Seven players from PND state basketball champs now hoping for soccer success

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — The seasons are changing and so are the sports at Notre Dame.

But a quick look at the girls soccer team shows seven players on the roster that helped the basketball team win its first state championship earlier this month.

“Our season ended with a state championship, wow! I’m never going to be able to forget that,” said junior Alli Stickelmaier. “Moving to soccer, hopefully we will have the same mojo and make it to state. We were so close last year.”

Last year, Notre Dame beat Geneseo to win the sectional title but lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Benet Academy in the super-sectional.

The Irish have had great success in girls soccer in recent years but they’ve never won a state title. So the Irish hope some of that basketball state championship mojo does rub off.

“They played a tough schedule and came up with a state championship,” PND girls soccer coach Ben Ralph said of the basketball team. “That will help them as we get into soccer season. Being competitive and bringing it to the soccer field.”

For years the girls basketball program stumbled at regionals. This year it had a breakthrough winning a regional, sectional and super-sectional plaque and earning the school its first state trophy.

In recent years, the soccer team has hit a wall when it comes to super-sectional games. The Irish hope they can break through that barrier this spring.

“With basketball, it was hard getting over that (regional) hump. But once you’re over it, you’re over it,” said senior Elly Bare. “In soccer, our super-sectional (draw) has been very tough. But this year, we are prepared and looking forward to it.”

The Irish open the season Saturday at Geneseo in a rematch of last year’s sectional title match. They enter the season with a lot of momentum thanks to the basketball championship.

“A lot of it is confidence. I think we gained a lot of confidence as players and individuals through that (state) win,” said senior Mya Wardle. “Knowing mentally what we have to do to get over that hump of super-sectionals. In basketball it was regionals. we’ve definitely had more success in soccer. That’s for sure.”

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