Daily Nonpareil 6/7/05

RYAN WEATHERILL, Staff Writer

WAUKEE - The St. Albert girls soccer team refuses to lose.

Following a 1-0 double-overtime win over Glenwood in the Class 1A regional semifinals last Thursday, the Saintes came up with even more dramatics in Monday's Class 1A regional final against Waukee.

After 80 minutes of regulation and two overtime frames, it took a shootout to decide the winner as St. Albert came up with a 1-0 win over the Warriors to advance to the state tournament in Muscatine against Cedar Rapids Xavier (16-2) Thursday at 1:15 p.m.

"This is just unbelievable," St. Albert senior Laura Bomgaars said. "This team is such a close unit, we work together, and this is an awesome feeling."

It was Bomgaars who gave the Saintes the lift they needed.

After each team missed its first two attempts in the shootout, Bomgaars made a nice move and tapped one past the goalie with her left foot to give her squad a 1-0 advantage.

"It's a lot of pressure," admitted Bomgaars, who has been playing with an injured right foot for nearly two weeks. "But, I knew we had to get (a goal in the shootout), and I knew I could do it."

"I thought it was really fitting that Laura got that first goal," added St. Albert coach Randy Salyers. "She's our leading goal scorer, and she has a lot of heart.

"I asked her before the shootout if she felt up to it (due to the injury) and she said she did ... what she did was pretty impressive."

Mollee Collins had the next attempt for the Saintes, and buried the ball in the left side of the net.

Elite Team All-Stater Ashley Thielen kept Waukee's hopes alive by connecting on her shot, but the Warriors failed to convert their final attempt as the Saintes erupted in celebration.

Goalkeeper Meghan Crowley made several tough saves during regulation and overtime, and she didn't let up any in the shootout, stopping four of the five shots she faced.

"I was pretty confident going in," Crowley said. "You've got to be ... you've just got to go in there and (make the saves)."

Going into a shootout in a regional final did rekindle some not-so-fond memories for the Saintes, however. Two years ago, when the St. Albert seniors were sophomores, they lost to Sioux City Heelan in a shootout to miss the chance to play in the state tournament.

The sour taste that game left in their mouths has driven the Saintes the past two years.

"This was a very important win for these girls," Salyers said. "The bus trip (to Waukee) was different than any we've ever been on ... the seniors really wanted to win, and the other girls wanted to win it for them."

St. Albert 0 0 0 0 1 - 1

Waukee 0 0 0 0 0 - 0

Records: St. Albert (13-6), Waukee (10-5).

Ratings: State: St. Albert 8th (1A), Waukee 12th (1A).