Howard County girls soccer notebook: fifth edition

Matchup to watch: Atholton’s Ashley Ensor and Reservoir’s Kylie Toler might be the two best players in the county this year – both will likely be vying for Howard County Player of the Year honors – and both play at the center midfield position. It will be a great battle between the two on Friday, because both have been keys to their respective teams success thus far. The Raiders and Gators both pride themselves on possession and the big reason in how and why the can typically dominate teams in that respect is because of their starting center-mids. Whoever can win the 50-50 balls early on and create extra possessions on the offensive end will likely have the edge. Needless to say, Toler and Ensor will be huge factors in the game.

No.1 offense vs. No. 1 defense: All season long teams have had trouble limiting Atholton’s offense. The Raiders average nearly three goals a game and have been shutout in only one outing this year (Sept. 3 versus South Carroll). They have great play in the midfield, led by senior captain Ashley Ensor and have so many different weapons on the field. Sofia Harrison, Adrienne Vaughn, Victoria Huxtable are just a few who are dangerous with the ball at their feet, but Holly Edsall Catalina Lennon, Caroline Morton, Kelley Flynn and Sam Clearfield have all also been integral in the Raiders impressive attack this year.

What the result means: Win or lose Atholton has the edge in the county title race, with the Raiders heading in with only one loss, while the Gators have two losses (against Mt. Hebron and Hammond) and a tie (against Howard). So although Reservoir would hold the tie break against Atholton, it will still need the Raiders to at least tie or lose in their following two games against Long Reach or Wilde Lake. The Gators will also need to beat Atholton and Centennial – two of the top teams this year – to keep their hopes of a county championship alive.