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If not for the opening kick of the Clarksburg girls soccer team's 2-0, home win over defending Montgomery 3A/2A/1A West Division champion Rockville Thursday, it'd be hard to tell what position junior Cassidy Pickles was actually playing.

The crafty speedster was all over the place, recording an assist on sophomore Lexi McCarty's second-half goal and playing an integral part on defense in the shutout victory. But Pickles wasn't off her mark, she was just doing what good midfielders do.

Central midfielders do a little bit of everything on a soccer field: tackle, dribble, shoot and pass. Evident in her performance Thursday, Pickles possesses all those skills and more. She's fit, fast, strong, crafty and has great field vision; with pinpoint accuracy, she found McCarty through a swarm of defenders to help increase the Coyotes' lead to 2-0.

"Cassidy is a three-year starter and is probably the biggest unsung hero of our team," Clarksburg coach Troy Bowers said. "She serves a great ball. She'll look for the shot or to pass, so she's very unpredictable. And she's willing to go back and play defense. She's up and down the field; she's a very dynamic player."

Clarksburg (2-0) led 1-0 at halftime after senior Daria Borowski finished sophomore Kelsey Kenel's corner kick in the 23rd minute.

Pickles' ability to make contributions all over the field, and McCarty's increased confidence moving forward, add a new dimension to Clarksburg. Borowski has been a huge part of the Coyotes' success the past three years; Clarksburg won 17 games in its first two years as a varsity program, both winning seasons. But one person can't do everything.

Borowski, a natural scorer, has sacrificed her own statistics to play in the back the past two years. But that's when the Coyotes were content playing the counterpuncher.

They're not anymore. Scoring was once a struggle for Clarksburg; in 2007, the Coyotes averaged just 1.4 goals per game and relied almost exclusively on their stingy defense. This year, they're able to impose themselves on opposing defenses.

"We want to be a more possession-type team this year," Bowers said. "The girls have put forth the effort over the summer to become better players. We want to control the midfield. We still want to play good defense, but we're going to try and possess the ball more instead of just knocking it upfield and hoping it gets to where we want it to go."

They've been quite efficient in the final third so far, scoring five goals in their first two games. And three different players — Borowski, McCarty and senior Melanie Gustafson — have found the net.

"These girls trust each other this year," Bowers added. "They know they're accountable for their actions and they're not afraid to move the ball to anyone."

Pickles bounced around the field like a pinball Thursday. It's her ability to move forward and set her teammates up that gives Clarksburg's offense even more options in 2008.

"We're focusing a lot on keeping possession, on our first touches and moving forward," Pickles said. "I think we can take this game as an example and a good sign of where we're heading toward."