(Enlarge) River Hill’s Amy Song has 19 assists this season, but her throw-in was a much more potent offensive weapon for the Hawks, which helped them win their third consecutive state championship. (staff photo by Matt Roth)

Amy Song scored only one goal in four years, and yet she had one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the state -- her long throw-in.

Teams scouted River Hill, practiced avoiding throw-in situations, worked on defending in the box, and yet Song sent the ball deep in the box, 40 yards somewhat routinely, 45 on a "good day," she said, to create scoring opportunities.

No one else could throw as far.

"Not this year. Not last year," her coach and father, Brian Song, said. "If we get a throw-in, it's probably better than a corner kick because we know where she's going to throw it and we can position someone there."

Song, a defender, had 19 assists this fall, including a throw-in to Semret Seyoum who scored to tie the game in the waning minutes in the state championship to force overtime. River Hill eventually won in a penalty shootout to claim its third straight title.

And yet, with all that she brought to the game, there were doubters. After all, she is the coach's daughter. Maybe she really didn't earn her playing time.

"I've always tried to prove to people that I wasn't picked (for the team) just because I'm the coach's daughter, that I was good enough to be on the team," said Song, who has earned first-team honors on The Sun's All-Metro team and the Washington Post's All-Met team and is the Columbia Flier/Howard County Times Player of the Year in girls soccer.

But, she added, "There are always people who have different opinions."

"It's definitely a fine line," Brian Song said. "Once we're on the field I treat her no different than the other kids. I respect her as a player and she respects me as a coach. At home at the dinner table, we can go back to a father-daughter relationship."

Song said he never brought up his daughter to reporters. "When they ask me, I answer their questions, but I'm not out there (to brag about my kids). I want to stay away from that."

Amy's older sister, Nicole, also played at River Hill, and her younger sister, Kellie, is a sophomore who played on the varsity this fall.

Amy started working on what would become her specialty at about 11 years old, yet she can't explain the secret of her success.

"I don't know if there is a big secret to it. I practice a lot, and I think it's more flexibility than strength, because I don't have very much upper-body strength. People tell me my back arches" on a throw in.

"I've tried to throw farther and farther (each year). I've worked hard for it. It's good to be recognized for it, it's good to hear" praise from opposing coaches, she said.

But she's paid a price, said her father. After 10 or 15 throws a game, her back tightens. "She's in a lot pain, a lot more than people think."

Brian, his wife and even Kellie massage Amy after every game to stretch muscles and work out the pain so she can go out two days later and do the same thing.

Next fall, Song will play at Mount St. Mary's University, a Division I school, on a combination academic and athletic scholarship.

"I still have a lot to learn. I will have to improve to be good at the collegiate level. I need to improve my ball skills," she said.

But her throw-in will likely earn her a warm welcome from her new teammates.

Named to the all-county first team are:

Forwards

Rachel McKee, Mt. Hebron senior. To describe this senior in one word, coach Tim Deppen picks "creative."

"She does things with the ball that I have never seen from another player," he said. "She makes up her own moves."

McKee, verbally committed to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, has a "ridiculously hard shot from either foot and never gives up," he said.

"From what she does as a leader on and off the field and what she does on the field, she's probably one of the best players I've coached.

Anna Kim, River Hill junior. Kim was a sparkplug for River Hill's state title drive. When others weren't producing, she stepped up her game. On the season, she had nine goals and an equal number of assists and always seemed to be where the action was.

"She's a workhorse at the top," coach Brian Song said. "She's a non-stop ballplayer and very unselfish. She's always challenging the ball and winning 50/50 balls.

"She'll be a huge leader next year," he added.

Kelsey Reiff, Reservoir junior. After scoring seven goals as a sophomore, Reiff set the county on fire this fall with 20 goals to earn her first all-county honors. Her scoring prowess led the Gators to their best county showing in their six-year history.

"Once the county realized what she could do and started double-teaming her, she still scored," coach Josh Sullivan said. "Her ability to finish set us apart as a very good team instead of a middle-of-the-pack team."

Faryn Watts, Wilde Lake senior. Watts had to fight off double-team coverage and also battle back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury. Her will to win, quickness and beautiful footwork made her a Player of the Year candidate.

Watts is known for her ability to play with her back to the goal.

"She likes to receive the ball deep in the defense, with pressure on her," coach Phil Webster said. "She never quits. She's a complete player."

Midfielders

Kristina Jackson, Wilde Lake senior. A Player of the Year candidate until a season-ending injury on Oct. 8, Jackson was perhaps the top all-around player in the county. Fans can only wonder what Wilde Lake might have accomplished with her on the field during the final stretch of the season.

"She changes any field she steps onto," said coach Phil Webster, who praised Jackson's ability to control the middle of the field, distribute the ball and keep the ball in the other team's half. "She would say, 'Tell me what you want me to do to win the game, Coach, and I'll do it.' "

Bethany Keefer, Wilde Lake senior. Perhaps the quietest player on the field, Keefer had at least four winning goals or assists. "She quietly amassed" an impressive season, coach Phil Webster said.

"One of the things that I admire most about her is that she sees the field better than any other player I've coached," he said. "She can see things under pressure and can make the pass to create space (for a forward) ... and she makes it look so effortless."

Kathryn Rodgers, River Hill senior. Rodgers physically controlled the midfield, took most of the Hawks' penalty kicks and was a prime target for Amy Song's throw-ins. She led the team in goals; at least six came off throw-ins.

"She is the best header in the county, hands down," coach Brian Song said. "This year she came into her own and was dominating in the playoffs. A lot of good things came from her."

Kristen Schmidbauer, Glenelg junior. Schmidbauer was so determined to keep her team's state title drive alive that she scored the lone goal in two playoff games.

"When we needed a win, she just dribbled the ball through everybody," coach Dean Sheridan said.

"I think she's the best soccer player in Howard County. She has a touch and feel for the ball that I've never seen in another player," he said. Schmidbauer also plays for a top nationally ranked club team. "She's the most accomplished individual soccer player in the history of Glenelg."

Defense

Ellie Axenfeld, Glenelg junior. Although she was a stopper and the key to Glenelg's defense, she played more like a midfielder. She had three goals and 10 assists. "She can play the whole field," coach Dean Sheridan said.

"Ellie beats people with her first touch. She gets a touch and runs into a space, and moves into the attacking half of the field. She transitions well and creates an unbalance for teams," he added.

Caitlin Duff, Wilde Lake senior. Although she probably belongs in the midfield, Duff made a sacrifice for the team and anchored the Wildecats' defense with her skills and tenaciousness.

"She has good instincts on the ball and anticipates better than many players," coach Phil Webster said. More importantly, she understands the tactical aspect of the game, he added, and often moved teammates on the field to give Wilde Lake better match ups. Her tactical skills helped Wilde Lake pull off a big win over Centennial, for example, said Webster.

Becky Perrault, River Hill senior. Perrault protected her goalkeeper, Carylynne Hudson, and is the key component in a defense that allowed only four goals in county play and 11 for the season.

"She's probably the most underrated ballplayer in Howard County," coach Brian Song said. "She's as steady as she can be back there. No one could go through her."

Perrault should have been a midfielder, but Song needed her as a sweeper. "She sacrificed to do what is right for the team," he said.

Goalkeeper

Grace Koplow, Wilde Lake senior. An outstanding shot blocker and almost unbeatable one-on-one, Koplow made it possible for coach Phil Webster to play a risky flat-3 defense.

"She has raw talent. She's not a finished product, she's still improving," said Webster, who went to a national goalkeeper school "to keep up with her" after discovering her in the eighth grade.

"She has the highest work rate in practice of any player I've known. And she has an incredible pain threshold," said Webster, who discovered after the season that Koplow played with a torn ligament in her shoulder and had surgery last week. "She didn't tell me because she was afraid I wouldn't play her."

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