NOTRE DAME SOCCER FACES BIG CHALLENGE IN 1A-3A SECTIONAL

Notre Dame High boys soccer coach Brad Wittenborn knows his team will be a decided underdog tonight against powerful St. Mary's of St. Louis.

But Wittenborn believes that doesn't mean the Bulldogs can't win the Class 1A-3A sectional playoff game, set for a 7 p.m. start at the Anheuser-Busch Conference & Sports Centre in Fenton.

As proof, Wittenborn offers last year's sectional game against St. Mary's, which Notre Dame lost 1-0."We hit a couple of posts in that game. I thought we played them well enough to win, but we were pretty unlucky," said Wittenborn. "I think playing them so good last year should give us confidence. Our guys want to prove that they can beat this team."Wittenborn, however, does emphasize just how strong St. Mary's, ranked first in the state and favored to win the state championship, is."They're very impressive," he said. "Just watching them in warmups, they shoot the ball so well. They were all drilling the ball into the net from about 30 yards out."They're just a quality team. They have basically everybody back from last year, so they have that extra year of experience."Wittenborn believes the Bulldogs' extra year of experience is also important."We have a lot of seniors who were there last year and that experience should help us," Wittenborn said.

Both teams enter the game with impressive records, Notre Dame 21-4-1 and St. Mary's 20-5-3.

The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by a staggering 92-12, allowing an average of less than a half a goal per game."The thing I like the most about this team is we've played so well defensively, so we've been in every game," said Wittenborn. "If we continue to play that kind of defense, we should be in the game (tonight)."Chris Dirnberger and Adam Obermiller have been Notre Dame's leading scorers, with 22 and 20 goals, respectively. Playmaker Oliver Sanders has scored 14 goals and recorded a team-high 21 assists.

Scott Wittenborn, the coach's son, has added seven goals for the Bulldogs, who have seen 17 different players find the scoring column.

Defensively, goalkeeper Michael Gosche has posted 15 of the team's

16 shutouts.

St. Mary's, which has outscored the opposition 77-22, is led offensively by Kevin Simpson with 15 goals. Kevin McDaniel is next with 12. Keeper Jeff Sackman has recorded 12 shutouts."They'll definitely be favored," said Wittenborn of the Dragons. "But it feels good to go in as the underdog. We've got nothing to lose, because nobody expects us to win. We'll be relaxed and we should be able to play our game."Regardless of what happens tonight, Wittenborn said it has been another fantastic season for the Bulldogs, who have had all kinds of success over the past several years."We've just had a great season, and this is such a good group of kids to work with," he said. "They all get along. There is no jealousy at all. It's really neat to see."