'Focus, play our game, breathe.' Mount Notre Dame leverages confidence into big win

Editor's note: This online story has been corrected since its initial publication to indicate the Cougars have gone to the Final Four for the third year in a row.

Mount Notre Dame field hockey is heading to the Final Four for the third straight year. The Cougars qualified for the state semifinals after taking down longtime rival Ursuline Academy 2-0 on Saturday in the Southwest Regional final.

The teams were stuck at 0-0 at halftime and MND head coach Sarah Pisciotta knew her team needed to hone in on a game plan for the third quarter.

"We told them, keep it outta the middle. Ursuline loves going up the middle . . . Focus, play our game, breathe and calm down," Pisciotta recalled of her halftime advice after the game.

The advice paid off for the Cougars who broke the scoreless tie with 4:06 left in the third quarter. Out of a penalty corner, the Cougars were able to create a little chaos in front of the net allowing No. 4 Meg Martin to push the ball over the line.

Finally getting on the board looked to settle something in MND and the team pushed hard following Martin's goal. Under two minutes later, off a play in the neutral zone, No. 8 Carly Shull found the back of the net for the 2-0 lead and gave the Cougars the breathing room they needed for the fourth quarter.

Led by Girls Greater Catholic League's offensive player of the year Laura Fagan, the team locked down the midfield in the final 15 minutes to secure the victory.

Next stop: State

The Cougars now turn their focus to the state semifinal game on Thursday. As a program, MND has made it to the semifinals nine times before but has only made one appearance in the state final – back in 2004.

MND will face the winner of the Central region matchup featuring Upper Arlington and New Albany. The Cougars faced both teams in the regular season. They lost 8-3 to New Albany in August and lost 3-0 to Upper Arlington early in September. However, Fagan doesn't see those losses as any sort of predictor.

"We played both of them at the beginning of our season and as a team, we've really grown since then. So I think it's gonna be a completely new game when we play them this time."

The MND Cougars are set to play on Thursday, Nov. 2, at Thomas Worthington High School. If they win, they advance to the championship game on Saturday.

More: Cincinnati's best 4 field hockey teams play for spot in regional final

Second place for a 2nd time

Under the overcast sky, the Ursuline Lions were handed the runner-up trophy for the second year in a row after once again losing to Mount Notre Dame.

Throughout the first quarter, Ursuline looked confident with their strong defensive play. The Lions used everything they learned in two regular season games against MND to keep the powerhouse away from the goal line.

"I'm really proud of the way the girls played today. I think that we held (MND) for as long as we could and we had opportunities and it just didn't go our way today," head coach Shannon Regan said after the game.

The Lions end the season with a 13-6 overall record and second in the Southwest region.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio No. 9 Mount Notre Dame wins Southwest region over rival Ursuline