Notre Dame offense struggles in boys soccer quarters

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Mary's Dragons wasted little time asserting their dominance Saturday.

By the time the smoke cleared from the first 15 minutes, the Notre Dame Bulldogs needed a miracle.

They didn't get it and their run at a fifth consecutive final four ended with a 5-1 loss to the Dragons in their Class 2 boys soccer state quarterfinal.

St. Mary's used the opening minutes to display its talent.

The Dragons applied constant pressure and struck first eight minutes in.

St. Mary's Andrew Branca, left, upends Notre Dame's Jonathan Lynch during their Class 2 quarterfinal Saturday in St. Louis. The Dragons defeated the Bulldogs 5-1. (Paul Kopsky ~ STLhighschoolSPORTS.com)

Notre Dame goalkeeper James Holloway made a diving kick save to thwart a goal, but a poor defensive clearance resulted in the Dragons' possession just outside the 18-yard box.

The Dragons sent the ball wide right and Mitchell Gangloff played a perfect cross that Zachary Pudlowski headed into the back of the net.

"They were very good in the air," Notre Dame Brad Wittenborn said. "They made some plays in the air against us. We knew going in they were big and strong. The field was soft as well. That was a factor in all three of the first-half goals. Guys were slipping here and there."

The Bulldogs were defending on a football field that was worn and dampened from a season's worth of football and rain the previous night.

That, combined with the Dragons' pressure, resulted in more trouble for the Bulldogs.

St. Mary's Jonathan Connelly, right, heads the ball past Notre Dame's Christian Westrich during their Class 2 quarterfinal game Saturday. (Paul Kopsky ~ STLhighschoolSPORTS.com)

Gangloff made it 2-0 a minute later.

Holloway again came up with a diving save but the ball bounced into the heart of the box, and Gangloff found the back of the net after several deflections.

"They just kept coming at us," Bulldogs senior Jon Clements said. "Non-stop pressure. James' box was wet and we couldn't get traction. It was unfortunate."

The Dragons weren't done.

Phil Gangloff put them up 3-0 just 14 minutes into the game when a scrum in front of the box took place and Gangloff buried one in the net.

The 3-0 deficit clearly deflated Notre Dame.

"They just came out stronger than us," senior defenseman James Diveley said. "We pretty much got kicked around."

Notre Dame generated little offense in the first half.

The Bulldogs' top offensive threat, Jonathan Lynch, struggled to find open space in the opening half.

"They had a big guy up top working on Lynch," Clements said. "It was almost impossible to get him the ball. They didn't let him do anything with his feet."

Added Wittenborn: "I think a little had to do with the early goals. We got a little tentative. We didn't quite generate as much offense as I'd of liked to."

The lone bright spot of the first half came when Diveley made a nice run and found himself with the ball at his feet inside the 18.

He rifled a shot that the goalie tipped up and over the crossbar.

Notre Dame started the second half much better.

Forward Tyler Buelow nearly cut into the Dragons' lead five minutes in, but his shot from the top of the 18 sailed just high.

Lynch gave the Bulldogs another golden chance when he flicked the ball across the middle a minute later.

"We calmed down after halftime," Clements said. "We got the ball down and started passing and things started happening. We just couldn't get in the back of the net."

The Dragons made them pay.

Holloway made a diving save on a point-blank shot by Phil Gangloff minutes later.

The Dragons put the game out of reach when Michael Hensiek found the net from near midfield.

Holloway was way out of his box trying to push the Bulldogs' offensive attack, and Hensiek fired a shot that got over his head and into the net.

Notre Dame failed to lay down.

Bulldogs sophomore Carson Bruenderman played across the middle of the box to Clements, who just missed a near-post goal.

"We were losing, so we might as well have fun," Diveley said. "We started having fun and started playing more as a team and together."

St. Mary's put the nail in the coffin with 13 minutes left to play.

The Dragons played the ball to streaking left midfielder Kenrick Niedbalski, who rifled a shot past Holloway.

The Bulldogs found the back of the net with four minutes to play when Diveley fed Buelow, who scored.

"In terms of possession and moving the ball around, we did a whole lot better," Wittenborn said of the second half. "There was definitely no quit. Every kid went out and played their heart out."