After escaping the shadow of St. Mary's, Notre Dame will be making its first semifinal soccer appearance in the programs decade and a half long existence at 6 p.m. today at the Anheuser-Busch Conference and Sports Centre in Fenton, Mo.

"We have had our bad luck against St. Mary's the last couple of years," Notre Dame coach Brad Wittenborn said of his team's sectional round exits at the hands of the Dragons the past four seasons.

With a convincing 3-0 victory over a strong Rosary team in Tuesday's Class 2 quarterfinals, the Bulldogs were able to put their frustrations behind them.

When the Bulldogs take the field tonight they will be facing an opponent as unfamiliar to state semifinal action as the Bulldogs are themselves. Marshall (23-2) has a young program, much like Notre Dame's.

"They're fighting for respect around the state like we are," Wittenborn said.

Although not overly familiar with Marshall's team, Wittenborn said he expects them to be a physical team.

"They're fairly big and strong," he said.

With the Bulldogs advancing to the final four for the first time, excitement is abound in Bulldog country.

Wittenborn said his players are relishing their moment in the spotlight.

"This is an opportunity of a lifetime for a teenager," he said. "To get to play in a final four, it's very special."

"It's unbelievable," senior goalie Travis Siebert said. "We're all real pumped and ready to go."

Plenty of Bulldog pride

Wittenborn said the whole school has rallied around the team, and the team's fan support in the quarterfinal round was bigger than any team there.

"The enthusiasm is just awesome," he said.

Despite their inexperience in the semifinals, the Bulldogs sport a senior-heavy squad that has plenty of experience.

Wittenborn expects the veteran team to be more than ready to play tonight.

"I would expect we'll play hard from the first whistle to the last," he said.

The Bulldogs should also benefit from a strong regular season schedule that included St. Mary's, Central, John Burroughs, Carbondale and St. Pius.

"We've played a pretty good schedule," Wittenborn said. "It's not like we're going against a level of competition we haven't seen."

As the stakes grow higher Wittenborn plans to stick with his team's strategy of tight defense and counter attacks, maximizing his team's speed advantage.

"We like to play a zone defense and keep pressure on the ball," Wittenborn said.

Siebert said his team has to stick with what's got them there.

"We just know we have to play our game like we've been playing all year," he said.

Win or lose tonight, the Bulldogs are guaranteed another game Saturday. Siebert and company hope that game will be for first place and not third.

"We're confident, but we know it will take a lot of work," Siebert said.

jjoffray@semissourian.com

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