BETHEL – The number of goals Whitney Mills has scored so far this field hockey season seems to boggle everyone’s mind except, well, Whitney Mills.

“Being the center forward and a senior, that’s my job,” said Mills, co-captain of reigning Western Class C champion Telstar Regional High School. “There are plenty of girls on this team who can score. We all have plenty of hard hits and know how to put the ball in the cage.”

Field hockey tradition dictates that the girl who creates that telltale thump in the back of the goal gets the privilege of retrieving the ball and returning it to midfield.

More often than not, when Telstar puts a notch on the scoreboard to put another Mountain Valley Conference opponent into a deep hole, it’s Mills who races past the frustrated goaltender to fetch the white, yellow or orange bullet.

Telstar has scored 28 goals in seven games. Sixteen of those belong to Mills. She hounded Hall-Dale and dogged Dirigo with four goals each and mystified Mountain Valley with three.

Mills’ latest goal provided the game-winning margin in a 2-1 triumph Wednesday over Livermore Falls. Telstar, ranked No. 1 in Western C and seeking its fourth sectional title in the last five years, moved to 6-1 with the victory.

Coach Gail Wight understands why Mills tries to downplay her scoring skills. They’re nothing new, and they’re merely the shiny exterior of what is a gritty, well-rounded game.

“She’s supposed to be scoring. That is her job to score,” Wight reiterated. “But she plays the angles. She tells (teammates) where to go. She gets stops on free hits from the other team. She doesn’t just stand there and wait for the ball.”

Mills racked up 30 goals as a junior. Even with such gaudy numbers, amazingly, she was able to blend in with an explosive, senior-laden offense.

Every set of watchful eyes is locked on Mills this fall. Opponents plant their best defensive players in her shadow. Sophomore and junior teammates seek her guidance and approval.

Senior goalkeeper Bri Douglass is the only other returning starter for Telstar.

“She’s a good positive leader. And when she steps up, the rest of them step up too,” Wight said of Mills. “If you know which way she’s going to go, you’re going to go with her. She’s surrounded by juniors, so they’re going to go with her.”

T.J. Cowin, Felicia Dumont, Lindsay James, Aly Steven and Jamie Steven all have blossomed as offensive players in Mills’ supporting cast.

Mills was impressed with the way her younger teammates responded to their first loss of the season, a 2-1 loss at Lisbon. The Rebels rallied to defeat Livermore Falls only two days later.

“We’re a new team. We just came off our first loss, and (Livermore Falls) just came off beating an undefeated team (Jay) in two overtimes,” Mills said. “We came out and we did our thing. We know how to play field hockey. It just comes down to the fundamentals. We’re getting it. We’ve just got to stay positive and keep working hard.”

There are bound to be more peaks and valleys in a crowded MVC race.

Telstar, Jay and Class B Mountain Valley remain linked with one loss. Lisbon and Livermore Falls have proven their worth as spoilers.

When your school’s trophy case features nine state or regional crowns dating back to 1976, though, you feel the unspoken pressure to stay a step ahead of the fray.

Wight and Mills joked after the loss at Lisbon that the Rebels probably would receive the boldest headline in the newspaper the next day. They were saved by the bell when Livermore Falls knocked Jay from the ranks of the unbeaten, too.

“We are Telstar, and we know when we lose there’s going to be a big headline,” Mills said. “We don’t worry about it. We know we can play.

“I’ve played for four years now, and I don’t want to let down the legacy,” she added. “I want to keep it going. The other girls have a lot of motivation to do that, too.”

Of all Mills’ past, present and future goals, there’s the most important one.