While goal scoring is important in winning games, five players who rarely score on the Austin girls soccer team have played a major role in the squad’s turnaround this year.

Of the five, only one of them have scored a goal, but the contributions of Austin’s four staring defenders — Madaline Rueter, Taryn Sims, Sela Fadness and Brianna Byam, and freshman keeper Chloe Summerfield, goes well beyond scoring.

They have helped the Packers (4-4 overall), transform into a team that routinely gave up five goals or more two years ago to a team that hasn’t allowed more than three goals in a game all season.

Last year Austin started its improvement as it went 5-12 overall, but this year the Packers are taking to an even higher level.

“We’ve had the same team for a few years now. We’re used to each other and we know each other’s skills,” said Byam, who has scored two goals on free kicks this season. “If (Chloe) lets one in, we tell her it’s not her fault. It’s the whole team’s fault and we let her down. I feel like we’re building our confidence a little with every game.”

The Packers have shutout their opponent in all four of their wins this season and Summerfield is quickly adjusting to the speed of the varsity game.

Summerfield is never relaxed in net, but that’s probably a good thing for Austin.

“Every game brings pressure and you feel like it’s never off you until the game’s over,” she said. “I love it and I play a lot better under pressure.”

Byam, Rueter and Sims have all been long-time starters on the defensive of the ball and Sims is usually the one communicating on the back line of defense. Sims also knows how to keep the ball away from the net.

“She’s the toughest on our whole team and she’ll do whatever it takes to get to the ball,” Summerfield said of Sims.

Fadness has the least experience of the group as she just started playing soccer again last fall after taking about a 10-year break from the sport. Fadness had taken up diving for the Packer swim team, but after suffering a gymnastics injury, she wanted to play a sport where her arms weren’t involved and soccer seemed like the best choice.

Fadness is glad she made that decision.

“We’re really a close knit group of girls and we just have fun,” she said. “We’ve played really well and we always go in hoping to win. But we also go in with the mindset that every game is going to be our toughest opponent.”

The Packers (1-2 Big Nine) will host Faribault Thursday at 7 p.m.