By Murray Gleffe
Correspondent
GREEN BAY — Charlie Wied scored the lone goal as the No. 3-seeded Notre Dame Academy boys’ soccer team defeated No. 7 Plymouth 1-0 in a WIAA Division 3 sectional semifinal game at Ted Fritsch Field Oct. 31.
“We talked at halftime that Plymouth was probably playing for the tie and wanting to go to penalty kicks,” said Michael Prudisch, Notre Dame head coach. “We weren’t going to let that happen. It took one opportunity, and we capitalized in those final 15 minutes.”
On a very brisk afternoon, the Panthers seized the momentum early (6th minute) after Joel Williams launched a shot from 12 yards out that Tritons goalie Alex LaMere was able to kick away and keep Plymouth off the board.
The physicality of the game was evident after numerous players were getting pushed down to the turf or taken out despite nothing being called.
“They were letting the guys play out there,” added Prudisch. “It took a little getting used to at first, but then I felt like we adapted once the first half wore on. Sometimes, games are called like that, and you have to be ready.”
In the 21st minute, Notre Dame midfielder Kai Assef curved a shot in on the Panthers goal, but it missed wide of the target.
Late in the half, with the game still scoreless, Tritons forward Leonardo Rodriquez found himself open in front of the net after two Panthers’ defenders missed clearing the ball.
Rodriquez couldn’t get a clean look off as both teams went into intermission with nothing to show on the scoreboard.
With the Panthers having out-shot the Tritons 6-4 in the first half, the second half brought a resurgence for Notre Dame.
Adam Brada, Tim Geocaris and Christian Martinez started utilizing their speed, as the Tritons spent a majority of the second half on the positive side of the field, but each time, the Panthers dropped players back to counter with numbers on defense.
With no score and 25 minutes remaining in the contest, Plymouth midfielder Matt Sheridan ran into LaMere heading in for a goal.
An already wound up crowd exploded its displeasure.
With overtime looming in the 79th minute, Assef got loose on the far sideline for Notre Dame and fed a beautiful ball to Wied, who punched in the game-winning goal from 17 yards out.
“I saw the defense backing up, I took the ball and knew I had to get it into the back of the net,” said Wied. “It was a great assist from Kai, who put the ball in the perfect spot for me to put it through.”
A minute later, Notre Dame had to fend off one final Panthers’ push, as Clayton Lautenschlaeger laced a shot off the right post that caromed out of play.
The Tritons played the final 10 minutes without having to face an additional look on goal and advanced to the sectional final to face the top-seeded Seymour Thunder for the right to go to state.
“We had success against Seymour [Sept. 26, 1-0 loss] when we got them out of their game,” said Prudisch. “When we controlled the possession, they were thrown for a loop. They won a scrum in the box despite us out-shooting them. It should be a great game.”
Box score
Plymouth: 0, 0—0
Notre Dame: 0,1—1