The Notre Dame Academy soccer team has rarely faced any real adversity this year.
With their season on the line, while facing a deficit, the Pandas responded in championship fashion Saturday on their home field.
Notre Dame edged Lexington Catholic 2-1 in the KHSAA state soccer quarterfinals.
NDA, 26-0-1 overall, will face West Jessamine (16-6-1) in the semifinals Thursday at Frederick Douglass High School in Lexington. LexCath finishes 24-4.
The match came in front of a standing-room-only crowd on NDA’s campus.
“It was awesome,” NDA junior Kennedy Clark said. “Seeing the fans was a great feeling. We had an awesome student section. A lot of our teachers came out. Our families. Just to have all of these people coming out and supporting us was something special and something you don’t get very often.”
NDA trailed 1-0 five minutes into the game due to the strong leg of junior Olivia Bretz, who launched a free kick 55 yards into the top of the Notre Dame net. It was her 13th goal of the season and only the fourth goal the Pandas have allowed all season.
The Pandas responded seven minutes later when senior Amber Branum received a pass in open space near the goal and beat the keeper from close range. It was her third goal of the season.
The teams remained tied 1-1 at halftime.
In the second half, the Pandas continually peppered the LexCath with opportunities. NDA cashed in when Clark collected the ball in front of the 18-yard line and fired a line drive past the keeper.
“Ellie (Greenwell) and I had connected on the play before,” said Clark, a Xavier commit who scored her 13th goal of the season. “I was just looking for that ball back because that opens up so much space for me. I told myself this was the moment; this was the perfect space to get it in. I saw that and I went for it.”
Notre Dame dominated possession in the second half and created one chance after another after it took the lead.
NDA had a third goal by senior Marina Ruthsatz negated by an offsides call.
Moments later, Bretz launched another free-kick from long-range that missed wide left by a couple of feet. LexCath never got a closer look after that.
Rebounding from the early deficit was the key.
“They handled it very well and I’m glad it happened early on,” NDA head coach Suli Kayed said. “As much as you don’t want it to happen, I’m glad it happened today so we can be prepared if it happens in the semis or finals.”
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