C.P.'s Dorsuleski, Martin help anchor strong defense

CROWN POINT | During what has been an eventful season for Crown Point, the Bulldogs certainly haven't been lacking in impressive defensive performances.

Crown Point has shut out eight teams this season, including tough Duneland Athletic Conference foes such as Valparaiso and LaPorte.

Since a 5-1 loss to Andrean on Sept. 24, the Bulldogs have allowed only two goals, and they shut out Noblesville and Warsaw in semistate last weekend. Defense will undoubtedly be a key in shutting down Columbus North's balanced offense in Saturday's state finals at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis.

Helping anchor that unit is sophomore Spase Dorsuleski and senior Michael Martin, who are in their first year of playing defense full time. Dorsuleski was the junior varsity team's top goal scorer last season, and Martin played primarily as a midfielder.

"I got used to it at the beginning and then started getting right into the system," he said. "It started getting easier and easier as time progressed."

Veteran defenders Dan Naumoski and Anthony Zervos were there to help bring Dorsuleski and Martin along, and the unit has meshed nicely this season.

"I think we work pretty well," Martin said. "I think we all know what we have to do, and if we make a mistake we have three guys behind us who are going to back us up."

The Bulldogs went through a tough midseason stretch. After a 4-3 win over Highland on Aug. 27, C.P. went 1-4-1 over its next six games, causing the team to not be on the same page at times.

"We got together and talked about what we needed to fix — what we did good and what we did bad," Dorsuleski said.

"I think it was overall a team thing," Martin added. "I think after that is when we started rolling, and that's a big reason we're here now."

Crown Point coach JR Rosenbaum noted that Dorsuleski and Martin are counted on for more than just good defense.

"They're both extremely intelligent, and it translates onto the field," Rosenbaum said. "They know how to read a play. They're not your typical outside backs. A lot of teams like to hide their weaker players in those positions, and we put some of our more technical players there and rely on them to do more. If it weren't for guys like this, we couldn't play this style. We really rely on having 11 guys on the field who can play both ways."