Sikeston falls 1-0 in shootout with Notre Dame

sports@standard-democrat.com

SIKESTON -- It's no secret that Sikeston head coach Gabe Dement isn't fond of seeing games end in a shootout.

You can imagine the Lady Bulldogs' excitement then when after 100 minutes of scoreless play on Monday their contest with visiting Notre Dame came down to penalty kicks.

Notre Dame went on to convert on each of their first three shots to end the shootout early and win by a 1-0 final in Sikeston's home opener.

"If you ask most soccer coaches, whether they lose or win PK's, it's just not the best way to end the game," Dement said. "Notre Dame is happy right now and we're upset. I'd rather keep playing overtimes to be honest, but it is what it is. We work on those in practice. We have commitment card time, but it just didn't work out tonight."

Monday's win came as revenge for Notre Dame, who fell to Sikeston 1-0 just two day prior in the Noon Optimist Tournament consolation championship Saturday at Cape Central. The two teams split their only two meetings this year as they no longer compete in the same district.

With both defenses pitching shutouts after two overtimes Notre Dame stepped up first for penalty kicks and immediately put pressure on Sikeston.

Senior Mackenzie McDaniel buried her shot chest high on the right side of the net and Notre Dame keeper, Claire Landewee, made a diving stop on Sikeston's first kick.

Notre Dame senior Tina Neidbalski's kick found the net high on the right side, followed by a high shot from Kylie Noe going over the top crossbar to put Notre Dame up 2-0.

Going to the right side worked for a third straight time for Notre Dame when senior Calleigh Ainsworth found the back of the net to put Sikeston in a do-or-die situation.

Sikeston's third kick went high and just over the crossbar, ending the shootout two shots early thanks to a 3-0 Notre Dame lead.

"Claire making the save on the first one was a big physiological advantage for us," Notre Dame head coach Matt Vollink said. "From that point on we had a lot of confidence. We told the girls to just step up, pick a spot and hit the ball."

The win pushes Notre Dame to 2-3 on the season while Sikeston falls back to .500 at 3-3.

Though his team walked away with a loss, Dement had a tough time faulting a defense that's shutout Notre Dame in back-to-back games.

"We shut them out for 100 minutes and we shut them down for (80) minutes last week so I have to give it to my defense," Dement said. "Ashley Ensor leads them and they played great today. We bent a few times, but we didn't break.

"Madeline Witt made some big saves in some big moments, but the ball just wasn't going to go in for either team today regardless of how close they got."

Sikeston will host Anna-Jonesboro Thursday with junior varsity action starting at 5 p.m. and varsity kicking off directly after.