Indians take SoccerFest title in double OT

The Jackson Indians needed double overtime to drop Notre Dame in Saturday's championship game of the Notre Dame SoccerFest.

Notre Dame got off to a hot start when Joe Froemsdorf scored five minutes into the game. The Bulldogs controlled the ball for most of the first half, but couldn't convert that into shots on goal.

"We dropped our heads a little after the first goal," Jackson coach Zack Walton said. "I told them to keep playing hard in the second half and don't be afraid to shoot."

The Indians generated several chances to score in the second half. The first good opportunity came 12 minutes in when a shot came free after being deflected by Notre Dame goalie James Holloway. It sat just in front of the net but was kicked away by the Notre Dame defense before Jackson could capitalize.

Jackson finally pulled even on a penalty kick goal by Ryan Schlick with 13 minutes left in regulation.

Jackson's Dylan Blaylock, left, tries to keep the ball from Notre Dame's Aaron Arnzen during Saturday's game. (TIM BRUMITT ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian)

"We seemed to lose our composure a little in the second half," Notre Dame coach Brad Wittenborn said. "We stopped passing the ball and just started kicking it."

The Indians had a chance to win with seconds left in regulation but the shot hit the crossbar.

After a scoreless first overtime, Schlick scored on a rebounded corner kick.

Jackson put 20 shots on goal in the game while Notre Dame managed six.

"Our team is a little young and we have some guys hurt," Wittenborn said. "Three games in three nights is hard on a young team and Jackson played really well. This game is a good learning experience for us."

The Indians improved to 3-0 with the win

"You could tell our guys really wanted it," Walton said. "We hustled and made good passes. Winning the 50-50 balls was the difference in the game."