Late in their District 7-A/AA matchup against Signal Mountain, the fortunes of the Notre Dame soccer team were dependent on keeper Grace Courter’s ability to make saves.
They were in good hands – rather, a good hand.
Twice late in the contest, Courter’s left hand was able to deflect shot attempts by the Lady Eagles, and the third-ranked Lady Irish were able to survive to claim a 1-0 victory over the ninth-ranked team in the state and district rival.
Kathryn Healy provided the offense, scoring on a penalty kick in the 64th minute, as Notre Dame (4-4, 2-0) was able finally to get a victory in a close game. All four of their losses have been by a goal.
“We’ve been so close with the good teams,” Lady Irish coach Jim Schermerhorn said. “Things hadn’t gone our way, but I was pleased with how they played tonight.”
Healy got the penalty-kick opportunity after being fouled in the box by Lauren Blevins.
Schermerhorn was quick to point out Courter’s contributions.
“She played huge tonight,” he noted. “Signal Mountain is a good team – very fast and physical. Grace had a couple of great saves late and some good ones in between.
“She’s really come on in the last three games.”
The game was hotly contested and emotions ran high. Five yellow cards were issued in the second half, with Signal’s Mary Meaghan Robinson being ejected late for a double yellow. She will miss only one game due to what is considered a “soft red card.”
Signal Mountain (4-2, 1-1) came out slightly sluggish but settled in and had some great chances to score in both halves.
“I don’t know if it was nerves, but we have had a history with Notre Dame with us being in the same district,” Signal coach Pam Shelton said. “With that comes an anxious feeling, and I think we had a little trouble overcoming that tonight.
“I didn’t think we played our best game, but with that being said, we lost on a penalty kick. It was obviously a bad call from our view and a good call from theirs. We’re just going to put that game in the past and leave it where it is.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com or (423) 757-6311.