CARY, N.C. “”mdash; Unflappable throughout the entire weekend,
UCLA goalkeeper Valerie Henderson finally let her emotion get the
best of her as Notre Dame poured onto the field to celebrate its
national championship Sunday afternoon.
Once the final round of penalty kicks was over, the teary-eyed
Henderson made a beeline for the Bruin bench, falling into the
embrace of midfielder Jill Oakes.
“I wanted to get out of there,” the freshman
goalkeeper said. “I was separated from the team. I did not
want to be in the middle of Notre Dame’s
celebration.”
Only once the game had ended did Henderson allow herself to let
her guard down. Before that she showed the composure of a senior
All-American, neutralizing the Princeton attack on Friday and then
helping to shut down the Fighting Irish on Sunday.
Henderson, who had not been scored on in the postseason, made
six saves against Notre Dame, although she did allow a second-half
goal against a penalty kick by forward Katie Thorlakson.
“I thought Val was superb,” UCLA coach Jill Ellis
said. “She read through balls perfectly. She came through
with a lot of confidence. She doesn’t play like a
freshman.”
Having a young goalkeeper in net can be problematic as the
Bruins found out a year ago.
Sophomore Arianna Criscione, who started for UCLA as a freshman
against North Carolina in the NCAA semifinals last season, made a
pair of miscues that led to Tar Heel goals a year ago. She
misjudged a cross early in the first half, and then allowed an own
goal a few minutes later as North Carolina routed the Bruins
3-0.
This year, Henderson did not make any of those same mental
miscues. Though she came off her line repeatedly against both
Princeton and Notre Dame, it proved to be the right decision in
almost every case.
“Val is someone who we invested in right from the start,
because we knew once she got comfortable with the college game, she
would do well,” Ellis said. “The best part about her is
that she communicates really well. That’s very unusual for a
freshman to tell seniors what to do, but she’s comfortable
doing it.”
Once the match went into penalty kicks, Henderson elevated her
play to another level.
The freshman from Orinda, Calif. dove to save Thorlakson’s
shot in the first round of penalty kicks. She followed that up with
another crucial save, diving to her right to stuff defender
Christie Shaner in the fifth round on a shot that would have
clinched the victory for Notre Dame.
“She looked like she’s been in that position for
years,” senior Lindsay Greco said. “She’s been
unbelievable. She’s fit in with the team so well.”
Henderson, like all UCLA fans, was not happy with how the match
ended, even if it did provide her a platform to show that she has
improved.
“I’m disappointed we had to go to penalty kicks in
the first place,” she said. “They’re just not a
good way to decide who wins.”