Once is enough for Notre Dame

Almost.

The one shot Lee couldn't get to was the difference in Notre Dame's 1-0 win Tuesday in Belmont. Twelve minutes into the first half, Notre Dame midfielder Chioma Igwe, the WCAL's most valuable player, launched a shot from 20 yards out that slipped under the crossbar for the game's only goal to send the Tigers into the WCAL finals for the second time in two years. The Tigers will take on the winner of the St. Francis-Mitty game at 3:15 Thursday in Belmont.

"[Igwe] just controls the middle of the field," said Notre Dame coach Mike Becker. "She's able to take on a player, take the ball and start a counter (attack) for us."

Igwe spent most of the game trying to set up her teammates for runs on the Presentation net, but early in the first half, she was making dangerous runs to the top of the penalty box. Molly McBride ran onto a loose ball, worked her way backward and sent a square pass to Igwe 30 yards from the Presentation goal.

On Igwe's first touch, one Panther defender converged on her. Her second touch brought another defender and her third touch brought yet another Presentation player.

Not one of the defenders stopped Igwe's forward progress, however. Just outside the penalty box, Igwe unleashed a shot that Lee was praying would go over the goal as she had no chance to make the save.

After the game, Igwe said she was oblivious to the pressure put on her by the Presentation defenders.

"I don't notice people around me," Igwe said. "I just get the ball and go."

After that goal, Presentation's Lee made sure the Tigers didn't get another as she thwarted every Notre Dame attempt.

And there were a lot. Notre Dame out-shot Presentation 13-5, several of which would have been goals against a lesser goalkeeper. Early in the second half, Igwe sent a free kick toward the far left post but Lee used a diving stretch save to push the ball out of bounds for a corner. Later in the second, Igwe sent a beautiful through pass to Bunny Dickson, who broke away from the defense for a one-on-one with Lee. Lee came off her line to cut down the angle and then made a sliding kick save to deny one of the WCAL's best goal scorers.

"[Lee's] tough to beat in the corners," Becker said.

On the other end of the field, Notre Dame goalkeeper Hillary Waldo was a spectator for most of the match. In the final 10 minutes, with Presentation pushing forward looking for the equalizer, Waldo was every bit as good as her counterpart. Several times she came off her line to gobble up balls that, if she had waited, would have made life miserable for the Tigers.

"[Waldo's] been waiting for her opportunity. She's been a backup for three years on the varsity," Becker said. "It's tough for any goalkeeper (to make decisions like that) without seeing a lot of action … They have to make a split-second decision."

In the opening minutes of the game, Waldo came up with her biggest save of the game. Presentation had three shots on goal in the first 10 minutes, but two minutes in Waldo prevented a 1-0 Presentation lead. A cross from the wing found an unmarked Presentation forward in the middle of the goalbox. She redirected the cross and it appeared destined for an empty net. But Waldo, who was moving across the face of the goal as she followed the play, happened to get in the way of the shot. While she didn't control the ball, she did knock it aside to give up a corner kick instead of the goal.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.