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Notre Dame beats Seymour, heading to state

By Greg Bates
Correspondent


SEYMOUR – Early in the second half of a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 3 boys’ soccer sectional final, Notre Dame Academy Head Coach Michael Prudisch had to go to his bench.

A Tritons midfielder was cramping up, so Ian Noble was inserted into the game.

It didn’t take the sophomore long to make his mark.

With a ball loose in Seymour’s 18-yard box, Noble took a shot and found the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.

That ended up being the lone goal of the game as second-seeded Notre Dame posted its 18th shutout of the season, beating top-seeded Seymour 1-0 Oct. 30.

The win sends Notre Dame to the state tournament for the 10th time in program history and in back-to-back seasons.

The Tritons received the No. 2 seed and will face No. 3 McFarland at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, at Kohler Engines Stadium at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee in the state semifinals.

If Notre Dame wins, they’d face the winner of No. Shorewood/No. 4 Rice Lake for the state title Saturday, Nov. 6, at 4:30 p.m.

“He created an opportunity on his own and buried it,” Prudisch said about Noble’s goal. “He hasn’t scored lots of goals for us this year, but he scores when they count. Kudos to him, and kudos to the team for plugging away and finding a way to get in the net.”

When called upon to enter a game, Noble brings lots of energy to his teammates, said his coach.

“I wasn’t expecting to go in at that time,” Noble said. “I got in there and was ready to go. I beat one guy and put it past (the goalkeeper). I was surprised it went in. I looked over, and everyone was going crazy.”

During last spring’s alternate season, Notre Dame finished state runner-up in Division 2.

“I know the guys made their background on their phone, the scoreboard when they lost because it’s their motivation to come out and get back to state,” Prudisch said. “Fortunately, mission accomplished. These guys have fought through lots this year. We’ve been missing guys due to COVID-19 and injuries. They’ve battled through everything you can throw at a team and still managed to come out on top of our sectional, and now hopefully, make a run at state.”

Notre Dame’s game against Seymour was a rematch from Sept. 17 when the teams battled to a 2-2 draw at Notre Dame.

The Tritons, ranked No. 2 in the state in Division 3, have now won nine straight games.

The Thunder, ranked third in the state, were 9-0-1 in their previous 10 games before the playoff loss.

“Their game plan was good,” Seymour Head Coach Todd Messner said. “They were physical, had high intensity and were able to make that work to their advantage. They looked like the better team. The physical part of it stood out, and that got to us. One play made the difference in the game, and that was all it took.”

Prudisch said a big reason Notre Dame beat Seymour (20-2-2) in the sectional final was that his players stuck to their game plan.

“We know they like to counter and play quick, so we knew if we could slow them down, slow down that attack and keep the ball in their half, we were going to create opportunities and find a way to score,” he said. “Eventually, in the second half, we put one through. From there, we had to defend. We’ve had 18 shutouts on the season, so we knew if we could keep them from scoring, we were going to find a way.”

Notre Dame (19-3-3) put pressure on Seymour goalie Samuel Kilsdonk in the first half as he tallied eight saves.

It wasn’t until the 46th minute that Notre Dame broke through with Noble’s goal.

“We had to wipe off the 1-0, focus at 0-0,” Noble said. “Focus up, reset, don’t get too overconfident and play them well. I think we did. I’m glad we came off with the win.”

Seymour only managed two shots on goal for the game in getting shut out for the first time all season.

Notre Dame’s defense has allowed only 11 goals all season.

“The (defense has) been a strong backbone for us for the whole year,” Prudisch said. “We rely on them to keep the ball out. They count on our forwards to find a way to score, and that’s what we did today. (Seymour’s) Teig Driessen is one of the best forwards in the area, and we knew going in we’d have to shut him down and eliminate his opportunities.”

Prudisch said for his team to play its best at state, it needs to keep doing what it’s been doing.

“We call it ‘Triton soccer,’” Prudisch said. “We stick to our game plan, we try to control the game, find possession, put lots of pressure on the other team, force their mistakes and then capitalize on those mistakes. As long as we keep doing what we’re doing, we should be fine.”

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