They beat No. 7 Zionsville and No. 9 Cathedral, entered the postseason ranked fifth in the state, then won the school’s third straight girls soccer sectional and regional titles.

Although the Brownsburg Bulldogs lost to Zionsville 1-0 in the semifinals of the North Central Semistate, coach Phil Slavens said that certainly doesn’t take much away from “a really, really good” 2009.

“It’s pretty hard to be down about what we accomplished this year,” Slavens said. “One of the best seasons we’ve had in a long time.”

A number of key seniors, led by forward Nicole Duncan, led the Bulldogs to an 18-2-2 record. The reigning All-West Player of the Year, Duncan led the team in goals (25) and assists (eight). Her 25 goals set a school single-season record, and she’s the career goals leader at Brownsburg.

Casey Stouder anchored the defense during her four years, missing only a handful of games at the beginning of her freshman season.

In goal, Rachel Fulkerson posted 12 shutouts and a 0.25 goals-against average a year after being the backup keeper. She replaced Mackenzie Calvert, who got hurt early in the season, shifted to midfield and “didn’t complain a minute about not playing goal,” Slavens said. “She went right into midfield and just played fantastic.”

Slavens said next year could be even better, even without those seniors. Expected to return are junior midfielders Savannah Bunn (nine goals) and Rio James (five goals), sophomore defender Kerry Devney and freshman forward Taylor Carter (seven goals).

“I think next year we’ll be a lot more balanced,” Slavens said. “Of course, how do you replace Nicole or Casey Stouder? . . . I think we’ll really be good.”