Oct. 25, 2015
By Joanne Norell
DURHAM, N.C. — Anna Maria Gilbertson scored on a penalty kick less than three minutes into the game and the No. 15/8 University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team withstood a second-half blitz from No. 22/21 Duke on Sunday in a 1-0 victory at Koskinen Stadium.
The Irish led 11-8 in shots and owned a 5-0 advantage in corner kicks to keep the Blue Devils at bay, splitting the weekend trip to North Carolina after falling to the No. 9 Tar Heels on Thursday. Gilbertson led the Irish in shots with three, including two on goal, while Natalie Jacobs and Kaleigh Olmsted fired two shots each.
The Irish corralled the momentum almost immediately, taking advantage of a Duke miscue to snag an early lead. The Blue Devils were called for a hand ball in the box in the third minute, giving the Irish a penalty kick opportunity. Gilbertson slotted the attempt right of Duke goalkeeper EJ Proctor, giving the Irish a 1-0 lead.
It was just the second penalty kick attempt of the season for the Irish. Gilbertson, who upped her season goal total to nine, has converted both attempts.
The Irish carried the tempo for the majority of the first half, outshooting Duke 6-0 in the first 45 minutes. Duke’s only scoring opportunity in the half came when midfielder Taylor Racioppi sent a pass across the front of the open net, but missed the connection with a diving forward Kayla McCoy in the goal box.
Duke picked up the pace in the second half, recording the first three shots of the stanza and peppering the Irish goal with three shots on frame. The Blue Devils managed eight shots on the period, keeping much of the action in their offensive half as they continued to put pressure on the Irish defense.
It was a defense that proved up to the challenge as the Irish recorded their 10th shutout of the season and Irish goalkeeper Kaela Little recorded three saves,. Of Duke’s eight shot attempts, three were blocked by Irish defenders.
Gilbertson gave the Irish their two best scoring chances of the second half late in the period with a pair of shots inside the 18. After stripping the ball from a Duke defender and driving up the right flank with a little over 14 minutes remaining in the game, the Irish senior drove into the penalty area and launched a shot, but it flew a bit high over the cross bar.
Three minutes later, Gilbertson took a pass from junior forward Kaleigh Olmsted and juked a pair of defenders to get a shot off on the ground, but Proctor dove to her right to snare the threat.
The Irish will return to Alumni Stadium on Friday when they face Virginia Tech in the final game of the regular season and Senior Day. Gilbertson, Katie Naughton, Cari Roccaro, Mary Schwappach, Brittany Von Rueden and Glory Williams will be recognized for their contributions to the Fighting Irish program over the last four years.
#15/8 Notre Dame 1, #22/21 Duke 0
Oct. 25, 2015
Durham, N.C. (Koskinen Stadium)
Notre Dame 1 0 — 0
Duke 0 0 — 0
ND1. Anna Maria Gilbertson (PK) 2:42.
Total Shots: ND 11 (6-5), DU 8 (0-8)
Shots on Goal: ND 3, DU 3
Saves: ND 3 (Kaela Little 3 in 90:00), DU 2 (EJ Proctor 2 in 90:00)
Corner Kicks: ND 5 (1-4), DU 0 (0-0)
Fouls: ND 8, DU 7
Offsides: ND 1, DU 1
Attendance: 640
Yellow Cards: DU (EJ Proctor) 2:42
Records: ND 12-4-1, 5-4-0 ACC; DU 9-5-4, 2-3-3 ACC
Next for ND: vs. Virginia Tech, October 30 at 7 p.m. ET at Alumni Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.)
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Season and single game tickets for Notre Dame women’s soccer are on sale now. Visit UND.com/tickets or call the Murnane Family Ticket Office at 574-631-7356.
For the latest Fighting Irish women’s soccer coverage, be sure log on to UND.com, follow @NDSoccer on Twitter and like Notre Dame Women’s Soccer on Facebook.
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Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.