Notre Dame boys soccer team blanks Cape Central

The Notre Dame boys soccer team entered Tuesday's game against host Cape Central having dropped four of its last five games and was outscored 4-13 during that span.

Bulldogs coach Matt Vollink wanted defense to be his team's top priority against the Tigers, and Notre Dame responded by using a pair of first-half goals to come away with a 2-0 shutout.

"We really focused on that," Vollink said about his team's defense. "We knew Central was going to counter very, very well. They're athletic. They were going to get in as fast as they could, so if we didn't cover, they would give us fits."

Notre Dame (10-8-1) took a 1-0 lead a little more than 10 minutes into the game when Ira Holcomb delivered a cross several yards in front of the net to Sam Mocherman, who placed the ball in the lower right corner to give the Bulldogs the lead.

"Today we really worked on trying to get the ball behind the defenders, and that's what Ira was able to do was get the ball behind, play the ball across, and we were able to get a good opportunity for a finish," Vollink said.

Blake Bauwens extended Notre Dame's lead to 2-0 with 10 seconds remaining in the first half on a ball that deflected off Tigers goalkeeper Spencer Kidd.

Vollink said creating a two-goal cushion was pivotal in taking pressure off his team's defense.

"That second goal was a good one because we played one or two touches around the outside and were able to get a person around the backside and play another good ball across," Vollink said. "That's where that ball behind creates a lot of good opportunities from there."

Goalkeeper Noah Santana had four saves in helping lead the Bulldogs to their seventh shutout of the season.

Kidd had a pair of impressive saves in the second half, including an early try from Wyn Roberds that sailed near the crossbar before being punched over the net. He finished with five saves for Central (5-14).

"Every year, it's just great to watch him keep getting better," Tigers coach Dan Martin said about Kidd. "Game to game, I think he's just getting wiser, has better decisions, his footwork is improving, everything. I think he's just doing a good job all around."

After watching his team drop an 8-1 decision a week ago on the road against Perryville, Martin was pleased with the way his defense held up against Notre Dame.

"In the last 10 seconds, you don't want to give that [goal] up, especially when you've got a free kick with 1:10 going towards their goal, so we could've done without that. But overall, I'm pretty happy with our performance," Martin said. "I thought we came out in the second half and were focused."

Vollink said he's hoping a shutout victory can propel his players as they close out the final five games of their regular season.

"If you start getting the defense to start playing together very well, and get the shutout, and the offense to start working together, then there's some big confidence you can go into," Vollink said. "If you're not scoring or defending well, then you've always got questions about that confidence when you enter a game."

JV -- Notre Dame won 2-0