If Friday's District 7-A/AA soccer matchup at Signal Mountain had as many goals as it did fouls, there would have been plenty of balls in the back of the net.
Notre Dame defeated Signal 2-0 with goals hard to come by. However, there was plenty of physical play in a game that included four yellow cards and multiple whistles blown.
"I thought we played a good game," Notre Dame coach Jim Schermerhorn said. "We stepped up and played well, and I thought we could have scored. Overall, I think we defended well and I am pretty happy with the way we played."
Signal Mountain was charged with three of the four cards, but with the Irish up 1-nil the Eagles drew a foul just outside the box with a chance to even the score. But the Irish cleared the ball out, and their counterattack led to Jonathan Eagle kicking it into the net for what turned out to be the final score.
Notre Dame got on the board at the 11:54 mark after Luke Eckler's cross landed at the foot of Milan Card, who rifled it past the keeper. Signal Mountain had a chance to tie around the 65-minute mark but failed to convert on a ball in front of the net.
The Irish had 16 shots with 10 in the second half. Lane Widerkehr recorded five saves, while Josh Pickett had four for the Eagles.
Signal Mountain struggled to give itself opportunities in the first half but overall finished with 13 shots, seven of them on target.
"Our first half was horrific," Eagles coach Richard Northcutt said. "We panicked, we were nervous and we just kicked the ball instead of passing. But this was still a game that could have gone in either direction and we were still in it, so we just have to get ready for the next one."
Contact Anthony Sigismond at sports@timesfreepress.com.