Sunday, November 07, 1999
Pandas shut out in Ky. soccer finals
Notre Dame runner-up for 3rd time in '90s
BY RAY SCHAEFER
Enquirer contributor
GEORGETOWN — Junior midfielder Kristal Menard's two goals and one from sophomore forward Jennifer Wilson were enough for South Oldham to defend its girls state title with a 3-0 win over Notre Dame on Saturday at Georgetown College's Rawlings Stadium.
South Oldham (23-1) won its fourth title in five years. Notre Dame finished second for the third time (the Pandas lost to Lexington Lafayette in 1992 and Louisville Ballard in '97).
Partly because the Lady Dragons finished with a 23-1 record, South Oldham coach Cy Tucker called the '99 team his best of the four championship squads.
“I just think it's deeper,” Tucker said of this year's group. “Fourteen, 15 players deep (we) can go and not notice a drop in ability.”
The only thing Notre Dame won was the shooting battle — the Pandas took 11 shots to South Oldham's 10.
“We didn't finish,” Pandas coach Tim Prieshoff said. “We put every ball in front of the net. You've got to put them in.”
In beating Holy Cross, Harrison County and Lexington Henry Clay, Notre Dame got six goals from five different players.
The Pandas' problem Saturday was easy to see: you can't get a shot when the ball is on your half of the field. South Oldham kept the ball in Notre Dame's end for nearly 30 minutes.
“I didn't expect that,” Prieshoff said. “I thought we'd go to the ball hard. We didn't do that.”
Notre Dame's lone serious first-half scoring chance came in the 13th minute, when junior midfielder Jessica Godshall had the ball about 20 yards to goalie Laurie Franklin's left. Godshall's crossing shot sailed wide to the opposite side.
Menard's first goal came in the 18th minute off a corner kick from sophomore midfielder Jennifer Sibert, and she tallied her second off a direct free kick from senior defender Lindsey Byrd.
Wilson made it 3-0 South Oldham four minutes later on senior forward Amy Sample's assist.
“The first two were over my head,” ND goalie Julie Wulfeck said. “Third one was a quick reaction. I didn't see it coming.”
Notre Dame (22-3) had but two serious scoring chances in the second half.
After the match, Wulfeck saw something positive: losing in the finals was a lot better than losing earlier.
“I'm proud of this team, that we made it this far,” Wulfeck said.
Goals: SO-Menard 2, Wilson. Shutout: Franklin and Simpson. Records: SO 23-1, ND 22-3.
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