Notre Dame soccer team takes tournament title with victory over Jackson

Chilly temperatures combined with a brisk cross wind and a field soggy from overnight rains meant the winner of the Noon Optimist Club girls soccer tournament final between host Notre Dame and Jackson would be the team capitalizing on its few opportunities.

Meet Abby Boyer, Notre Dame's Miss Opportunisitc.

Boyer, who scored twice in her team's semifinal win on Friday, turned and fired a shot from 25 yards out into the upper corner of the net less than a minute into the second overtime to lift the Bulldogs past Jackson 2-1 on a blustery Saturday afternoon.

"We really talked about playing in the moment and not getting too overwhelmed," Notre Dame coach Jeff Worley said as his squad remained unbeaten on the season at 4-0. "We kind of talked about that again before the overtimes, and I thought they did a fantastic job of responding. They really settled down and continued to communicate, and that allowed us to really get in on them and put a lot of pressure [on them]."

Boyer's blast came after teammate Mackenzie McDaniel ran onto a loose ball between the top of the box and midfield. McDaniel dribbled a pass to Boyer, who turned and let it fly.

"Before the [play] even happened, Jordan [Nelson] and I said, 'First minute, we're going to score.' And not even 30 seconds in we were dribbling up, Mackenzie passed it all the way in, and I saw the opportunity and I kicked the shot."

It closed a game that saw both teams play sluggishly through the first half before eventually finding their footing and providing a handful of shivering fans an entertaining second half and overtime.

Jackson junior Rachel Crites tries to drive past Notre Dame’s Annie Siebert on Saturday. (Adam Vogler)

Nelson's goal with 15 minutes left in the second half tied the game 1-1 and helped set the stage for overtime. Madeline Rosenquist had fired a shot from long range that hit the crossbar and rebounded out to Nelson on the left side, and she powered a shot in from 18 yards out.

"Madeline took a great shot, it just hit off the top," Nelson said. "I saw it coming out, and coach always says to follow through, follow up, and that's exactly what I did."

Notre Dame was able to slow Jackson's offensive attack, combining sloppy field conditions with physical play.

"Physically, I think we match up pretty well with them," Worley said. "We have a lot of senior experience. ... They've been in a lot of these games. And the core group of our players are the core group that you see in softball, volleyball and girls basketball, and they've been in a lot of moments like this. I think that really carries a lot for us."

The Bulldogs effectively shut down Jackson's Cassidi Tomsu, a speedy sophomore forward who was unable to find room on the sidelines for her patented curling shots and crosses. She did, however, score the Indians' lone goal when she ran onto a ball at midfield, dribbled up the middle and launched a powerful shot from about 15 yards out that Notre Dame goalkeeper Madeline Buelow got a hand on but couldn't prevent from reaching the back of the net at the 22:41 mark of the second half.

Notre Dame’s Madeline Rosenquist, left, runs to hug Abby Boyer after Boyer scored the game-winning goal in the Bulldogs’ win over the Jackson Indians on Saturday. (Adam Vogler)

"Capitalize on your opportunities. That's part of it," Jackson coach Justin McMullen said as his team fell to 3-1 on the season. "Hats off to Notre Dame. That was a great game. It's early in the season, and it's good to play a quality opponent like that early in the season. It's a learning experience for a young team like we are."

McMullen moved Tomsu from left forward to the middle early in the second half in an effort to create more scoring chances. That's just what happened as Tomsu got the Indians on the board first.

"We were trying to move her around a little bit and not just keep her camped up top and try and create some more opportunities for her," McMullen said. "We've got some other players that can score, too, so we don't rely just on Cassidi. We'll step up there and we'll be all right, eventually."