Tigers win elusive, exclusive CCS title

"We weren't excited to tie last year," said Notre Dame senior midfielder Chioma Igwe, who assisted on both Tiger goals. "It feels excellent. It's been a long season."

Saturday's win was even more satisfying because it came against a Presentation team that has been a thorn in the Tigers' side the past two seasons. Saturday was the eighth meeting in two years between the teams. They tied for a CCS co-championship last season and the Panthers were the only team to beat the Tigers this season.

Notre Dame gave notice early on that it would not settle for another scoreless tie. The Tigers needed only five minutes to take a 1-0 lead. After a missed call by the line referee - awarding a corner kick instead of

a throw in - Igwe rifled a low, right-to-left cross into the Presentation penalty box. Striker Mollyrose McBride came flying in and on the volley buried the ball in the back of the net on a bang-bang play.

"We train on our corners every training session," coach Mike Becker said, saying the Tigers take upwards of 40 corners during practice. "We scored at least 12 goals (during the season) on corners. They're very hard to defend."

McBride, only a sophomore, has developed into a go-to player. Becker said she has played extremely well the last seven games.

McBride continued her hot play and - 10 minutes later - gave Notre Dame a 2-0 lead with what turned out to be the game-winning goal. Igwe won the ball 40 yards from the Presentation goal and after beating two Panther defenders, sent a diagonal cross to McBride as she made a run to the far left post. The ball was just behind McBride but she used the outside heel of her right foot to just barely redirect the ball. The Presentation goalkeeper, who was sliding across the face of the goal as she followed the play, could not change direction fast enough and helplessly watched as the ball slowly bounced by her and just inside the right post for the score.

"Molly had an outstanding game. She was calm, cool and collected," Becker said. "She knew exactly what she was doing."

Said McBride: "I really pumped myself up to play well. I like playing with Chioma. It's almost an honor playing with her."

In the second half, it was up to the Notre Dame defense to preserve the win. Presentation controlled most of the game over the final 40 minutes, limiting the Tigers to a few counter-attack opportunities. The Panthers were not getting a lot of dangerous chances but the constant pressure began to grind on the Tigers' defenders.

Over the final 20 minutes of the game, Presentation went into full-on desperation mode and it finally paid off when Kim Grelli took a long pass, beat her defender to the ball and scored on a perfectly placed shot just inside the far right post for the score 11 minutes from the end.

The goal would be the only blemish against Notre Dame goalkeeper Hilary Waldo who gave up only two goals in three CCS games.

"Waldo really took control back there," Becker said.

The Tigers' defense was dealt a serious blow when senior right fullback and captain Amanda Villa was forced out of the game with a knee injury midway through the first half. Colene McKeon came on in relief and did a tremendous job filling in.

"Colene McKeon stepped up and played hard," Becker said. "She got a little anxious out there but she stood up well [Saturday]."

The win caps a season in which the Tigers lived up to the hype. They had been one of the top teams in the section the past few years but had only a co-championship to show for it. The win was a fitting end for a Notre Dame team that features three seniors going to four-year colleges on soccer scholarships - Igwe (Cal), Bunny Dickson (University of Pacific) and Villa (San Jose State) - and a team that finished the season as the No. 2-ranked team in the nation and the top team in the Western Region.

Despite all that, Becker admitted winning a CCS title is never easy - no matter what the talent a team has.

"You don't know who's going to get hurt, who's going to get sick," Becker said. "To repeat (as champions) this year is fantastic. But it was a grind. This is the game we wanted to win."