Bulldogs’ season ends in C3D1 final loss to Farmington

The sudden finale of a career spent on the pitch hit on a grand scale.

As the ball flew through the back of the net in double overtime, 13 Notre Dame seniors saw their final season end with a thud as Farmington came back to beat the Bulldogs 2-1 to win the Class 3 District 1 championship on Thursday, Nov. 2, in Hillsboro, Mo.

The Bulldogs scored early on a goal by junior Diego Chahin and fought to hold onto their slim 1-0 lead until the Knights tied the game with 15 minutes remaining.

As the Knights celebrated winning their first district championship since 2018, Bulldogs head coach Matt Vollink consoled, congratulated, and said goodbye to each of his departing seniors.

“Those are the ones where nothing you say can take that hurt away from losing,” Vollink said. “I am unbelievably proud of how they played, the chances they created what they did on the field but also off the field. They worked hard, they became a good team, the seniors became great leaders, so I am unbelievably proud of them.”

Usually, a team would carry a few seniors or a handful at most. In the case of the Bulldogs, the seniors were the whole team.

“Some of the guys that came out as seniors didn't get much playing time at all,” Vollink said. “But they love being a part of the team. They love being with their friends as seniors. I mean, that's the stuff that I missed more than anything, that bond and how much fun those seniors made it throughout not only this year but all four years.”

Chachin was an offensive star for the Bulldogs during the C3D1 Tournament. The junior scored Notre Dame’s only goal against Farmington and both goals in a 2-0 win over Cape Central on Tuesday.

“Diego is in the right spot up top,” Vollink said. “But all that hard work that (Bryce) Sides does down the side to create those good crosses, and all the things that they do off the field, Diego is smart enough to know where to be but it's the team that builds it up. So Diego, great finishes great opportunities, but it's the balls that are played in that create that opportunity too.”

Notre Dame finished the season 14-12, with wins over local rivals Perryville, Saxony Lutheran, Poplar Bluff, Sikeston, and Jackson. They also avenged their regular season loss against Cape Central in the district semifinals. The Bulldogs also went 4-0 against competition from Southern Illinois.

“The entirety of the season with the seniors, with this group, has been a great experience on and off the field,” Vollink said.