NDA Tritons see 2-2 tie to No. 1 Kiel Raiders

GREEN BAY – The No. 3 Notre Dame Academy Tritons saw a 2-2 tie in a late battle against the No. 1 Kiel Raiders on Monday, May 11. 

The Tritons started the game strong with a focus on possessing the ball in the backfield and building out of the back. 

However, the Raiders began to slowly build momentum and capitalized on one of their only opportunities of the half when they broke away with an offensive drive down the sideline for a cross and finish from the center of the box in the 31st minute to go up 1-0.

“The player who beat us on the edge was circled in our pre-game talk and she just made a really athletic play and found an oncoming runner that we didn’t cover on the backside. Something to learn from,” said Notre Dame Tritons Head Coach Nick Browne. 

The Tritons struggled to regain momentum for the remainder of the first half, but came out on the offensive after some adjustments at halftime. 

Despite struggling to finish in the attacking third, the Tritons retained their composure it paid off in the 56th minute when Lillia Stachura followed up a loose ball in the box to net the Tritons first goal of the game and even the score. 

“In the second half it got a lot better, regarding the building out of the back, and the passing possession got a lot better. We used a little bit more creativity as we progressed through the game, so I’m happy about that,” said Browne. 

With the score tied up and time winding down, the intensity increased as the Tritons worked to take the lead on ideal pattern play in the box as freshmen Mya Beckett and Serene Adamski combined to find the back of the net with just six minutes left to play. 

However, Keil answered in the 77th minute by beating the Tritons backline and knocking the ball in to tie it up at 2-2, a score which would hold until the final whistle. 

“We kind of went downhill for a little bit and we’re getting ourselves back up. Every single day is a growing moment. We’re getting there and we’re definitely growing together,” said Tritons Senior Attacking Midfielder Teya Bordini. 

The Tritons have since taken the No. 2 ranking in the state and will travel to face Fox Valley Lutheran on Monday, May 18.