WESTPHALIA - After going scoreless for the first half, the Fatima soccer team was itching to get off to a quick start after halftime.
Mission accomplished.
The Comets got an unassisted goal from John Fick just 1:33 into the second half and made it stand up in a 1-0 win over Dixon in the Class 1 District 8 Tournament championship game.
"We had just lost the ball before that and (Fick) didn't like that," Fatima coach Kirby Keth said. "You could see the determination on his face - he wanted the ball and he won it back."
After that, it was a picture-perfect shot that ended up being the difference between the top-seeded Comets and the second-seeded Bulldogs.
"It was very much a defensive battle," Keth said. "We played well early on and had several chances, but we just couldn't get the ball in the net."
Justin Bax ended up recording the shutout in goal.
"Justin had to make a couple really nice saves to keep us in it," Keth said.
The Comets (18-8) now advance to a sectional game Tuesday night at Southern Boone (26-1), the state's top-ranked team.