By Pat Galbincea the Plain Dealer

Columbus- Strongsville's girls soccer team had only one shot on goal in 80 minutes of action in their Division I state championship game Saturday night against Cincinnati St. Ursula at Columbus Crew Stadium.

Senior forward Kelly McConnell's goal - the one shot - was the only one the Mustangs needed to win their third state title since 1998 as Strongsville blanked the favored Bombers, 1-0.

McConnell's goal with 9:58 left in the half was Strongsville's first and only shot the Mustangs took in the half. It was a strange play that followed a sideline throw-in by senior defender Aby Abernathy that found the feet of senior midfielder Jessica Marshall.

After fielding the ball, Marshall took a shot which bounded off a Bulldogs defender and back to McConnell, who was 16 yards out. She dribbled a shot which somehow eluded two defenders who both tried kicking the ball - and whiffed. The ball con tinued rolling toward the left corner when Bulldogs sophomore goalie Caitlin Coors hesitated, then kneeled in disbelief when the ball went in the goal.

"I hit a blind shot," McConnell said. "I got what I thought was a good pass [from Marshall] and just tried to get something on the ball, figuring it at least would rebound to someone else. I think those defenders screened off the goalie . . . she definitely didn't see the ball until it was too late."

The game was a defensive struggle. Strongsville (17-1-5) had four shots total. The Bulldogs (20-2-2) took 12, five of which were saved by junior goalie Kelly Sherwood.

If Strongsville had heroes other than McConnell, they were the vastly improved Sherwood, and overworked defenders Colleen Kordan, Jackie Barath and Aly Abernathy, all seniors, plus junior Brittany Hensler and sophomore Kerri Krawczak.

St. Ursula had the faster and quicker team, and standout strikers Angela Napolitano and Tori Huster took several quality shots that Sherwood either snared . . . or in two cases late in the first half Hensler sprinted down to disrupt potential goals.

"I knew both times I had to get to the ball and get it out. No one else was there to defend," Hensler said. "At times, this game was nerve-racking. Lucky for us we do have a good defense."

Kordan, the best sweeper in the state, said St. Ursula gave the Mustangs the most offensive pressure they've faced this season.

"Easily the most," Kordan said. "They gave us one heckuva game. We started off shaky but hung in there and never lost our focus. This state title was as good as the one we won in my freshman year."

St. Ursula coach Danielle Newman praised the Mustangs' defense, saying, "We are a dangerous team, but Strongsville held off everything we threw at them. They really are a great defensive team."

Sherwood made several diving saves that Mustangs coach Jon Felton said would have eluded her last year as a rookie goalie.

"She's worked on her game so hard in practices and in the off-season," said Felton, "and tonight, she had her best game of the season in front of 2,000 fans. She's had the potential to be a great goalie like Ginny Bondi was for us in 2002. Kelly's gotten a lot more stronger and agile."

"Practice does pay off," said Sherwood, "and I'm a lot more confident than I was in goal last year. But truthfully, I was a little nervous that second half. It still hasn't hit me that we are the state champions . . . and it probably won't until I'm back at school [Monday]."

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