Parity across the area keeping it interesting

Boys' soccer coaches and players around the area emphasized entering this season that, unlike past years when perennial powers were clear favorites to win titles, this year there was no top dog considered to be the hands-down "team to beat."

Sure enough, few contenders have made it through the regular season unscathed.

Top-ranked programs such as DeMatha and Sherwood have fallen to division opponents -- the previously-unbeaten and top-ranked Warriors lost to Blair and Churchill this week -- and just two teams in the Post's Top 10 remain unbeaten, with No. 4 Northern (14-0) the only team not to lose or tie.

"I was looking around at the other teams [at the start of the year] and I saw some pretty significant turnover, but I also saw traditional powers and that there weren't going to be a lot of easy games out there," said Episcopal Coach Rick Wilcox, whose team remains unbeaten at 13-0-2 after a perfect 23-0 season last year.

Some leagues, such as Anne Arundel, have three teams battling at the top.

Fifth-ranked Severna Park (10-1), No. 8 South River (11-1) and Broadneck (10-2-1) have handed each other losses this season, an example of the area-wide parity that keeps the playoff favorites unclear as the postseason approaches.

And even those teams without a loss recognize that this is a year in which no opponent can go overlooked, especially after seeing two previous unbeatens in Sherwood and Poolesville lose twice in one week.

"You already kind of prepare that every game matters, but this way, because a lot of the teams are evenly matched, you have to work to see how you can get that edge," Clarksburg Coach Jeremy Spoales said. "Now not just every game matters, but every practice matters. You have to make sure you make no mistakes."

Not what doctor ordered

Alexis Cavey, goalie for the Severna Park girls' soccer team, woke up Tuesday morning, felt her forehead and realized the fever she had been battling was still there. But with her team's biggest game of the season that night -- a match at county rival Arundel that could clinch the Anne Arundel County regular season title for the Falcons -- the ongoing malady was partly her own doing.

"I've been sick this week, but I didn't go to the doctor on purpose," she said in a raspy voice over the screams of her teammates on the bus home after No. 5 Severna Park secured a 1-0 win and its first county championship since 2005. "I just had to play in this game, and I didn't want someone to tell me I couldn't."

Fever aside, there isn't a goalkeeper around the area who's hotter than Cavey. With the victory over Arundel, she has nine consecutive shutouts and hasn't given up a goal since Sep. 16.

Against the Wildcats Tuesday night, she faced her stiffest test yet. After Marisa Kresge gave Severna Park a 1-0 first-half lead off a feed from Gabby Moreno, Arundel went on the offensive and finished the game with 20 shots on net. Cavey stopped them all.

The high volume of shots was all part of Severna Park's defensive strategy. Central defenders Stephanie Pack and Kelly Murphy have become experts at funneling attackers away from the goalmouth, which forces opponents to take long-range shots on Cavey. It helps that Cavey is adept at figuring out where a shot is headed before it's even taken.

"She's made difficult saves look easy because she positions herself so well," first-year Coach Todd Clark said of his keeper. "The three of them just work brilliantly together."

After starting the season with a 3-0 loss to No. 1 Spalding, a defeat Clark said showed his team "they needed to pull together," Severna Park has 12 straight wins.