Bulldogs keep repeat alive, roll past Clayton into semis

~ Notre dame posted a 2-0 victory in the Class 2 quarterfinals in its quest for a third state title in six years.

FENTON -- Mark Himmelberg considers Notre Dame's previous meeting with Clayton, back on Oct. 13, a turning point.

The second meeting was a stepping stone.

Notre Dame defeated Clayton 2-0 on Tuesday night in the Class 2 quarterfinals at the Anheuser-Busch Center, earning a berth in Friday's semifinal round as the Bulldogs try to defend their state championship.

"This is my third time in the final four, counting basketball," Himmelberg said. "There's no better feeling."

Notre Dame's Josh Robert (7) and Ryan Willen (26) battled for control of the ball against Clayton players as Mark Himmelberg watched during the Bulldogs' 2-0 victory. (PAUL KOPSKY ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian)

"There's one better feeling, and that's winning the championship," corrected fellow defender Nick Wren. "We're going to do what we've got to do to get it done."

The Bulldogs (20-4-1) will play Duchesne (16-9-2) at 5 p.m. Friday at the A-B Center in Fenton.

Cassville (22-1) and Smithville (20-6) will play in the other semifinal at 7 p.m.

Duchesne beat St. Dominic 1-0 in overtime at the A-B Center on Tuesday, spoiling a potential rematch of last year's state championship game won by Notre Dame.

Some Notre Dame players, Himmelberg and Wren included, didn't think the Bulldogs displayed state championship form in their 1-0 double overtime win against Clayton earlier this year.

Vianney's Dan Ringkamp landed on Jackson senior Caleb Beussink after missing a header during their Class 3 sectional game in Farmington, Mo. (KIT DOYLE~ kdoyle@semissourian.com)

"We weren't ready and focused," Wren said.

"We got frustrated with each other and realized we had to make some changes," Himmelberg said. "We needed a lot of attitude adjusment."

The Bulldogs also were forced to make some changes on defense with a season-ending injury to senior Chris McMillian during that game. Himmelberg moved to sweeper, Matt Kiblinger moved to stopper, Wren moved into the starting lineup and Joda Hollaway moved from back to midfield as the Bulldogs also went from three forwards to two forwards and four midfielders.

"Himmelberg is a strong player and has good presence we need to win head balls," Notre Dame coach Brad Wittenborn said. "That's when we moved Joda to midfield, and he's played his best soccer up there."

Notre Dame's defense limited Clayton's opportunities Tuesday night, with Mark Zimmer marking the Greyhounds' most dangerous player, senior forward Parker Rawden.

"It was evident No. 7 was their top player up top and a lot of what they did went through him," Himmelberg said. "He was a good player, but we did a good job containing him and limiting his chances."

"Mark Zimmer did a great job on him," Wittenborn said. "And Nick Wren was fantastic coming out of our end with the attack."

Notre Dame's attack put plenty of pressure on Clayton in the first 30 minutes but came away with just one goal.

The Bulldogs had two early corners. And they also had two good shots in the first 10 minutes with Ty Williams knocking a shot over the Clayton keeper's hands that hit the far post and bounced away, and Wren dribbling into the box and taking a shot that hit the side of the net.

A little more than 13 minutes into the game, Blake Dirnberger took the ball into the box and then fed John Unterreiner on the right wing. Unterreiner sent in a cross that Williams headed in for his 23rd goal of the season.

"We came out here ready to play," Wren said.

Later in the game, Williams assisted on Ryan Willen's goal in the final 2 minutes that sealed the victory.

In between, Notre Dame hit a few more shots off the crossbar. Dirnberger headed an Unterreiner feed off the crossbar in the first half and Williams headed a shot off the crossbar in the second half after also being fed by Unterreiner.

"We could've scored some more goals," Wittenborn said. "We had some pretty good setups. We moved the ball around and possessed it well."

The Bulldogs' 1-0 halftime lead didn't concern Himmelberg, even after Clayton did pick up its attack late in the first half.

"All we need is one goal to win," he said.

That's been true in the Bulldogs' playoff run. After the Oct. 13 win against Clayton (11-14-1) and a 1-0 loss to Class 3 district champion Jackson, the Bulldogs won three consecutive 2-0 games to claim the district crown prior to Tuesday's win. They have outscored foes 12-1 since a 3-2 overtime loss to Central.

Notre Dame has been the highest-ranked team remaining in the state field following district play, sitting at No. 2 in the coaches poll for Class 2. After knocking off No. 4 St. Dominic, Duchesne is the next-highest ranked team alive at No. 5.

No pressure, the Bulldogs players insist.

"That's been something we've had to deal with all year," Himmelberg said.

"I think it helped get us ready for this," Wren added, "because we've had to deal with every team's best shot every time."

"I think the experience helps out," Wittenborn said. "Not only that, there's really good leadership there.

"We want to treat this weekend like a business trip. We want to come up here and be focused."