As a defensive midfielder, Crown Point senior Nate Townsend typically doesn’t garner a lot of glory.
He does much of the dirty work and has limited opportunities to score.
But during a freshman season in which he eventually earned a starting spot, Townsend netted what Crown Point coach Mike Bazin described as a “legendary” goal against Chesterton.
“I just remember running to everybody and how surreal that was,” Townsend said. “I was celebrating, did a knee slide, and I got cramps. Both my whole legs were cramping — both my calves and my hammies. I had to get carried off, which was just great. It was funny.”
Townsend’s shot from outside the penalty box late in the second half of overtime lifted the Bulldogs to a 2-1 victory against then-No. 4 Chesterton and ended a losing streak of eight games in the series dating to 2017.
“It’s something you dream about, scoring a game-winner against a rival, especially when your team wasn’t expected to win,” he said. “It was a great moment.”
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Townsend has experienced more great moments, if not as flashy, during his Crown Point career. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
Solidly in the lineup as a sophomore, Townsend said he hit “a little slump” early in 2023.
“I had a bad game, and stuff was happening outside of soccer that was messing with my confidence,” he said. “Getting through that was a big step in my life, getting through that slump.
“Soccer was always my life, and me being in that dark spot in my life really affected me.”
Townsend relied on his faith to help him get back on track.
“I had confidence issues, and it really messed up my game,” he said. “The biggest thing was I kept having negative self-talk. The negative self-talk really ruined it for me.
“Once I started positively self-talking, self-reflecting and realizing that was my problem, it really helped me get out of that spot. I got out of that negative self-talk, and that’s how I played really good my junior year.”
Townsend had five goals and six assists as a sophomore and then posted four goals and five assists last season. But numbers don’t truly reflect his value.
“Stats can’t measure the impact he has on the field,” Bazin said. “He’ll be one of the best players in the Region this year. He plays the 6 usually, and that’s a very thankless position, defending and setting other players up for success.”
Crown Point senior defender Panagiotis Mattingly appreciates Townsend’s contributions.
“Since my freshman year, he’s just been a great leader,” Mattingly said. “He always was kind to everyone and uplifting. He’s someone we could always look up to, and just going through my years, I just looked up to him the way he played, his confidence in the game, and I strived to be like that.”
Townsend’s leadership could be especially important this season. The Bulldogs lost a large class to graduation and other players, including star midfielder Brayden Kurtz, to academy ball.
“I’ve always worked hard in the middle,” Townsend said. “I’ve never been scared to put in a tackle. I’ve always tried to play with my teammates, get the ball off my foot. I’ve always tried to be a good communicator and tried to be a good leader. I don’t like to complain. I’ve always tried to do my job the best I can.”
Townsend views one of his primary jobs as trying to help Crown Point win its first sectional championship since 2017. That title eight years ago was the Bulldogs’ seventh straight during a run that also included two state championships. They lost to Valparaiso in penalty kicks last year.
“We’ll see how far we can go,” Townsend said. “We’ve been very close. We just haven’t won anything in a while. Everybody wants it.
“We have a good team camaraderie. We all have a common goal. It’s going way better than I expected. We lost so many people, and I had zero clue how our team was going to look this year. I’m pleasantly surprised how we’re doing. I’m very proud of everybody. Everybody’s working super hard, putting in so much effort. We keep getting better. The sky’s the limit. It’s just amazing to see.”
For his part, Townsend has worked on improving his first touch, his decision-making and his understanding of utilizing space. He plans to major in biology, likely at Purdue, on a pre-med track to become a doctor or physician assistant. While he intends to play for the university’s club team, it wouldn’t be the same.
“I’m just really excited for my senior year,” Townsend said. “I love this group of guys. I was kind of nervous about this season because we have a bunch of new faces. But we’re all playing very well together.”
Townsend is the type of player who helps pull those pieces together.
“He’s the engine behind most of our teams because he plays a very unselfish role of the 6,” Bazin said. “That’s normally a thing that’s not going to get all the stats, not going to get all the accolades. He does win our Bulldog Award pretty much every year, which is like pride, hustle, desire, just the guy who embodies what our team wants.
“He has a great shot, great distribution and generally all around represents what we want from every single player on the field. He’s a kid who hopefully should shine this year.”