LEXINGTON – Natalie Bain was the defensive player of the year for the best defense in Kentucky girls soccer history.
With all to play for on Saturday, the Notre Dame Academy senior made the biggest offensive play of the season to lead the Pandas to a state championship.
Bain’s header with 22 minutes to go in regulation gave Notre Dame a 1-0 win over South Oldham in the KHSAA state championship game at Frederick Douglass High School.
Notre Dame won its fourth championship all-time and first since 2013. The Pandas finished 28-0-1 while South Oldham, a seven-time state champion, finished 23-3.
“Absolutely amazing,” NDA senior goalkeeper Abby Breeze said. “This is a dream come true. We’ve been trying to do this for four years and we never made it out of region. I can’t even fathom what’s happening right now.”
The leader of the back line with Emma Spivey during the run of play, Bain is the tallest player on the pitch at nearly 6-feet and usually comes up front on corner kicks. The Xavier University commit had scored four goals on those early in the season but found herself with another opportunity when it mattered most.
The winning play came after NDA junior Kennedy Clark won a corner kick by deflecting a crossing pass off a Dragons player.
Junior Ellie Greenwell lofted the kick into the middle of the goal box, where Bain was unmarked and knocked it in. It was Greenwell’s 15th assist of the year.
“I knew we had to put one in,” Bain said. “It just came to me and I went at it with everything I had. My height helps a lot. Ellie played a great ball. It just came straight to me and I headed it in.”
Bain was named last week the defensive player of the year in Kentucky for the eastern half of the state. She was also named the defensive player of the year in the Ninth Region, and was the state tournament's most valuable player tonight.
She led a defensive effort that allowed no official shots to the South Oldham offense, though the Dragons had opportunities on crosses and long kicks to the net, especially late in the game.
“She was MVP of the district tournament, she won MVP of the regional tournament, MVP of the state tournament,” NDA head coach Suli Kayed said. “I’m willing to bet she’s one of the best players in the entire country. She’s amazing. Her leadership is amazing. She’s from a great family. Her personality is what made our team what it is. Not enough good things to say about her. As happy as I am tonight, I’m sad to lose her and the other seniors. “
The win capped a historic season for the Pandas and for Northern Kentucky in general. Notre Dame outscored its opponents 118-4. The 28 wins is a Kentucky state record, and the 25 shutouts shattered the previous mark of 20. The only time the Pandas didn’t get the full three points was a scoreless draw against Cincinnati power St. Ursula Sept. 27.
The first goal the Pandas allowed this year was an own-goal against Mercy McAuley in their fourth game. The Pandas allowed Lexington Catholic to score on a 55-yard free kick in the state quarterfinals last week. Breeze said the other two came on easy tap-ins after rebounds.
Breeze set a record with her 22nd shutout but she credited Bain and Eastern Kentucky University commit Emma Spivey, the leaders of the backline.
“Natalie and Emma were working their butts off all season,” Breeze said. “I rarely had to do anything and I want to thank them for that. They are really good about communicating with everyone else, making sure they knew what to do.”
Notre Dame finished with 13 shots, seven on goal. The Pandas had nine shots in the first half and several dangerous opportunities. Senior Eleanor Simkonis, a Cleveland State commit, was involved in several of them.
In the 13th minute, Clark hit the crossbar from 25 feet out. The Pandas got a shot off the rebound, which Dragons keeper Katelyn Feeney saved as Simkonis was bearing down on her.
Feeney made a great save four minutes later on NDA senior Macie Feldman as Simkonis was closing in for the rebound. That scenario repeated with seven minutes to go in the half.
In between, Simkonis just missed wide right from short range with 10 minutes to go in the half.
Meanwhile, the Dragons created opportunities but the Pandas were up to the task.
“They had these really fast people up top, so they would kick it long and pass it in,” Breeze said. “Our defense really had to make sure they were communicating because they were crossing the ball a lot.”
Besides Bain as MVP, senior Amber Branum and junior Kennedy Clark were all-tournament picks.
The Pandas had 12 seniors, five committed to Division I colleges, and four players with 14 goals or more. Eighteen players found the net this season.
“I think we broke every record there is,” Kayed said. “I don’t even know how to put it into words. We started in late May before everyone else did. These girls are hungry to succeed and win. We never look at the records. That’s what is so huge about them. They didn’t care about individual records.”
Source link
