ND GIRLS SALVAGE 1-1 TIE

Beth Essner deposited a pass from teammate Jaymie Frank with eight minutes left in play as the Notre Dame girls soccer team salvaged a 1-1 tie with Carbondale Tuesday in the Lady Bulldog/Tiger Kickoff Classic.

Notre Dame is now 0-1-1 in the six-team tournament. Carbondale and Jackson will play today and determine if Notre Dame will play for third or fifth place on Thursday. Carbondale (0-0-1) must go scoreless today and Jackson score at least four goals for Notre Dame to play in the third-place contest.

After a scoreless first half, Carbondale scored the game's first goal four minutes into the second half.

"We've had little success in our program," said Notre Dame coach Jeff Worley, who saw his team go winless last year in its maiden season. "Even a tie is a big deal for our girls. Even a tie gives us a lot of confidence for the season."

In Tuesday's other game, Poplar Bluff defeated Marion in pool play.

Tournament play continues today when Cape Central (1-0) faces Poplar Bluff (1-0) and Jackson (1-0) meets Carbondale. Central and Jackson can both advance to Thursday's championship game with victories.