A deflection and open net in the 45th minute is all that separated Notre Dame and Salpointe Saturday. Notre Dame forward Lindsay Shipley provided much of the pressure for the Saints in a game where controlling the pace and the ball does not always equal victory. Still, Shipley seemed to always be where the action was, so much so that when fellow sophomore Hannah Osland scored the winning goal, Shipley's name was announced to the crowd.

Shipley's performance earned her Most Valuable Player honors and it also helped Notre Dame (20-2-2) win the Division II state championship two years in a row.

"I saw Lindsay shoot and then the block," Osland said. "I saw it rolling and I knew I had to give it everything I had. This was too important."

Osland found the back of the net to give the Saints a 1-0 lead but head coach Tom White felt it wasn't enough. One does not play back against a power such as Salpointe.

"We wanted to go for that second and third goal," White explained. "We knew Salpointe was too good and too well coached and if we held back they would score. The last minute or so showed that."

As usual, the last few minutes of almost any soccer match is filled with wild shots, set pieces and tense moments but this was a championship - all emotions were multiplied. Lancer sophomore Paloma Teran kicked a screamer from 20 yards out with 55 seconds left and it looked for a moment that White's fears would come true but the shot did not bend back and it just missed the top right. It was one of only a few chances the Lancers had all day. Uncharacteristic.

"I think nerves played a factor in how we handled the game," Salpointe coach Becky Barry said. "Notre Dame was soccer savvy, athletic and consistent and we paid for it.

"This is the hardest working group of players I have coached. They are selfless and just great girls," she added.

Barry is in her second year at Salpointe (40-7-1) but she has been a fixture on the local club scene for quite a while and she captained the University of Arizona team after she graduated from Salpointe. In short, she can coach. Even better, the girls love her.

One of those players is senior forward Reilly Marks. Marks played two years at Cienega and sat out last year, hoping to make a difference. And she did.

"I played for Becky when I was in youth soccer," Marks remembers. "I went to Cienega and we never quite made it but neither did Salpointe. I had to sit out last year and I noticed something different when I watched from the bench. I felt like this was going to be a special team."

At times, Marks seemed to be one of the few playing up to the intensity level of the Saints. She sat out for over five minutes in the second half because she came back from her forward position to provide defense only yards from her own goal. The result was a collision (and a saved attempt) but Marks was unable to get up for several minutes.

When she came back in a few minutes later, (with a temporary brace and bandage on her wrist that covered most of her forearm) the first thing she did was take the ball away from a defender and she delivered the ball up field.

"I don't know how to explain this year," Marks added. "It's a crazy feeling. It's the same feeling I had when I knew I'd be playing for Becky again. I don't how to explain it. I just love this team."

Barry will lose seven seniors to graduation but she feels they can come back again because of the groundwork the players have set.

"This group turned the page for Salpointe," Barry added. "We can come back year after year if we can build on that confidence. They expected to be here and they deserved to be here."

Likewise, Notre Dame will say goodbye to a large group of seniors including goalkeeper and Arizona Wildcat commit Meredith Reinhardt.  Still, White feels more success is possible.

"Even though we lose a lot of talent the expectations are going to be there," White added. "The leadership they displayed will passed on but they will be missed."