NDCL turns away Mentor for victory

Erica Leinweber netted a strike in each half as Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin staved off visiting Mentor, 3-2, on Sept. 8 in a showdown of News-Herald Top of the Crop sides.

It marked the first win for the Lions (5-1) over the Cardinals (3-4-1) since 2010, snapping a sevenmatch winning streak during which Mentor had outscored NDCL, 26-2.

“It was a good game for sure,” Lions coach Matt Tainer said. “Definitely, we got taken out of our game a little bit as far as passing goes — stuff like that. The moments we did see it, it worked and we got our goals. It came all from good combination play with our wide players going from inside out and then back in.

“So it was a good game from my girls.”

Leinweber gave NDCL a dream start in the second minute. Marina Hess concluded a run wide right with a cross into the box. Leinweber was stymied on an initial shot but slotted the rebound for a 1-0 lead.

Lauren Thomas contributed a goal in the 18th minute, getting a touch amid a scramble inside the six.

Up, 2-1, in the 51st minute, Leinweber collected a lovely diagonal ball from fellow standout sophomore Elena Brkic and took care of a right-footed finish inside the left post.

“I am very pleased,” Leinweber said. “Last year, we didn’t really do very well (against Mentor, a 5-0 loss). But I’m glad with the outcome of this game, because I’m really happy that I was able to score two goals against big competition.

“It’s a very big result. I’m very pleased with the outcome. A bunch of these girls, I knew from before, so I was really happy to be able to score big against them.”

The Cardinals showed flashes, staying within striking distance keyed by a solid nine-save match from Megan Biddell.

Freshman Alyssa Blackburn had both goals for Mentor, the first a nice chip high from the middle of the box in the 20th minute and a lifeline strike in the 75th.

Coming soon

For more from this match, including insight from Tainer and Leinweber as the young Lions continue their building process, check back in the coming days on News-Herald.com and in our print edition.