Dame Prep

When junior forward Alex Sher told her McDonogh friends that she hadn't scored in her two-year varsity soccer career, they told her to think of the opportunity the situation presented. "They told me to be patient, because when I score, it will be a big goal," Sher said. Yesterday, Sher scored 28 seconds into overtime to give host McDonogh a 3-2 victory over top-ranked and previously unbeaten Notre Dame Prep in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference game. Brittany Tegeler, the metro area's leading scorer, got both of the Eagles' first two goals and assisted on Sher's game-winner for No. 7 McDonogh (11-5-1, 4-2-1)

The heads of Loyola Blakefield and Notre Dame prep schools in Towson will step down at the end of this school year, the schools have announced. The Rev. Jack Dennis has served as president of Loyola Blakefield since 1998. Sister Christine Mulcahy will step down after eight years as headmistress of Notre Dame Preparatory School. Loyola Blakefield is a Jesuit school with an enrollment of about 970 boys. Notre Dame Prep, also a Roman Catholic school, has about 700 girls. Both serve grades six through 12. Dennis, 51, graduated from Loyola Blakefield in 1971.

It was more than your normal championship for the St. Paul's girls volleyball team last night at Goucher College as the Gators won the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference crown by 3-1 over Mount de Sales. Winning by scores of 28-26, 25-17 and 25-22, the No. 15 Gators (16-2) won their third title in four years in unique fashion. St. Paul's seniors won the C Conference as freshmen, the B Conference as sophomores, were A Conference runners-up last year and now are A Conference champions.

As Zoey Bouchelle progressed through the lower ranks of travel-team soccer and the Olympic Development Program, just about every coach tried to turn the center midfielder into a striker. And why not? Bouchelle, now a Notre Dame Prep senior and an under-19 national pool player, always has excelled on the offensive end. "She can almost score at will," said John Carroll coach Gary Lynch, who praised the Parade All-American's "ability to tactically take apart a team. She just knows when to attack, and when she does, man, oh, man."

For Notre Dame Prep's Jamie Hanssen, playing defense is the ultimate mental challenge. In lacrosse, the attack almost always controls the action, so the All-Metro senior strives to swing that advantage back in her direction. Asserting herself early can make all the difference, especially in one-on-one situations. "From the beginning of the game, you've got to make your presence known," said Hanssen, 18. "With the whole intensity aspect, you have to be up in her face. You're a huge challenge to get by. You don't give her any slack the whole game.

The Notre Dame Prep girls soccer team came into the week with the metro area's top ranking and an undefeated record. What more could the Blazers ask for? A win over St. Mary's. They took care of that at home yesterday, getting a goal from sophomore midfielder Caitlyn McFadden in the first 10-minute period of sudden-death overtime to come away with a further-validating 2-1 win over the No. 7 Saints, who have won the past three Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference crowns.

There are times when even a win isn't good enough for the Mount Hebron girls lacrosse team. The top-ranked Vikings squandered a commanding eight-goal lead against host Notre Dame Prep, but time ran out on the No. 5 Blazers, who dropped a 13-9 decision in Towson yesterday. Senior attack Maria Bosica had a goal and three assists for 10-time defending state champion Mount Hebron (9-0), which earned its 33rd consecutive victory. But several Vikings players expressed dissatisfaction with their play after the game.

Sneaky, fast and precise. That best described the Notre Dame Prep attack yesterday at Archbishop Spalding and the result for the No. 1 Blazers was a comfortable 4-0 win. Junior forward Beth Koloup was the primary giver and taker, setting up the all-important first goal and then scoring the final three as the Blazers improved to 7-0 on the season and 5-0 in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland's A Conference. The Blazers were coming off a 2-1 overtime win over three-time defending league champ St. Mary's and have consecutive games against the Institute of Notre Dame, John Carroll and McDonogh starting next week.

It's a luxury - somehow finding a way to win in the end - that the No. 1 Notre Dame Prep girls soccer team has put to good use this season. Up against an Institute of Notre Dame squad that wasn't backing down yesterday, the Blazers turned to one of its reliable sources when junior striker Beth Koloup scored in the 69th minute to claim a 2-1 win in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference game in Canton. The Blazers are 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the league. The No. 4 Indians (11-2-1, 2-2-1)