Ridge sophomore. Solid, strong and scrappy describes Hensh, a versatile player who has already made a verbal commitment to the University of Maryland.

Hensh was right behind teammate Zoe Stukenberg in goals scored. She had 55.

"Taylor has a rocket shot that she didn't have last year," said coach Natalie Gaieski.

Hensh scored on a high percentage of her 8-meter free position shots. "We wanted her fouled inside the 8 (meter mark) or for a defender to be in shooting space," Gaieski said.

Submit a Letter to the Editor for the Laurel Leader, Columbia Flier and Howard County Times

Defensively, she was also an asset to her team.

Nicole Twardowicz, Oakland Mills senior. Pulled up to the varsity for the postseason her freshman year, Twardowicz developed into a force and a leader this season.

"It was obvious to everyone that she was such a great athlete, but it wasn't obvious to her," coach Megan Gittermann said. "This year, she finally came to the realization that she could compete with the best players in the county."

Tall, lanky, speedy and determined ,Twardowicz scored 60 goals for Oakland Mills this season. That was more than twice what she scored as a junior.

"She embraced the fact that everyone was relying on her more than in the past," her coach said. "She had some very, very concrete goals, and she would do whatever it took to meet them. …We walked away from every game knowing that she belonged out there against the best players in the county. I think she has the capability to go Division I."

Defense

Molly Fleming, Marriotts Ridge senior. A natural athlete who can move well — and with speed — Fleming was part of a stingy Marriotts Ridge defense. The Mustangs allowed only 71 goals on the season and scored 323. Fleming is represented in both figures. While defense is her "thing," she sometimes ran midfield and scored 13 goals to go with four assists.

"Molly has very good defensive technique," coach Natalie Gaieski said. "Sometimes she is not noticed (on the field) because she is doing her job and not letting her player score."

Anne Zabel, Marriotts Ridge senior. Numerous accolades were bestowed upon Zabel this year — first team in both the Baltimore and Washington metro areas, Under Armour All-American and US Lacrosse Girls High School All-American. She is also a three-time Howard County first-teamer.

"People say Anne might be one of the best line defenders in the country," coach Natalie Gaieski said. "People are intimidated when they get the ball and know that she is playing defense on them."

Zabel is not of imposing size, but she is aggressive and her defensive skills are impeccable.

"Anne is very coachable. She always bought into our system and she would run into a brick wall for us," Gaieski said.

Zabel, who will play at UMBC, got a few turns at midfield and scored seven goals.

Goalkeeper

Megan Taylor, Glenelg freshman. In a sport that is stacked against a goalkeeper, Taylor is a standout. With quick hands and feet and a game sense beyond her years, she saved more than 54 percent of the shots she faced.

"Beyond a doubt she is the best high school freshman goalkeeper I have ever seen," longtime Glenelg coach Ginger Kincaid said. "She is the difference that kept us in the game, and when it was a big game, Megan showed up to play.

"I know she frustrated Mt. Hebron in the first meeting and she frustrated Marriotts Ridge as she made big save after big save in those games."

Because Glenelg was so small around the draw circle, which made it hard to get draw control, Glenelg's offense often started with one of Taylor's 116 saves.

"Megan's amazing, and I think she's only going to get better," Kincaid said.