St. Mary's adds to string of wins vs. Notre Dame

Notre Dame and St. Mary's have tangled in classic boys' soccer matchups the past few years.

Saturday's wasn't much different.

After playing scoreless more than 80 minutes, Jeff Rice of St. Mary's scored on a loose ball scrum inside the box to seal a 1-0 win over the Bulldogs. The ball appeared to be saved but was called in by the referee.

St. Mary's coach Jeff Robben said Saturday's game lived up to the classic battles between the two teams.

"Today was a war," he said.

Notre Dame coach Brad Wittenborn said he was happy with the way his team came out against a tough squad.

"The main thing is I thought we played well, and we're continuing to get better," he said.

After being eliminated in the sectional round the past two years by eventual state champion St. Mary's (6-7), Notre Dame (7-4) won't get the chance for playoff revenge this year. St. Mary's moved to Class 4 from Class 3 this year.

For their first clash since the sectionals last season, both teams appeared sluggish in the first half. Notre Dame put only two shots on goal, and St. Mary's had only one scoring chance.

Notre Dame picked up the tempo coming out of halftime, immediately putting the pressure on St. Mary's and giving Bulldogs forward Dustin Tatum and midfielder Blake Urhahn several good scoring chances.

Wittenborn said his team did a good job of creating scoring chances but just could not finish.

"We were equal to the task," he said, "but sometimes the ball just doesn't go your way."

With a little more than 10 minutes left in the game, Notre Dame had its best scoring chance but was unable to capitalize when St. Mary's defender Scott Hannigan cleared the ball off the goal line.

Robben said the win was a big one for a rebuilding St. Mary's squad coming off of a tough loss Friday night.

"Our team needed this victory," he said. "This is a real morale booster."

Despite the loss, Notre Dame had a strong week of soccer that included two shutout wins on the road.

Bulldogs captain Tyler Cuba said his team is really starting to jell as the team prepares for the playoffs less than a month away.

"The guys are starting to come together on and off the field, which really helps team chemistry," he said.

In JV, Notre Dame and St. Mary's played to a 2-2 tie.

jjoffray@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 171