Defenders on the NIU women’s soccer team can thank goalkeeper Carrie Dvorak, who has smothered 103 shots on goal in seven games.

‘Devo,’ as she is affectionately nicknamed, leads a band of defenders who say teamwork is their key to success. Megan Kolkay, Hannah Nussbaum, Katie Sturges, Beth Matus, Kelly Swisher, and Alexis Terry describe their defensive mentality as tough and aggressive.

“The other team is fighting for goals,” Dvorak said. “And as a team we need to fight not to let those girls shoot.”

Dvorak looks forward to grad school and a criminal justice degree. She wants to go into the FBI. Perhaps it’s fitting that she is given the job of locking up the best shots from the opposition. Eight shots have slithered into the sacred twine that she patrols – an average of 1.11 per game.

“As a defender you know you are going to get rocked,” Kolkay said. “You’ve got to be tough because there are going to be bumps and bruises trying to stop the other team.”

Defenders are the buffer to the net, and the other team is willing to do anything to break away at the penalty box they ferociously protect. There’s a sort of psychic camaraderie that exists between defenders, on and off the field.

“We went to see ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ one night,” Terry said. “We all went to three different theaters, and didn’t even know it.”

The defenders’ like-mindedness on the field translates to knowing where their backup is, without looking. If the defense is going to succeed, they must count on each other.

“We need to be able to play for each other,” Kolkay said. “Forwards can rely on us, but if we make a mistake we have to rely on one another.”

Opponents who run into the slender Terry often fall flat. As the lone player to roll up her sleeves during the game, the quarterback of the defense doesn’t consider herself an enforcer.

“I don’t do it for intimidation,” Terry said. “I’m just hot.”

The defenders cite the urgency that requires constant attention and focus.

“You can’t mess up on defense for a second,” Sturges said. “If we let down in the back, then it is for sure getting noticed.”

The soft-spoken Sturges wants to be a gym teacher, and if she played football, she said she’d be a safety. She is a silent assassin on the soccer field. Much like how a safety closes in on a receiver, Sturges arrives quickly on opponents driving to the net, thwarting their attempts.

Defenders have a certain flair to them. They don’t spend time in the offensive-player spotlight, but have some interesting quirks.

“For home games I need to have my hair straightened,” Matus said. “And I need to wear a lot of wrist bands.”

Kolkay wears her hair the same way every game. Terry has teammate Angeline Impelido put a single braid in her hair, and in high school she didn’t wash her socks between games.

“My socks get washed for me now, though,” Terry said.

On the wide expanse of a soccer field, the position of defender can be a thankless job. It isn’t a glamorous position; defenders typically don’t score goals or get flooded with accolades by fans or the media. Maybe the lack of recognition is why they get so much sleep.

“I get nine or 10 hours of sleep a night,” Kolkay said. “And when I get home from class, I take a two-hour nap.”

The rest of the crew concurs: Lots of sleep is good, except for Dvorak. She’s kept alert by the thought of 111 shots fired at her in seven games.