CARY, N.C. — Casey Nogueira starred once again on the biggest stage in NCAA women's soccer.

North Carolina's junior forward provided the heroics in the championship game of the Women's College Cup for the second time in three years, scoring two second-half goals to lead the Tar Heels to a 2-1 victory over Notre Dame yesterday.

"It just means so much to me to win it again and win it for the seniors," said Nogueira, who was named the tournament's most outstanding offensive player. "I haven't seen our team work this hard. We wanted it so bad today. Everyone was just working and busting for each other, and we came out on top."

The Tar Heels (25-1-2) overcame the fastest goal in Notre Dame history to win their 19th women's soccer championship in the 27-year history of the tournament and deny the Fighting Irish's bid for their first undefeated season.

Nogueira, who had a goal and an assist in UNC's 2-1 victory over Notre Dame in the 2006 championship game, scored the winner yesterday with 2:06 remaining. She dribbled to the flank just inside the left side of the box and lofted a left-footed shot over the head of Notre Dame goalkeeper Kelsey Lysander and into the right side of the net.

Nogueira's first goal was a right-footed blast on a free kick that tied the score in the 52nd minute.

Kerri Hanks gave Notre Dame (26-1-0) the early lead, finding the back of the net 16 seconds into the game.

"We scored a goal early, and that was good for our team," Hanks said. "We just tried to keep doing it, but obviously we didn't get it done."

SLALOM

RAICH, FANCHINI WIN WORLD CUP TITLES

Benjamin Raich of Austria won a World Cup giant slalom, edging American Ted Ligety by one-hundredth of a second at Beaver Creek, Colo.

Raich won yesterday in a combined time of 2 minutes, 24.61 seconds. Ligety led after the first leg but couldn't make up the ground on Raich at the bottom of the Birds of Prey course.

American Bode Miller skidded off the course in the second run. He also crashed in Friday's downhill.

Meanwhile, Nadia Fanchini of Italy won the season-opening super giant slalom yesterday on the women's World Cup circuit at Lake Louise, Alberta.

She was timed in 1 minute, 20.97 seconds, with Fabienne Suter of Switzerland and Andrea Fischbacher of Austria sharing second in 1:21.25.

RUNNING

KING, ANDERSON WIN XTERRA TITLES

Max King, from Bend, Oregon, and Kailua's Cynthia Anderson won the inaugural XTERRA Trail Running World Championship half-marathon at Kualoa Ranch yesterday.

King led from start to finish on the 13.1-mile course, finishing in 1 hour, 18 minutes, 23 seconds. Ben Bruce of Eugene, Ore. placed second at 1:21:55. Honolulu's Matt Stevens was the top local finisher in fourth at 1:29:50.

Anderson finished in 1:39:38. Danelle Kabush, from Calgary, Canada, took second at 1:40:10.

More than 800 runners from 32 states and eight countries participated in the event in Ka'a'awa.