No. 3 Jacob Tiffany shoots the ball past the Notre Dame keeper Wednesday night to put the Wildcats up 2-0. Photo by Sally Y. Hart

With their season on the line, the Columbus boys’ soccer team delivered in a big way as they defeated No. 11 Notre Dame 2-0 in Burlington on Wednesday.

Sticking to what they do best, the Wildcats (11-5) combined a stifling defense with timely scoring to put a halt to the Nikes’ season. After 30 minutes of scoreless ball, it was freshman Felix Solis who broke the tie by scoring his second goal of his career. Up 1-0 at the break, Columbus came out in the second half controlling possession and put the game out of reach when Jacob Tiffany scored a goal in the 61st minute. The Nikes (13-7) became the seventh team this year to not record a goal on Columbus as the Wildcats continue to impress defensively.

With the win, one game separates the Wildcats from punching their ticket to a second straight state appearance. Their fate will be decided on the pitch Saturday as they travel to face off with Solon. The Spartans advanced to the final by beating Holy Trinity 3-0 on Wednesday to improve their record to 15-5.  .