Notre Dame's Megan Adkins kicks the only goal in Notre Dame's 1-0 win Tuesday against CCS at Chattanooga Christian School.Tuesday night, the Notre Dame girls' soccer team was just good enough.
The Lady Irish received a goal from an unlikely source and halted a three-game losing streak in defeating Chattanooga Christian 1-0 in a District 7-A/AA match. The goal came from defender Megan Adkins on a free kick in the 38th minute, as the senior chipped in a high-arching shot from about 35 yards out.
The win gives state-second-ranked Notre Dame (3-5-3, 2-0) a leg up in the district race, as it has a match against Signal Mountain next Tuesday. Signal's Lady Eagles won 5-0 over Sequatchie County on Tuesday and tied CCS last week.
"I thought we played well tonight," Notre Dame coach Jim Schermerhorn said. "We've kind of been struggling to get a win. We've played well these last few matches, but just not well enough to win."
The match was about as even as normally would be expected in the rivalry. The teams tied 7-all in shots attempted. Possession was similar, as were dangerous opportunities. The Lady Irish's Austin Nelson had a pair of chances early that just missed, while Emma Higgins and Sofia Olenchek were able to create some in the attack throughout the match.
The Lady Chargers (4-4-4, 0-1-1) were equally dangerous, especially in the second half. Two of their best scoring options, seniors Hannah Henry and Sara Farlett, each had two shots on goal. Henry's were rifle shots that were saved by Lee University commitment Taylor Green, while Farlett had a couple of chip shots that went high.
"It was a close match," CCS coach Cal Sneller said. "You hate to see that happen, but Notre Dame really came at us early. The girls were able to pick it up and slow Notre Dame down once they got the communication figured out, but we had some good opportunities and really nice chances."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.