Going on the Defensive, Notre Dame Prevails, 1-0

ENCINO — The scouting report on Louisville High was simple: Shut down center midfielder Kim Daws and you shut out the Royals.

And so for 80 minutes Friday, Notre Dame hounded its slight but nimble opponent, turning her away when she tried to dribble and smothering her when she went to pass.

“We just wanted to keep the ball out of the middle so Kimmy wouldn’t get it,” said Notre Dame Coach Neezer McNab after the Celts’ 1-0 Mission League victory at Crespi High. “Our kids did a good job and (Daws) didn’t prove to be too dangerous.”

The Knights’ defensive execution made a goal by freshman striker Colleen Levredge stand up. She scored eight minutes into the match when she pounced on a Louisville turnover in the penalty area and drilled the ball past goalie Liz Hudson from 15 yards.

Louisville had scant opportunity to score, managing only two shots.

“I felt we were marking well on defense but we didn’t move up when we got the ball; our transition wasn’t quick enough,” said Daws, a junior who has only six goals this season after scoring 14 for the Royals a year ago.

If Louisville (6-8, 1-2) was slow to move on the attack, no such problem existed for Notre Dame (11-2, 3-0). The Knights feature four freshmen in their starting lineup and two of them, midfielders Melissa Rubey and Sarah Morgan, led a lightning-quick counterattack that had the Royals on their heels.

“Notre Dame passes the ball so well,” said Louisville assistant Bud Dain, who guided the team in the absence of Coach Lee Gautrau. “They settle the ball and are in control of it quickly, and they know exactly where to pass the second they get it.”

McNab didn’t know what she was getting when preseason practice arrived. In her third season as Notre Dame coach, she spends part of each summer running the school’s soccer camp, in which freshmen Levredge, Rubey, Morgan and Arlen Yudell participated.

McNab was unsure if they would attend Notre Dame or if they had the talent to contribute immediately once enrolled. However, along with fellow rookie Michele Fonseca, they have revitalized the team, which was 8-10-2, 4-7-1 last season.