For Chaminade, It’s Just an Old Hat Trick

Chaminade High pulled off a three-peat.

Well, in a way.

For the third year in a row, the Eagles were crowned champions of a Southern Section girls’ soccer division.

The catch? Chaminade tied Bishop Montgomery, 1-1, in the Division IV championship game Saturday at Gahr High.

In a rule Chaminade has come to know well, the Southern Section does not play overtime in soccer title games, instead crowning the teams co-champions.

Last year, the Eagles tied St. Lucy’s, 0-0. The previous year, they defeated El Modena for the Division III championship, 2-1.

The third-seeded Eagles (22-4-3) controlled the game in the first half, but needed a goal by Mindy Wyatt seven minutes into the second half to earn the tie.

“I’m a little disappointed,” Coach Mike Evans of Chaminade said. “I felt we had a good team and could have played a little stronger.

“But it doesn’t take away from the fact that no one expected us here with the graduation [last year] of eight seniors and seven starters. To say you walked off the field as the champs three straight times is an accomplishment.”

The Eagles almost walked off as the winners.

With just over a minute left, Lindsey Horn came close to converting a cross from Kim Taylor, but goalkeeper Adrian Conde made a diving save for Bishop Montgomery (24-3-3).

“It’s frustrating, but there’s really nothing more I could ask for,” said Horn, a senior who played on all three championship teams. “Leaving a champion . . . can’t get much better.”

The Knights struggled on offense in the first half, failing to test goalkeeper Sara Leibowitz of Chaminade, who had 20 shutouts this season.

But in the fifth minute of the second half, Bishop Montgomery took a 1-0 lead, Andrea Valadez capitalizing on a miscommunication between two Chaminade defenders, finding an open lane and scoring from 15 yards.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, we’re going to pull this thing out,’ ” Coach Billy Duranceau of Bishop Montgomery said.

Wyatt brought Chaminade back less than two minutes later, converting a perfect cross from Taylor.

Both teams were plagued by injuries.

Forward Kelly Lavery of Chaminade, who pushed the tempo early for the Eagles, missed the final 15 minutes of the first half with a thigh injury. She returned in the second half.

Forward Renee Scachetti and defender Maggie Kirchoff of Bishop Montgomery left in the first half with injuries while Meleesa McGuire was slowed by an ankle injury suffered in the semifinals.

“To tie a team like that with three of our best players out, it’s a good day at the field,” Duranceau said.