This space is dedicated to all the defenders out there, whether you are playing soccer, football or field hockey.

These are the players that quietly go about their business with little recognition. They can stop a top forward or running back nine out of 10 times over the course of a game, but chances are that one score will be celebrated somewhere in the newspaper or a web site.

In boys soccer on Saturday, Perry Hall defender Ray Rogowski found his way in the spotlight. How? After helping hold down the top-ranked McDonogh Eagles to just one goal through 98 minutes of soccer, Rogowski found himself at the other end of the field, waiting on a long throw-in and heading home the game-winning goal to pull off the upset.

Not surprisingly, it was the first goal of the season for Rogowski and also the biggest one he has ever scored.

-- Glenn Graham