SOUTH BEND, Ind. – No. 11 Notre Dame women’s soccer completed a perfect three-match homestand, three wins, after a dominant 7-2 victory over Miami on Sunday afternoon. The Fighting Irish (9-1-3, 5-0-1) scored its most ever goals in an ACC contest, with six different goal scorers today against the Hurricanes (3-6-4, 2-4-0).
Ellie Ospeck and Kiki Van Zanten led the offensive juggernaut. Ospeck recorded the first three-assist performance of her career and the first in the Coach Norman era. Ospeck has now totaled seven points over the last two matches. Then there’s Van Zanten who notched her second brace in this three-match homestand. Ospeck and Van Zanten are now tied for the team lead in points with 15.
First half goal scorers included Kristina Lynch, Maddie Mercado, Van Zanten and Eva Gaetino – the latter was another header goal off of a corner kick.
Second half goal scorers included Van Zanten and two freshmen: Chayse Ying and Charlie Codd. It marked Ying’s first collegiate goal and the second straight game with a goal for Codd.
Notre Dame has now outscored Miami 30-6 since joining the ACC ahead of the 2013 season and they have now won six straight against the Hurricanes. The Irish improve to 13-3 overall and 9-0 at home against Miami in the all-time series.
STAT OF THE DAY
By the completion of the match, now seven players boast 10 points or more on the season: Klenke, Gaetino, Mrowicki, Lynch, Mercado, Ospeck and Van Zanten.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was Senior Day at Alumni Stadium in which eight Irish were honored in a pregame ceremony: Ellie Ospeck, Kristina Lynch, Eva Gaetino, Carolina Gray, Eva Wirtz, Paige Peltier, Kaylin Slattery and Ashley Naylor. All but Gray and Slattery were in Notre Dame’s starting XI today, as the latter started the second half in net.
Klenke and Lynch made Miami pay for a defensive blunder in the 10th minute of the match. After Miami’s goalkeeper botched a clearance, Klenke floated the ball into the box and found Lynch’s head who then found the back of the net.
The second goal arrived in the 26th minute. Ospeck had the ball in the far right side of the box. With a flick of the outside of her foot, Ospeck sent in a cross, Lynch dummied and Mercado finished.
The third goal of the half occurred just five minutes later and it was engineered by Ospeck again. The senior made a great turn and found Van Zanten with the through ball behind the Miami defense. Van Zanten then slotted it to the left post and in.
The fourth and final goal of the first half happened in the 44th minute courtesy of Air Gaetino. You have to be on the lookout for Gaetino on corners and Morgan Roy struck a beautiful ball to the middle of the box and Gaetino’s head did the rest.
The Hurricanes got their first goal in the 54th minute off a direct free kick.
The Irish responded immediately – 69 seconds later in fact. Van Zanten stripped a Hurricane midfielder from the ball and ripped a laser to the upper-90 from just outside the box.
The freshman Ying got that coveted first goal in an Irish uniform in the 75th minute on a solo effort. Then fellow freshman Codd completed the Irish scoring in the 88th minute after a cross from the left side from Ospeck.
UP NEXT
The road gauntlet that has been circled on the calendar for most Irish fans: at No. 2 Florida State on Oct. 12, then at No. 1 North Carolina on Oct. 19.
– ND –