Notre Dame blanked rival St. Ursula 2-0 in a girls soccer tournament tune-up on Tuesday.
The Eagles (9-6-1) scored single goals in each half on their home field to shutout the Arrows (7-5-3).
Freshman Bella Spencer scored in the first half to put the Eagles ahead 1-0 at the break. Senior Maddie Miller then scored on a set piece early in the second half for a 2-0 cushion.
“It was back and forth and a very even game overall,” Notre Dame coach Chip Smith said. “They had some spells where they were on the front foot and then momentum would shift back to us. We ended up getting great individual efforts from Bella and Maddie.”
St. Ursula coach Scott Reed also called it a very competitive game.
“It was back and forth the whole time,” Reed said. “We had 11 corners and we had nine shots on target, and we didn't capitalize on any of those. And then we just weren't good on their two opportunities. And credit to Notre Dame, they capitalized.”
With 29:11 left in the first half, Spencer broke a scoreless deadlock with her sixth goal of the season. The forward scored on a toe poke from right in front of the St. Ursula net.
“She got around the left side and dribbled in and scored from about three feet out. It was a good composure and individual effort and some skill from her,” Smith said.
Miller headed in a pass from Bella Calcamuggio on corner kick for a two-goal cushion early in the second half. It was Miller’s fourth goal of the season.
“We talked about how set pieces would be huge. That was a scrappy goal,” Smith said. “Maddie is a target on that set piece. Bella and Maddie had a silent moment [before the kick], and she went near post.”
Notre Dame senior goalkeeper Libby Wisniewski made several big stops in the second half to keep the Arrows off of the scoreboard.
“She made three saves that were big time,” Smith said. “She had a really good game and the girls played really good defensively.”
Reed said his players were coming off two days of exams and were playing on a grass surface for just the third time this season.
“We didn't deal with the field as well as we could have,” he said. “We're fine tuning a couple of things. We're also making sure the ideas that we've carried throughout the year are still being carried through.”
The teams could meet again in the Division II district final next week on Oct. 24.
Notre Dame plays Southview in the district semifinals, while St. Ursula plays Fremont Ross in the other semifinal next Monday. Southview (9-5-1) won the Northern Lakes League Cardinal Division title.
“First we have to play a really good Southview team,” Smith said. “Any team that wins a league title shows they've had a lot of success. Now we have to get our heads out of the clouds and prepare for them. Hopefully we get another chance to play St. Ursula.”
Reed said: “We don't want to overlook Ross, but the feeling is now, if we play well enough we'll get another chance to play Notre Dame. We're using this as motivation.”
St. Ursula defeated Notre Dame in 2022 to capture the final title in the Three Rivers Athletic Conference. The schools now compete in the Detroit-based Catholic High School League. But Michigan high schools play girls soccer in the spring, so the Toledo schools are essentially independents in girls soccer.
“It was a great atmosphere for a girls soccer game. It was a great crowd,” Smith said. “This is the biggest game of our season. It just means a little bit more. All the girls know each other. They all play club teams.”
Notre Dame came into the contest having lost four of five against some of the state's top teams, including Anthony Wayne, Walsh Jesuit, and Bay.
“We play the cream of the crop,” Smith said. “We play one of the toughest schedules to prepare for games like this.”
The Eagles also were playing without two of their three leading scorers due to injury. Senior Aly Peckham, who leads the team in goals (20) and points (50), was sidelined but is expected to be back for the tournament. Senior Bailey Becker, who has 15 points, is out for the season.
“This showed the girls we can handle that adversity,” Smith said.
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