'Dogs set out on first playoff trip

Without even leaving their cozy back yard, the Notre Dame girls soccer team has gone farther than any Bulldog team before them.

As host of the Class 1, District 1 Tournament, Notre Dame lived up to its top seeding by winning its first district title this week.

The Bulldogs will look for more magical travel today --again at their own Terry Crisp Field -- in a 1 p.m. sectional showdown with St. Pius X of Festus. The winner advances to the quarterfinal round.

"We have such a wonderful facility," Notre Dame coach Jeff Worley said. "The field we get to play on is a big reason, I think, we've progressed as well as we have. The Bermuda grass allows you to get a lot of confidence in your skills. The ball doesn't hop around. We're certainly looking forward to being able to play on it again."

It also doesn't hurt to have the home crowd in your corner, not to mention a sparkling resume.

Notre Dame will enter with a 20-2-1 record, which includes a 1-0 road victory over St. Pius (15-3-3) in late April.

"We've got to go out and make plays," Worley warned. "We know from playing them before they have some dangerous players. We have to take advantage of the opportunities we get and be ready. We want to respect every team we're playing. You can't discount how hard another team is going to play."

Sophomore Breanna Cashel leads the Lancers with 10 goals, while senior Shelley Price is right behind with nine.

Notre Dame will counter with even bigger numbers. Junior forward Sierra Ellis has broken her own school single-season scoring record with 23 goals. Junior forward Amanda Dirnberger has put nine goals toward the Bulldogs' 64 total for the season.

They've yielded just 16 goals with goalkeeper Katie Palmer recording a school-record 14 shutouts.

The Bulldogs know how a second meeting can veer from the first encounter. One of Notre Dame's two setbacks this season was a 4-0 loss to Jackson, a team it later beat 1-0.

But a few other Bulldog victories also appear to give them the edge going into the sectional contest. In the district final, Notre Dame advanced with a 2-1 victory over St. Vincent, a team that defeated St. Pius 2-0 10 days ago.

Encounters with Bishop DuBourg also point toward the Bulldogs. Notre Dame defeated the Cavaliers 3-0 two weeks ago, while St. Pius fell 2-0 to DuBourg just two days later. But Worley turns his back on such comparisons. He only has to look a couple weeks back to the I-55 Classic when Jackson rolled past Parkway West 5-0. Hours later Parkway West dominated Notre Dame 4-0.

"You get to counting scores and you get yourself in trouble," Worley said. "Momentum is a wonderful thing."

Notre Dame does carry momentum after winning its last four games and 16 of its last 17.

Today's winner advances to Tuesday's 6 p.m. quarterfinal game at the Anheuser-Busch Conference & Sports Centre in Fenton.

"We're not satisfied where we're at," Worley said. "We want to keep going."

jbreer@semissourian.com

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