Ventura’s Dorr Kept Knocking

They were nervous at the beginning and nervous at the end, but all that mattered to the players on the Ventura High girls’ soccer team was that they went home winners.

The Cougars upset host Chaminade, 2-1, on Saturday in the first round of the Southern Section Division II playoffs, scoring in the first half and hanging on for the victory.

Jittery at the outset, Ventura (15-7-2) allowed Chaminade (16-5-4) to dominate the opening 10 minutes with physical play as the Eagles knocked opponents away from ball after ball.

After a dubious beginning, however, Ventura began to give as much as it took. The Cougars received an extra boost when injured standout Natalie Dorr came off the bench to play forward midway through the first half.

Though still somewhat on the defensive, Ventura scored twice in the last 10 minutes of the first half.

The Cougars’ first goal came in the 31st minute on a free kick 35 yards from the Chaminade goal. Dorr and sweeper Kari Attebery stood side-by-side several yards behind the ball for a moment before Dorr charged forward and faked a kick then stepped to the side. Attebery followed and ripped a low shot to the lower left of the penalty area, where wing Maggie Dwire ran in to one-touch the ball past Eagles’ goalie Kim Nelli from 10 yards.

Ventura scored its second goal in the final minute of the half when Dorr corralled a kick from midfield by Attebery, then raced in and blasted a 15-yard shot past Nelli from the left side.

“The team was a little scared at the beginning,” said Dorr, who missed the Cougars’ last three regular-season matches because of an ankle injury. “I don’t know if it was me coming in, but we started going to the ball and going through people.”

Chaminade looked tired and discouraged for much of the second half, but after Shelbi Thiele put a weak shot past Ventura goalie Marisa Gaines in the 73rd minute, the Eagles turned up the pressure and kept the ball in the Cougars’ end for the rest of the match.