Tigers nip Bulldogs in Soccerfest

Cape Girardeau Central won the championship of the Notre Dame Soccerfest with a 1-0 squeaker over the defending champion host squad Monday night.

The battle of the two undefeated rivals, at the Notre Dame Soccer Complex, was decided on an unassisted goal by the Tigers' Arthur Pilsner at the 23-minute mark of the first half.

Pilsner deposited the game-winning goal on a rebound off the left goalpost on a shot attempt by Jon Mark Thompson.

"I was in the right place at the right time," said Pilsner. "I'm just glad we won."

Cape Central improved to 4-0-1 while Notre Dame fell to 2-1.

"This was a matchup of two even teams," said Cape Central coach Tom Doyle. "We have a lot of respect for them and I'm sure they respect us."

Trevor Blattner, Cape Central's netminder, was stellar in goal with 13 saves.

Notre Dame goalie Travis Siebert was equally effective as he recorded seven saves, a couple on dazzling diving stops.

Both defenses, featuring hard, aggressive tackling, dominated the action.

But the Tigers capitalized on an opportunity and it paid dividends.

"Soccer's kinda like that," said Notre Dame coach Brad Wittenborn. "But I thought we played a pretty decent game."

Notre Dame's effort was tainted by injuries to two key players, Tyler Cuba and Timmy Wencewicz. Cuba suffered a blow to the head and Wencewicz was experiencing chest pains. Both were taken to local hospitals for observation.

On defeating the Bulldogs, Doyle said, "This is very sweet, but we only have about 18 hours to enjoy it."

Notre Dame and Cape Central return to action today at the SEMO Intramural Field at 7 p.m.

In earlier play Monday at the eight-team tournament, Cape Central claimed a 4-2 semifinal win over Carbondale, Ill.

Whit Lynn, Cody Hill, Aaron Bornstein and Pilsner scored the Tiger goals. Thompson had two assists and Pilsner one.

Notre Dame advanced with a 2-0 victory over St. Pius. Adam Prasanphanich and Scott Wittenborn netted goals. Nathan LeGrand had an assist.

Carbondale defeated St. Pius 2-1 to claim third place.

Jackson blanked Sikeston 2-0 to take fifth place. Matt Gordon and Patrick Kohm scored for the Indians (2-2), while Kohm and Matt Neal picked up assists.

Poplar Bluff edged Marion, Ill., 1-0 in the seventh-place match.