Chaminade Outlasts Nemesis

Mission League titles are nothing new to the Chaminade High girls’ soccer team.

But a victory over Harvard-Westlake?

Until Tuesday night, the Eagles hadn’t defeated their arch-rival in the past four years.

First-half goals by Mindy Wyatt and Michelle French were enough to give Chaminade a 2-1 victory over the visiting Wolverines and their third league championship in the past four seasons.

Chaminade is 1-7-1 against the Wolverines and 30-0 against other league opponents in the past four seasons.

Harvard-Westlake, struggling through its worst season in the past four, essentially conceded the game after trailing, 2-0, at halftime, but got a goal from India Mandelkern with 10 minutes to play.

The Wolverines face Notre Dame today, their third game in three days, in a battle for second place.

“I think Chaminade came out harder, they had a lot more at stake,” said Ned Smith, Harvard-Westlake’s coach. “We have a much bigger game to concentrate on, so I played the [reserves] the last 25 minutes.”

On Jan. 16, Harvard-Westlake stunned the Eagles, 1-0, on a rain-soaked and sloppy field. Tuesday, on a comparatively dry surface, Chaminade held its footing and controlled the game.

“Last time they tried to take it right up the gut against us,” Smith said. “Today they spread the field much better.”

The Eagles opened the scoring in the 16th minute on a play that began when Amy Watts booted a 25-yard free kick to Carlie Stokes in the goalmouth. Stokes passed to Kerrie Clavadetscher, who sent the ball to Wyatt for her ninth goal.

Chaminade scored again with seven minutes remaining in the half.

Liz Buhn beat a defender and dribbled out of the corner before firing a shot from a severe angle.

The ball deflected off a defender to French, who scored from five yards for her 10th goal.

Mandelkern scored on a 30-yard shot from the left sideline that floated over Chaminade goalkeeper Kim Nelli.

The game, played by both sides with playoff intensity, was the latest in a string of recent strong performances by Chaminade.

But Eagle Coach Mike Evans said he felt his team slumped in the second half.

“I always think we have the talent to beat them 5-0, so it wasn’t the result I was hoping for,” he said.

Evans is pleased that his team appears to have found harmony in the season’s stretch run.

The Eagles, defending Southern Section Division III champions, are considered the region’s most talented team but have suffered from selfishness and petulance at times.

With a roster that goes 18 players deep, Evans has faced an uphill battle in distributing playing time.

Tears and sulky looks began to accompany substitutions last month and Evans briefly suspended two senior starters for insubordination.

Tuesday, the fourth-year coach was upbeat.

“I think it’s getting to the end of the season and [the players] are more worried about winning another section title,” Evans said. “Before they were worried about playing time and being in the paper, but they’ve begun to realize that if the whining and individualism doesn’t stop, we’re going to be done early.”