Notre Dame didn’t waste any time setting the tone in its second District 6-A/AA girls’ soccer match of the season.

Kris Cambron scored for the Lady Irish 28 seconds into Thursday night’s game at Hixson, and the state’s top-ranked Class A/AA team cruised to a 5-1 victory.

“That was the difference right there, the way we came out in the first half,” Lady Irish coach Jim Schermerhorn said. “We played with a lot of intensity and possessed the ball really well. We created a lot of chances because of that, and scored some nice goals.”

Carey Leiper assisted Cambron’s goal and finished the night with a hat trick. Leiper scored the second goal for Notre Dame (6-3, 2-0 6-A/AA) on an assist from Alex Mullin, and Darcy Brannen made it 3-0 before halftime.

Hixson’s Andria Aurand made it 3-1 by finishing a corner kick in the second period, but the Lady Wildcats (5-2, 2-1) managed one shot the rest of the way. Hixson keeper Blair Kent made 17 saves but gave up two more goals to Leiper in the second half on assists from Caitlin Kelley and Mullin.

“We’re in a tough district,” Hixson coach Jeff Dean said. “We’re competing against Notre Dame and Chattanooga Christian, and they’ve got great programs and great players. I thought our girls played very hard tonight, but at times we didn’t play smart. And if you don’t play smart against a team of Notre Dame’s caliber, they’re going to beat you every time.”

The Lady Irish graduated eight players from the team that won District 6 and Region 3 titles last year, but they began this year with their usual high expectations. Tuesday’s game against top-ranked Division II team Baylor will be the next test on a tough schedule for Notre Dame, but Schermerhorn believes his players have risen to the challenge so far.

“The younger girls that are playing now have varsity experience from last year, so they’re not just getting thrown in there,” he said. “They’ve stepped up and are doing a good job. If we can stay healthy, we’ll be fine. I’m happy with where we’re at right now and the way we’re playing.”

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