From Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin’s perspective, the weather and its match Sept. 7 against visiting Kirtland had something indelible in common. It was persistent until the proverbial floodgates opened. Dria Duqum, Marija Vukovic and Emilee Gruss struck past the hour mark as the Lions recorded a 3-0 victory over the Hornets. NDCL (3-3-1), in Year 1 with legendary coach Pamela Malone on the touchline, found the going difficult to generate an account opener against a tough side in Kirtland (5-2). But it eventually arrived during an 80 in which pockets of light, steady rain passed through Munson Township before a front in the final five minutes delivered a deluge that sent all parties involved scattering for the exits. “We had the halftime talk, like we’re doing all the right things, and we need to get in on the end of their shots,” Malone said. “Most of the season so far, we got it from the back to midfield, and it’s that last piece of having those dynamic runs up top with the forwards that we were lacking. I think today, that connected. So I’m happy with that.” The Lions had eight shots on target after halftime and 11 for the match. That elusive account opener came in the 63rd minute, when Duqum got a touch for far-post cleanup, her fourth goal of the fall. Vukovic contributed the second with a slick lefty finish wide in the 71st, and Gruss provided the final margin in the 73rd. “We were bringing it down on the right flank and crossing it in, but then you can only do that so many times before the goalie is ready near post,” Malone said. “So we had to mix it up a little bit. We had a couple people step up today. That was awesome as well. We always talk about, ‘Can you be that impact player coming off the bench?’ Just give us that reason that we don’t need to pull you, right? And I think a lot of people did that today. “Marija Vukovic at midfield, I thought she really dominated there. And Amelia Alt, she’s very creative with what she does. That was good to see today, too. Ella Ko, we had her at attacking mid today, and she’s very creative at where to distribute the ball. That’s what we’ve been missing. She’s been there the last two games at attacking mid. And I think that’s making a difference.” The Hornets displayed some counter promise in the opening 40 and had earned their way into a nil-nil match at the hour mark with a chance at a positive result. Kirtland goalkeeper Kennedy Boyd had a nice save on Gruss in the 16th. Center back Lauren Palagyi also did well to clear off the goal line in the 39th. Coach Josh Sladick was pleased with the 80 from his side, particularly the afternoon after the Hornets’ football team’s 22-21 triple-overtime thriller at Perry that had the community buzzing. Kirtland edges Perry, 22-21, in triple overtime in battle of state champs "I was very happy overall," Sladick said. "The energy was there. Being one of the early games, it's hard to ask high school girls, especially after a triple-overtime football game the night before — obviously, Kirtland beat Perry on that one. So today, I was expecting the enthusiasm was a little hard-pressed, but I was very pleasantly surprised that the girls had the tenacity to get after it for the full 80. "The game plan today was trying to expose their flanks. We did not plan accordingly for the weather. Obviously, weather plays a factor. But at the end of the game, I said, 'It was a typical Pam Malone team.' By that I mean, boy do they get after it. They're very, very disciplined, arguably the most disciplined team we've played all season." The match was a late addition to the schedule and was the first in the series since 2019. It also marked NDCL's first win over Kirtland since 2017. Coming soon For more from this match, as Malone discusses her first year thus far at NDCL, reaching 400 career victories and returning to Chagrin Falls on Sept. 9 for a match, check back in the coming days on News-Herald.com and in our print edition. THE SCORE NDCL 3, Kirtland 0