The primary role of the attacker, or striker, is to score goals. An attacker must be an accomplished shooter, whether it with his foot or head. A cool head in front of the goal can lead to a high-percentage shot. Attackers have to be able to score from unlikely positions. Many strikers are selfish in front of the goal. This can be a weakness as they do not spot teammates with better opportunities to score. The fullbacks of a soccer team monitor the attacking players on the opposing team, attempting to stop them from dribbling or passing the ball downfield. All fullbacks must be confident, aggressive and unafraid of charging oncoming attackers. Stoppers are a special type of fullback that aggressively pursue opponents to stymie offensive maneuvers.
Some teams have two central fullbacks that perform the same basic functions, while other teams divide up the central fullbacks and give them separate responsibilities. The sweeper is the last line of defense. Her job is to clear the ball quickly if attackers attempt to pass it into the goal area. The stopper occupies the space slightly in front of the sweeper. Her job is to mark the most threatening offensive players to ensure they can’t send or receive passes. When the ball is in the opposing team’s half of the field, the stopper may move forward slightly to help support the midfielders, who are the players who occupy the central portion of the field.
