By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The screaming started before Mia Hamm's cleats even touched the velvet green West Carrollton High School field: "Miiia! Miiia! Miiia!"

Soccer phenom Hamm was the undeniable feature of Tuesday night's inaugural exhibition between the Washington Freedom and the Cincinnati Ladyhawks, which the Freedom won 1-0.

But the 5,200 squealing fans who jammed the stands and crowded the fences couldn't get enough of Ladyhawk goalkeeper Leah Miller.

Miller, a Harrison graduate and third-year Ladyhawk, thwarted the Freedom offense with diving rolls, cunning deflections and savvy kicks.

Not only did she have 10 saves - but she held the world's most prolific forward scoreless. Hamm, who played only the first half, had four shots; three were on goal.

The fifth-year Seton Hall student set the Ladyhawks' defensive tone 4:40 into the game by scooping up a Jaqui Little scoring attempt.

"(Miller) kind of frustrated us a little bit," Hamm said. "In the first five minutes she came up with that huge save and I'm thinking, 'If that ball goes in, it can be a potentially different game.' But it really gave them a lot of confidence."

Miller couldn't stop smiling 10 minutes after the game.

"We've all looked up to these players since we were younger. Those were who our role models were, whose pictures we hung on our walls when we grew up," Miller said. "But we knew we had to respect them and give them a good game."

The score was deadlocked until the 78th minute of the 80-minute game. With 1:58 remaining, the Freedom's Carrie Moore fed Laura Schott her first goal as a WUSA player. Schott, a fourth-round draft pick, headed the ball in for the win.

But the underdog amateur Ladyhawks rose to the occasion against the professional Freedom, and Cincinnati coach Wil Cagle struggled to convey how thrilled he was.

"I'm proud almost to tears of my team," Cagle said.

Miller left the game nine minutes into the second half, collapsing on a trainer's table before the crowd's standing ovation.

Miller had collided with the right goalpost as she stopped a first-half header from Freedom forward Abby Wambach. She watched the rest of the game propped on the table with ice bags on her right shoulder and right leg.

Wambach, like Hamm, also played only the first half. Wambach, who left the game without scoring, with Hamm has scored more goals than the rest of the Freedom combined this season.

While the Ladyhawks' defense stole the show, its offense never found a rhythm.

The Ladyhawks' three keepers combined for 19 saves as the Freedom outshot the home team 28-3.

The "Mia!" chants were resurrected at the game's conclusion as players from both teams signed autographs for 15 minutes.

Like many of her friends, Centerville resident and Hamm fan Alexa Ackerman, 11, wanted nothing more than to see her hero lead the Freedom to victory.

In the end, Miller caught her attention.

"She just saved so many shots!" Ackerman said. "Everyone wanted to see Mia Hamm, but (Miller) showed why she was so good."

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E-mail srussell@enquirer.com