It’s hard to picture a soccer team scoring only 24 goals all year – some teams have high scorers with double that amount alone – but it has worked for the Houlton girls this season.

The defense-savvy Shiretowners are headed to the Class C state championship, their first appearance in a state final since 1995 when they were still in Class B.

Houlton, 12-4-1, faces Western Maine champion North Yarmouth Academy Saturday in a 1 p.m. game at the Weatherbee School field in Hampden.

The Shiretowners have had plenty of offensive chances, but putting the ball in the net has been a bit of a struggle. Therefore, the team works on keeping the opposition bottled up.

“We do focus more on defense than offense,” said Claire Thompson, the senior center midfielder. “A lot of times, one goal will win us a game. We beat Madawaska 1-0, we beat Hodgdon 1-0, I think we beat Schenck 1-0 and Fort Kent was 1-0, too. I guess we like to keep the crowd on their toes.”

Speaking of defense, it was a scoreless tie that sparked the Shires this fall.

After losing 7-0 to Presque Isle early in the season, Houlton held the Wildcats to a 0-0 overtime tie a few weeks later. Presque Isle had won all of its games to that point.

“I’m still in awe of the way we played in that game,” Thompson said. “Everything just worked for us.”

Senior goalie Anna Lenentine has been a big key this year, said coach Sean Callahan. The Shires have given up 12 goals in 17 games, but eight of those came in two games against Class B Caribou and Presque Isle.

Lenentine has 11 shutouts.

“From what I’ve seen, of all the teams we played, she’s the best goalie,” Callahan said.

The Shiretowners like to play a marking defense with everyone, including offensive players, expected to get back on defense.

“Even the striker comes back to play defense,” Thompson said.

The rest of the starting backs include sweeper Jillian Miller, stopper Michelle Varney, left fullback Katherine Cole and right fullback Kelsey Martin.

Martin transferred from Hodgdon, which has also had a lot of soccer success in recent years.

The Shires are obviously capable of scoring, however, and for that they rely primarily on left wing Danielle Sewell (six goals, no assists), striker Amie McPartland (five goals, one assist) and Thompson (four goals, two assists).

Thompson said Sewell is the best finisher on the team.

Wing forward Ashley Gard has two goals, including the game-winner against Penobscot Valley of Howland in Saturday’s 1-0 Eastern Maine final.

“We know our offense is good, too,” Lenentine said. “Sometimes we just have trouble getting it up [front].”

Freshman midfielder Keegan Hovey is a key substitute.

There have been some big changes for the Shiretowners this fall.

Falling enrollment forced the school to move down to Class C for the first time this year.

And the Shires got a new coach in Callahan, whose soccer experience consisted of a stint as a back-up goalie at Brunswick High. Callahan, a 32-year-old history teacher at the school, was hired when former coach Bruce Nason switched over to the golf team.

Lenentine said Callahan has emphasized communication, both on and off the field.

“We’re a very close team,” she added. “If anyone has a problem with anything we always make sure we talk it out together.”

There is a bit of concern among the Shiretowners about playing on the artificial FieldTurf surface at the Hampden field.

Thompson and McPartland are the only two members of the team who have actually played on artificial turf.

“It couldn’t be any worse than playing on our field,” Callahan joked. “We had to snowblow it for the quarterfinals.”