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Sports

GIRLS SOCCER: Notre Dame Grabs 1st WCAL Win

Tiger defense and goalie Sideris ward off Presentation in 2-1 triumph; Notre Dame hopes to build momentum for postseason run.

The Score: Notre Dame 2, Presentation 1.

The Star:
The Notre Dame High defense held visiting Presentation to one goal despite constant attacks against goalkeeper Jackie Sideris late in the first half. The Tigers limited the number of opportunities for Presentation in the second half to collect their first West Catholic Athletic League win.

The Turning Point: Twelve minutes after Notre Dame scored its first goal, Kelsey Wallace drilled another ball into the back of the net. The 2-0 lead was more than enough for the Tigers.

The Quote: “To put the other team on its heels from the get-go is a fantastic advantage for us. We came off the field and all the girls had smiles on their faces and they’re very happy.” – Notre Dame coach Tim Nixon.

What’s Next? The Tigers will host St. Francis, the West Catholic Athletic League front-runner, on Wednesday at 3:15 p.m.

The Bottom Line: Notre Dame has a tough road to travel if it hopes to reach the Central Coast Section playoffs in February. But Tigers coach Tim Nixon and his players are confident they can get the job done.

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The Notre Dame High soccer team scored two goals within the first 20 minutes on Saturday morning and won 2-1 over Presentation, a defending Central Coast Section co-champion, in West Catholic Athletic League action.

“To put the other team on its heels from the get-go is a fantastic advantage for us,” said Notre Dame coach Tim Nixon. “We came off the field and all the girls had smiles on their faces and they’re very happy.”

Notre Dame (4-6-2, 1-3 WCAL) scored its first goal five minutes into the match as Andrea Inglis beat her defender and drilled a kick to the back of the net. Twelve minutes later, the Tigers struck again.

This time it was Kelsey Wallace who took advantage of lackadaisical passing from Presentation and gave her team a 2-0 lead.

“I went to the ball and I noticed there was no one behind me, so I kind of headed the ball off and I took the ball for myself,” said Wallace.

After the second goal, Presentation (4-4-4, 1-4-1) picked up the pace. The Panthers were in Notre Dame territory for much of the first half and put plenty of pressure on Tiger goalkeeper Jackie Sideris.

“As soon as the second goal went in, something sparked finally and got us playing a little harder, moving to the ball a little better and reading the game a bit more,” said Presentation coach Stacey Mallison.

Presentation finally broke through in the 36th minute when Sarah Lipscomb kicked in her point-blank look from the left side.

“Being down 2-0 is really hard to come back from,” said Mallison. “I was proud that they didn’t give up and they knew they had a lot of hard work to do.”

Notre Dame’s defense controlled the remainder of the game.

“Our defense played the way we’ve been training,” said Nixon. “They played cool, calm and collected and (took) away any advantages they have and any penetrating passes and they did well.”

The win over Presentation was Notre Dame’s first win in WCAL play. “It put us on track,” said Wallace. “It’s a good thing we won.”

Although the Tigers currently sit in fifth place in the WCAL, they still hope to make a run at the CCS playoffs.

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“We’ll be a lot more positive about our win,” said Wallace. “Now that we know we can win, we’re going to have a better season.”

There are two ways for Notre Dame to become eligible for the CCS playoffs. The first is by claiming one of the two automatic bids in the WCAL – a stiff challenge. The other way is by being chosen for an at-large bid.

To qualify for an at-large bid, the Tigers would need to finish with a league winning percentage of .500 or an overall winning percentage of .500. Nixon is confident in his team's ability.

“It’s a tough road but we’re ready for it,” said Nixon. “We can make it.”

Presentation, a defending CCS Division II co-champion, has allowed two or more goals in three straight games.

“We played 60 minutes out of 80 minutes, and that’s just not acceptable in this league,” said Mallison. “These teams are too good. Every team in this league has talented players and knows how to play soccer and plays good soccer.”

Said Mallison: “We weren’t ready to play.”

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Notre Dame 2, Presentation 1.

At Notre Dame

Scoring: ND: Inglis 4:00, ND: Wallace 16:00, Pr: Lipscomb 36:00.

Records: Notre Dame: 4-6-2, 1-3 WCAL. Presentation: 4-4-4, 1-4-1.

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