By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Notre Dame soccer player Ellie Heyob said her team is “super hungry” to make it back to the state playoffs after getting eliminated in the 9th Region semifinals last year.
“We have big goals and all of us are super excited to see where this team goes,” the senior striker said after the Pandas won their region semifinal rematch against Conner, 3-0, on Thursday at St. Henry.
After a scoreless first half, Heyob volleyed a shot into the net off a corner kick by teammate Gloria Haines to spark Notre Dame’s strong finish.
During the remaining 30 minutes, the Pandas had several other scoring opportunities with goals by freshman Sophia Reedy and junior Addi Forndorf expanding the winning margin.
“I definitely think the morale of the team went up,” Heyob said of her goal. “I think we got a lot more confident with it and we started moving the ball a lot better.”
At the halftime break, Conner had a 7-4 lead in shots on goal. The Cougars had two scoring opportunities in the final four minutes of the half, but they weren’t able to put the ball in the net on either one.
“In the first half, if we score on one or two of the opportunities and we have the lead, the second half has a whole change in environment,” said Conner coach Mike Hughes. “Unfortunately, I’ve been around this game too long to know what happens if you let teams hang around. Then they get that corner (goal) and we kind of deflated a little bit.”
On that corner kick, Haines lofted the ball across the face of the goal and Heyob poked a running volley with her right foot inside the far post.
“It was pretty much right on me,” Heyob said. “I mean, obviously, I ran on to it, but it was a good corner kick. It was like spot on. All I had to do was bump it into the net.”
Reedy scored the Pandas’ second goal on a breakaway and Forndorf got the third one off another corner kick by Haines. Notre Dame coach Cory Dan said a change in tactics helped his team create more scoring opportunities during the second half.
“We knew that (Conner) had their best players through the spine, like through their center backs, midfield and up top,” Dan said. “So we just said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to play around these girls. We have to move the ball side to side, maintain possession and wear them out a little bit.'”
Notre Dame senior goalkeeper Joelle Hentz made four saves to record her sixth shutout in the last eight matches.
One of those shutouts came in a 1-0 win over Highlands, the team the Pandas will face in the 9th Region championship match at 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Henry.
Highlands defeated Dixie Heights, 4-0, in the other region semifinal game on Thursday. The Bluebirds got goals from freshman Ally Lickert and seniors Katie Bucher, Reese Wilkens and Ariana Harms with sophomore goalkeeper Bailee Class posting a shutout.
This is the 14th season that eight teams have competed in the 9th Region tournament. Notre Dame won eight of the 13 previous tournaments and Highlands won the other five. They have faced each other in six region finals and each team has won three times.
Brossart sweeps 10th Region boys, girls titles
Brossart boys and girls soccer teams won 10th Region championship matches on Thursday and advance to next week’s state tournaments.
In the girls region final, Brossart defeated Campbell County, 3-1, to claim its sixth title. The Mustangs took a 3-0 lead on goals from Rylee Fuller, Kylie Smith and Rachel Shewmaker. Campbell County avoided a shutout by getting a late goal from Kennedy Crowley.
The Brossart boys outscored Montgomery County, 4-2, in a penalty kick shootout to come away with a 2-1 win in the boys region final. This is the third time Brossart has won the boys championship trophy. Luke Neltner scored the Mustangs’ only goal off an assist by Jorge Del Castillo.
Simon Kenton defeated Woodford County, 2-1, in the 8th Region girls semifinals. The Pioneers will meet South Oldham in the championship game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Carroll County.
9th REGION BOYS AT HOLMES
Saturday
Championship match: Covington Catholic (14-7-2) vs. Conner (14-8-1), 5:30 p.m.
9th REGION GIRLS AT ST. HENRY
Saturday
Championship match: Notre Dame (13-4-2) vs. Highlands (11-9-2), 2 p.m.
8th REGION GIRLS AT CARROLL COUNTY
Saturday
Championship match: Simon Kenton (20-1-3) vs. South Oldham (10-3-5), 3 p.m.