NATCHEZ &045; For 39 minutes, Natchez’s plan worked perfectly.

The Bulldogs (1-10) outhustled Cathedral (8-6) during that period, forcing mistakes and keeping the Green Wave from making good passes. Natchez held a 1-0 lead with just a minute left to go in the first half.

Then Will Carter struck. The senior midfielder for Cathedral knocked home a loose ball in the Natchez penalty box to tie the game and send the Green Wave into halftime feeling a little better.

That change showed in the second half, when Cathedral scored two more goals to take a 3-1 win and a three-game season sweep over the Bulldogs, including a tournament game earlier this season.

&uot;I had to throw a little tantrum at halftime, because the intensity just wasn’t there in the first half,&uot; Cathedral head coach Rick Freeman said. &uot;They came out in the second half much more aggressive and made some better passes.&uot;

Carter had two goals and an assist in the game and had another goal called back because of a foul. Carter’s headers in the penalty box were deadly, resulting in one of his goals, his assist and several other dangerous scoring chances.

&uot;I hate using my head, but it worked for me tonight,&uot; Carter said. &uot;Whatever works.&uot;

Cathedral took the lead in the 55th minute when Carter headed a corner kick on goal, where Natchez goalkeeper Jeremy Buckles knocked it down. Andy Taunton poked it at the net and it just crossed the goal mouth before Buckles could fall on it.

&uot;To me, the difference was a momentum shift,&uot; Natchez head coach Dennis Hogue said. &uot;They got some composure back and then Will Carter puts that header in, and the rug’s pulled out from under us.&uot;

Carter struck again in the 67th minute, heading home a cross from Blase Gaud to make the score 3-1. That header did pull the rug out from underneath the Bulldogs, who didn’t play nearly as well in the second half as they had in the first.

&uot;The guys never gave up, but you could tell they didn’t have much left at the end of the game,&uot; Hogue said.

The Green Wave has a final regular season game at 12:30 p.m. today against McComb before hitting the road for the first round of the playoffs. Cathedral is still waiting to hear what team it will face, but the Green Wave will be heading to the coast for the game.

&uot;I feel good about starting the playoffs,&uot; Freeman said. &uot;I like our chances there, given the way we’ve been playing lately.&uot;

The first half went along with Natchez’s plan almost perfectly, Hogue said.

&uot;I told them, ‘If you keep the pressure on, keep fighting for balls, we have a chance,’&uot; Hogue said. &uot;(Cathedral’s players) have skills, if you give them space and time, they’ll do well. The first goal was a direct result of that.&uot;

As Hogue said, Ross Smith’s goal was exactly what the Bulldogs wanted.

Their defensive pressure had forced a mistake &045; a misplayed ball &045; by Cathedral that Smith headed behind the defense. Smith ran past two Cathedral defenders to get the ball, then volleyed it home over the right shoulder of Green Wave goalkeeper Chase Laukhuff, giving the Bulldogs a1-0 lead in the 33rd minute.

For Natchez, it was a strong way to end a tough season. With only one senior, the Bulldogs should be much improved next year, Hogue said.

&uot;Natchez has gotten better every game,&uot; Freeman said. &uot;I can see the improvement from when we played them earlier this season.&uot;