Nov. 22, 2014
2014 NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SOCCER – MATCH 22
NCAA Division I Soccer Championship – Third Round
#12/11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-5-2) vs. #5/5 Texas A&M Aggies (20-2-2)
DATE: Nov. 23, 2014
TIME: 1:30 p.m. CT
LOCATION: College Station, Texas (Ellis Field – cap. 3,500)
LAST MEETING: ND 1-0 (9/17/99)
BROADCAST: SEC Network + (ESPN3)
LIVE STATS:
TWITTER: @NDsoccernews
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Storylines
– Notre Dame is making its 22nd straight appearance in the NCAA Championship, the third-best streak all-time in Division I women’s college soccer history.
– The Fighting Irish and Texas A&M will meet for just the second time in their respective histories, and the first time at a non-neutral site.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Fresh off a second straight dramatic second half rally, the University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team continues its 2014 postseason march on Sunday, taking on No. 5 Texas A&M in the third round of the NCAA Championship at Ellis Field. SEC Network + will televise the 1:30 p.m. (CT) match.
No. 4 seed Notre Dame (14-5-2) is making its 22nd consecutive NCAA Championship appearance this season, the second-longest active streak in the nation (North Carolina, 33 appearances, 1982-present). The Fighting Irish (three) and the Tar Heels (21) are the only teams to win three or more national championships since 1982.
For the second straight week, Notre Dame showed a flair for the dramatic in NCAA Championship play, as freshman forward Karin Muya (London, England/Burntwood School) scored in the 86th minute to power the Fighting Irish to a 2-1 win over Texas on Friday. Muya added an assist earlier in the first half on the tying goal from Anna Maria Gilbertson (Davis, California/Davis).
“I think the team is very excited, and we are starting to realize how great we can be,” Notre Dame head coach Theresa Romagnolo said. “We’ve just got to keep believing and take it to Texas A&M on Sunday.”
Notre Dame is in search of yet another round of eight berth in the NCAA Championship, looking for its 16th trip to the quarterfinal round of the national tournament in program history. The Fighting Irish trail only North Carolina (16) for the most quarterfinal bids in the history of the NCAA Championship.
No. 1 seed Texas A&M (20-2-2) is in search of its fifth NCAA quarterfinal appearance coming off a 7-2 second round victory over Arizona on Friday night at Ellis Field. The Aggies have outscored its two NCAA Championship opponents, Houston Baptist (5-0) and Arizona, by a combined aggregate margin of 12-2.
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SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M earned one of the four top seeds in the 2014 NCAA Championship after winning the SEC tournament on Nov. 9. The Aggies enter Sunday’s match with a 20-2-2 mark, having earned a result in 12 straight contests dating back to a 1-0 loss to Florida on Oct. 3.
Texas A&M has outscored its opponents a whopping 66-22 through 24 matches this season, with 30 plus goals in each half (35 in the first, 31 in the second). The Aggies have claimed 10 wins in 2014 by three or more goals.
Senior midfielder Kelley Monogue leads the high-powered Texas A&M offense with 15 goals and a team-high 16 assists and 40 points. Monogue has tallied four game-winning goals. Senior forward/midfielder Shea Groom has added a team-high 16 goals (seven match-winners) to go along with seven assists for her 39 points. Senior forward Bianca Brinson is the third Aggie striker with double-digit goals, tallying 10 over 21 match appearances entering the third round of the NCAA Championship.
Senior goalkeeper Renee McDermott has appeared in all 21 matches this season entering play on Sunday.
Head coach G Guerrieri is 376-108-28 (.762) in his 22nd season at Texas A&M, the only mentor in the history of the Aggie program. Guerrieri has led Texas A&M to 20 straight NCAA Championship berths, including 16 consecutive 15-win seasons. The Aggies have also reached the final 16 of the NCAA tournament on 13 occasions and the quarterfinals four times.
THE NOTRE DAME-TEXAS A&M SERIES
Sixth-ranked Notre Dame women’s soccer team used a 22nd-minute goal from senior All-American Jenny Streiffer to shut out eighth-ranked Texas A&M 1-0 on Sept. 17, 1999 at the College Women’s Classic in Klein, Texas. The Irish out shot the Aggies 14-12 and Irish goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene made three saves for Notre Dame’s third consecutive shutout victory.
Jenny Heft won a ball from Texas A&M after an Irish through-in and dribbled to the left corner of the box five yards from the endline. She found Streiffer open just inside the left corner of the box, where Streiffer blasted a shot into the open right of the net.
The Fighting Irish outshot the Aggies 8-7 in the first half and 6-5 in the second half. Notre Dame was whistled for 13 fouls, including 12 in the first half, to 12 for Texas A&M. The Irish had three corner kicks and did not allow the Aggies a corner kick.
LAST TIME OUT: TEXAS (NCAA SECOND ROUND)
Freshman forward Karin Muya played beyond her years in just her second career NCAA Championship match for the University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team on Friday night. The London, England, product assisted on the match-tying goal in the first half before putting away the game-winner in the 86th minute to lift the Fighting Irish to a thrilling 2-1 come from behind win over Texas in the second round of the NCAA Championship at Ellis Field.
No. 12/11 Notre Dame improved to 66-18-1 (.782) all-time in NCAA Championship matches dating back to the 1993 season. The Fighting Irish have reached the third round or later of the national championship tournament in 18 of their 22 NCAA tournament appearances.
Shots were even at 13 apiece during the match, with Notre Dame holding a second half 7-3 edge over No. RV/NR Texas. Corner kicks were also tied at three tries apiece for both teams.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE: TEXAS
-Notre Dame won in its first meeting in series history with Texas. The Longhorns were making their first NCAA Championship appearance since 2011.
-Forwards Anna Maria Gilbertson and Karin Muya each scored their first career postseason goals in the Notre Dame victory. Gilbertson had previously tallied her first career NCAA Championship point with an assist in Notre Dame’s first round win over Valparaiso last weekend.
-Muya capped her third one goal-one assist match of her freshman season by having a hand in both Notre Dame goals against Texas on Friday. Muya previously accounted for three total points against Santa Clara (Sept. 5) and Miami (Oct. 12).
OLMSTED FINDS NEXT GEAR OVER THE PAST MONTH
Texas native Kaleigh Olmsted played perhaps her best match of 2014 just over one month ago in arguably the worst weather conditions that Notre Dame has been faced with this season. In a driving rain and forceful wind, Olmsted tallied an assist on the winning score and added an insurance goal in a 2-0 Fighting Irish win at Syracuse on Oct. 18. Since that performance, the sophomore attacker has not looked back.
Olmsted has added assists on the winning goal in a 1-0 decision against Louisville on Oct. 26 and in the semifinal round of the ACC Championship against Florida State (Nov. 7) before notching the lone goal in the first round of the NCAA Championship on Nov. 14. Olmsted’s 90th minute goal was her second career match-winner, and the first postseason goal of her young collegiate account, sparking Notre Dame’s hard-fought win.
THE IRISH MESS WITH TEXAS
Notre Dame has compiled a healthy all-time record against teams in the state of Texas during its history, posting a 12-3 (.800) record against foes from the Lone Star State. The Fighting Irish are a combined 6-1 (.857) against Texas foes in road and neutral contests.
Notre Dame triumphantly claimed its first ever win at Texas A&M’s Ellis Field with a 2-1 win in the NCAA Championship second round over Texas after entering the weekend sporting an 0-2 mark in its first two neutral site tilts in College Station. Florida State outlasted the Fighting Irish 3-2 on Dec. 7, 2007 prior to North Carolina securing a 1-0 decision over Notre Dame on Dec. 4, 2009, with both contests taking place during the NCAA College Cup semifinals.
Texas A&M and Notre Dame will meet for the first time at Ellis Field in Sunday’s third round NCAA tournament showdown.
NEXT UP FOR THE IRISH: NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTERFINAL
A victory over Texas A&M on Sunday would advance Notre Dame into the quarterfinal round of its quadrant of the NCAA Championship bracket against either Penn State or Virginia Tech.