No matter what the sport, if the opposition can’t score, it’s a recipe for success.

Palmer Ridge field hockey is taking that quite literally, led by goalkeeper Keelin Broeker. The Bears are 7-0-1, and haven’t allowed a goal in 490 minutes of game action.

“Going into the season, I set a goal to not get scored on, so going into every game I know I have to go attack the ball when it’s down by my end of the field,” Broeker said. “The mental part of the game is the hardest. If you aren’t facing a lot of shots you have to find a way to keep yourself in the game, and if you are, you have to stay calm.”

The Bears have emerged as one of the best – if not the best – teams in the state. Their 1-0 win over rival Colorado Academy last week, coupled with a 4-0 victory over Mountain Vista, showed Palmer Ridge is a state title contender.

“We have a pretty solid team all-around, from forwards to mids and defense, and Keelin is a very good goalkeeper,” Palmer Ridge coach Paul Lewis said. “Not giving up any goals in eight games, especially against the teams we’ve played, is pretty exciting.”

Broeker, who has earned a full-ride scholarship to play at Central Michigan next year, got into field hockey almost by accident.

Lewis and the rest of the Bears are happy fate intervened when Broeker was a freshman.

“I wanted to try out for softball my freshman year, but I missed the cutoff to try out for the team,” Broeker said. “I had never heard of, or played, field hockey before, but I decided that I was going to give it a shot. I fell in love with the sport after two weeks, and then when the team needed a goalie my sophomore year, I decided to go for it, and it clicked for me.”

Broeker has saved all 27 shots she’s faced this season, and credits some of her mental and physical toughness to being the youngest of five children.

She plans to graduate from Palmer Ridge in December, and early enroll at Central Michigan, which has motivated her to keep getting stronger.

“I do weightlifting every day to push myself to be physically better,” she said. “I keep working on something until I feel like I’m to the point where I’m solid at it.”

Lewis says the special blend of mental and physical strength makes Broeker a top-notch goalkeeper.

“She’s fearless, which is good because it’s a crazy position to play,” Lewis said. “Field hockey balls are hard, and they travel very fast, so you need to have someone who isn’t afraid of anything back there. She’s one of the strongest athletes in the state physically, so that combined with the fearlessness makes her a great keeper.”

After the fast start, Broeker thinks her squad has its best chance for the program’s first state title this season.

“I have no doubt in my mind that we can win state this year,” she said. “We have an amazing group of athletes who are all willing to work hard and do whatever it takes.”