Late goal propels Notre Dame girls soccer past Pleasant Hill and back into Class 2 state championship game

Allison Buchheit, right, and Kristen Tarno, left, celebrates with Hannah Miller after Miller's header ended up in the back of the net against Pleasant Hill for the game-winning goal Wednesday, May 29, 2019, at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Mo. The 72nd-minute goal sent the Bulldogs to the Class 2 finals with a 3-2 win.

Ryan Weaver ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With minutes left in a semifinal game deadlocked at two, Livia Wunderlich didn't deviate from her usual routine.

As the Notre Dame senior midfielder stood over the free kick on the left side of the field, she took a moment to calm down and remind herself to find someone's head in the penalty box.

She did just that, floating a pass to the back post where Hannah Miller connected with her head, sending the ball into the top right corner of the net.

Notre Dame's Allison Buchheit celebrates after scoring a first-half goal against Pleasant Hill in a Class 2 girls soccer state semifinal at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri. Notre Dame beat Pleasant Hill 3-2.

Ryan Weaver ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian

That 72th-minute goal propelled Notre Dame past Pleasant Hill 3-2 on Wednesday at Swope Soccer Village as the Bulldogs advanced to the Class 2 state championship game for the third consecutive season.

They will face Visitation Academy in the championship at 2 p.m Thursday.

"It just kind of felt right," Wunderlich said. "When it was floating in, I saw Miller over there. I felt good about that one. I think I knew it was going in."

Notre Dame (25-1-1) trailed twice against the Chicks (23-2) and led for just eight minutes, and five seconds. That was enough.

"That shows we have a lot of perseverance," Wunderlich said. "We work really hard. I think that's one of our goals every game. We have to outwork the other team, and we've done a really good job of that this season."

Bailey Beussink assisted on Notre Dame's first two goals, which were scored by Allison Buchheit and Julia Williams.

Mackenzie Dimarco, who entered with 86 goals, had both of the Chicks' tallies.

Notre Dame dominated play early with Megan Heisserer hitting the right post in the 8th minute, but Pleasant Hill struck first. In the 15th minute, Dimarco collected the ball on the right wing and lofted it over the head of Notre Dame goalkeeper Caroline Lochmann and into the left corner of the net.

It was the Chicks' first shot of the game.

The Bulldogs tied it up 12 minutes later when Buchheit latched onto a through pass from Beussink, beating the Chicks' offside trap, took the ball around Chicks goalie Haley Comegys and calmly slotted it into an open net.

At halftime, it was still tied at 1.

That changed 12 minutes into the second half when Dimarco took a pass from Kyleigh Roe, weaved into the penalty box and rifled a shot into the top right corner of the net.

Before Wednesday, Notre Dame had given up more than one goal just twice this season, but the Bulldogs didn't deflate after the goal.

Instead, three minutes later Williams hit a looping shot from 35 yards that dropped over Comegys' head and into the net to tie the game.

"It says a lot about their heart and that desire and motivation to pull it out," Notre Dame coach Ryan Schweain said. "That's kind of been the M.O. of this team for the last couple years. They've pulled out some games where maybe other teams might not have pulled it out."

It remained scoreless until the 72nd minute. Notre Dame earned a free kick, and Wunderlich, the Bulldogs' deadball specialist, jogged over to take it.

Miller got away from her defender and on the end of Wunderlich's pass for the decisive tally.

"We talked about halftime trying to get it up and over those taller backs along that backside," Schweain said. "That time it happened to work out for us."

Following the goal, Notre Dame kept Dimarco and the Chicks at bay.

Lochmann finished with two saves and came out several times to disrupt an attack when it looked like Dimarco was through on goal.

While Heisserer, who entered the game averaging two goals per game, didn't score she registered a game-high six shots.

"She did so much for us up top, and she draws so much attention, a lot of times it will open up that space for other offensive players," Schweain said.

The Bulldogs are back in the state championship game, which has been their goal since suffering a 1-0 loss in last year's title game.

"We're all there embracing each other, celebrating," Wunderlich said. You've just got to take it in and take in the moment. I always think every time 'I'm here with my teammates, and I've just got to savor that.'"