By Murray Gleffe
Correspondent

GREEN BAY — The Notre Dame Academy girls’ soccer team overcame blinding rain and 30-mph winds to tally goals in the 80th and 82nd minutes to defeat Pulaski 3-0 in a Fox River Classic Conference (FRCC) game May 27 at Ted Fritsch Field.

“We knew the weather wasn’t going to be ideal tonight,” Nick Browne, Notre Dame head coach, said. “The girls worked through the pain. The field played slow, but we powered through it.”

Neither team generated much offense the first 30 minutes with passes and shots being blown out of play.

In the 34th minute, the Tritons struck after Lucy Quidzinski got loose and blasted a shot on goal.

The shot bounced off Pulaski goalie Ella Sasse, and Georgia Gregoire was the lucky recipient.

She punched home the rebound for a 1-0 lead.

“The first goal was a long time coming,” Browne said. “Georgia has connected on opportunities all year. She’s in the right position when we need her the most.”

Near the end of the first half, Pulaski generated a couple of scoring chances.

With a minute to go before the break, Gianna Logue belted a 35-yard free-kick which missed wide of the net.

Seconds later, Logue had another chance around the net, but Notre Dame goalie Carlene Goral made the save.

“The defense ahead of Carlene is amazing,” Browne said. “Carlene steps up no matter if there are three shots or 30 shots on goal.”

Midway through the second half, with the Tritons holding a precarious one-goal lead, they appeared to notch another goal, but the lead official blew his whistle for an infraction, negating the goal.

Down the stretch, the Tritons showed why they are one of the premier teams in the FRCC.

With 10 minutes remaining, midfielder Audrey Burnell sent a shot in from 35 yards out.

The attempt somehow squirted through the Red Raiders’ defenders, and Quidzinski booted the ball into the back of the net for a 2-0 advantage.

“We talked at halftime … we needed to come out sharper in the second half,” Browne said. “We talked about winning ugly and staying the course.”

Two minutes later, Notre Dame added the final goal to catapult it to victory on senior night.

“At the beginning of the year, we set our goals,” Browne said. “It’s a special group of kids. We have nine seniors. We have to finish strong on the road next week and hopefully, we’ll be there for a conference championship.”

Box score:

Pulaski: 0,0 — 0

Notre Dame: 1, 2 — 3