Notre Dame girls soccer team rides hot start past rival Cape Central

Central was worked over thoroughly in the first half by crosstown rival Notre Dame.

The Tigers made necessary adjustments in the second half, but the Bulldogs proved to be too tough.

The Notre Dame girls soccer team claimed a 3-0 victory behind three early first-half goals.

"I think it was night and day -- first half, second half," Central coach Dan Martin said. "I think we were in the game a lot more in the second half opposed to the first half, where they really did take it to us."

The Bulldogs (5-3) jumped on the Tigers (2-6-1) two minutes into the game.

Central's Tatiana Reagan, right, steals the ball from Notre Dame's Taylor Rinda during Wednesday's game at Notre Dame. Check out more photos at semoball.com. (ADAM VOGLER)

Sophomore standout Shelby Beussink netted her first goal on an assist from Taylor Rinda.

"It was nice," Beussink said about the early goal. "Taylor was a really big part of it. She did a lot of assisting and a lot of give-and-goes."

Notre Dame put Central in a 2-0 hole at the 29-minute mark when Madeline Rosenquist took a cross from the left side and found the back of the net.

The Bulldogs controlled every aspect of the game during the opening 40 minutes. Notre Dame dominated possession and ran the Tigers ragged.

"That's a key for us," Notre Dame coach Jeff Worley said. "We can't just send it up to somebody and say take it from there. We've got to get everybody involved. When you see the midfield looking to get up and make combinations, it makes all the difference for us."

The Bulldogs welcomed the win after two tough tests.

Notre Dame fell 2-1 to Carbondale, Ill., and 3-0 to St. Vincent in its previous two games.

"We've had a tough last week or so," Worley said. "We've played some really athletic teams, and so it kind of shakes your confidence a little bit because things don't happen as quickly as you'd like. We wanted to go back to build, build, build, build and get forward as a team, and I thought we got back to that tonight."

Beussink added her second goal of the night with 24 minutes left in the first half after weaving through several Central defenders.

The Tigers mustered little in the first half thanks in large part to the Bulldogs' defense.

"I think we were going to switch through the back really well and it was holding them off," Notre Dame keeper Madison Buelow said. "We adjusted well, and I think we did good overall."

Central improved greatly in the second half.

The Tigers controlled more possession and had several chances to get back in the game.

Brooke Evans had a golden opportunity at the 27-minute mark of the second half, but Buelow was right there.

Kristen Begley nearly struck for the Tigers with just less than 20 minutes left.

Buelow and a Bulldogs defender collided outside the 20-yard box, but Begley's shot sailed over the post.

The Bulldogs also had several chances in the second half but failed to score.

The best opportunity came on a Mackenzie McDaniel shot from the left side, but Central goalie Apple Thomas was in position to make the save.

Martin was pleased with the second half, but the Tigers never recovered from the early deficit.

"I think we came out timid," Martin said. "They know Notre Dame is strong. I think we came out a little scared and a little timid, and a strong team is going to put it in. It always hurts to go down an early goal."