Friends to battle in city rivalry game

High school soccer has never been this good in Cape Girardeau.

For the first time ever, both Cape Central and Notre Dame made their ways into the state's top 10 coaches' poll at the same time with Notre Dame garnering the No. 2 spot in Class 1A-3A and Central holding the ninth post in 4A.

Neither team has been ranked as high as it is now.

And, as fate would have it, both squads will square off tonight (at Notre Dame) for the SEMO Conference title and one last chance to claim Cape's bragging rights. Central and Notre Dame have split two games this season.

But this 7 p.m. contest will be more than a game among rivals.

It will also be a game among friends.

Most of the best players on both teams have been teammates more often than opponents.

Many of them grew up playing soccer together and competed on the Cape Domino's Cobras club team. Many played together for four years, from fourth to eighth grade. They traveled to all parts of the country, competing against all kinds of competition.

"If I had to lose, I'd rather lose to those guys than to anybody else," said Notre Dame's Nathan LeGrand.

Central co-captain Jon Mark Thompson said as many as a dozen of Central and Notre Dame players have been teammates.

There were also players from Sikeston and Jackson on the Cobras, but mostly they were from Cape. And they've gotten to know each other so well, the players can anticipate their former teammates' moves.

"When we played on the Cape Cobras we did well in every tournament we played in," Notre Dame's Matt Pobst said. "We're good friends with a lot of those guys but we still want to play hard against them and win."

All that history makes for even more drama tonight.

Rank and file

The Bulldogs finished fifth in the state poll two years ago. And with an impressive 14-3-2 record, including a win over perennial power St. Mary's, the Bulldogs received 95 votes -- including three first-place votes -- in the latest poll. Only St. Charles West (99 votes, four first-place) is ranked higher.

Central, meanwhile, stands at 17-3-1 with a recent 1-0 win over state-ranked and previously undefeated Springfield-Glendale. The Tigers have a tough schedule and have shut out 11 of their 21 opponents. Central has handed Carbondale, Ill., its only two losses of the season.

"The team has come together pretty well," said Thompson, a senior and Central's leading scorer. "We have a lot of good sophomores who work well together. They've stepped right in. It's been more us getting used to them."

The statewide poll was started three years ago, but Doyle believes this is the most collective talent the City of Roses has ever seen.

"For both together, this would be the best year," Cape Central coach Tom Doyle said.

Said Notre Dame coach Brad Wittenborn, "I think you have to give a lot of credit to the local soccer leagues and the club team coaches in town. It's a great game and they do a good job teaching it."

Tonight's game

Central's strength is its speed.

Notre Dame's strength is its strength.

"They have more size and I think we've got better speed," said Central senior Cody Hill. "But they've got some speed, too. I expect it to be the exact same as the first two games. Both teams have great records and both are looking to do something in the state tournament."

Both teams have played excellent defense. Notre Dame has given up just 13 goals this season, while the Tigers have allowed 17 goals, with seven of those coming in one game.

"It normally comes down to mistakes, usually a turnover in the defensive end," Thompson said.

Perhaps because they know each other so well is the reason their games always seem to be close.

"I expect a hard-fought, tight game," Central coach Tom Doyle said. "I wouldn't be surprised if it went into overtime."

Blattner to play

Doyle said he expects his starting goalkeeper Trevor Blattner to play tonight.

Blattner has missed several games with a broken toe, but Aaron Meystedt has filled in nicely in his absence.

"One kid who has stepped up and was an unknown quantity is Aaron," Doyle said. "When Trevor got hurt, Aaron stepped in and got five shutouts in a row. Everybody stepped up a little bit and everybody wanted to play harder when Trevor got hurt."