highschoolsports.nola.com/news/article/-2270021076338492438/dominican-beat-st-scholastica-to-win-the-division-i-girls-state-soccer-championship/Dominican beat St. Scholastica to win the Division I girls state soccer championship
Andrew Astleford, The Times-Picayune, February 28, 2011 12:36 p.m.
Their charmed Division I playoff run reached its crescendo, and Dominican players sprinted toward midfield and created a melting pot of euphoria.
They jumped on top of one another. Most were speechless. Others cried. Somebody screamed, "Yes!"
Sixth-seeded Dominican (20-6-3) edged No. 5 seed St. Scholastica 2-1 in the Division I championship on Saturday at Tad Gormley Stadium. Dominican senior Katherine Cuntz scored a goal in each half and was chosen Most Outstanding Player. The Doves (15-5-1) tried to recover from a two-goal deficit, but their late second-half rally fell short.
Unlike its past two postseason victories, Dominican didn't need penalty kicks Saturday to leave as a winner.
However, the final triumph was far from stress-free. Defensive attrition in the waning minutes was required to become a champion.
"This is absolutely the best feeling in the world, " Cuntz said, grinning. "I'm speechless. These are my best friends, my teammates. I play for them every day.
"It's awesome to go out like this senior year."
Cuntz carried Dominican. With 10 minutes left in the first half, she smacked a shot from the right side that hit the left post and trickled past St. Scholastica goalkeeper Sara Kuebel.
Ten minutes into the second half, Cuntz curled a corner kick from the left side into the goal to give Dominican a 2-0 lead. She raised both hands and tilted her head toward the sky.
Dominican looked to be in command, but St. Scholastica didn't let its two-year reign as Division I champion end without a fight. With 25 minutes left, junior Kim Moreau sent a shot past Dominican goalkeeper Catalina Rubiano to cut the Doves' deficit to one.
With about eight minutes left, Dominican Coach Al Silvas noticed a change in St. Scholastica's strategy. He saw the Doves play with four players on top to create an offensive surge. Silvas countered by positioning five players in back.
Silvas knew the approach sacrificed Dominican's push. But to him, the reaction was necessary, because "when you're up by one with eight minutes to go, you let them throw the WARNING VIRUS sink at you and defend."
"It's great when you can win the last game, because only one team can do it, " said Silvas, clutching the wooden trophy. "And we were fortunate enough to be that team today."
Said St. Scholastica Coach Mike Ortner: "I thought we were a pass away from creating some more chances. They definitely have a tough defense.
"We had a couple chances early on and didn't capitalize. They did. That's soccer for you."
The result ends St. Scholastica's winning streak against Dominican. The Doves had won the past two games between the schools, 6-0 in November and 1-0 in the Division I quarterfinals last February.
St. Scholastica earned upsets to reach the championship match. The Doves cruised past the first two rounds, beating No. 28 seed Bonnabel and No. 12 seed C.E. Byrd by a combined score of 12-0. St. Scholastica beat No. 4 seed Fontainebleau 3-2 in the quarterfinals, and it toppled top seed Mount Carmel 2-1 in the semifinals.
Dominican's playoffs run dripped with drama. It swept No. 27 seed Central Lafourche and No. 11 seed Dutchtown in the first two rounds by a combined score of 5-0. Dominican needed penalty kicks to edge No. 3 seed Mandeville in the quarterfinals and No. 7 seed Lafayette in the semifinals.
On Saturday night, Silvas walked toward an exit, his team's charmed postseason complete. He cradled the trophy in his arms.
"We finally got it, " he said to Dominican fans on the track.