Aug. 24, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Senior forward Lauren Bohaboy (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita) scored two goals and sophomore midfielder Morgan Andrews (Milford, N.H./Milford) dished out two assists as the No. 16/11 University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team opened its 2014 home schedule on a winning note with a 3-0 victory over Oakland on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.
The Fighting Irish (2-0-0) held a dominant 27-2 shot advantage on the Golden Grizzlies during the match, including a 12-0 margin in shots on goal. Notre Dame also earned six corner kicks (five in the second half alone) during the contest to just one corner attempt for Oakland.
Head coach Theresa Romagnolo won her official Notre Dame debut at Alumni Stadium after previously shutting out Illinois State 4-0 on Aug. 11 to begin the preseason exhibition slate. Posting the clean sheet in the first regular season home match of the year was a result the Fighting Irish, and their new skipper, are always striving for.
“It was awesome,” Romagnolo said of her first official game coaching at Alumni Stadium. “We had a good crowd and the girls were excited. It was definitely a hot day, and coming off the Illinois game I think we showed that we are a little bit tired and are still getting our fitness for the season. Overall, I was very pleased with the effort we put on the field.”
Notre Dame controlled the run of play nearly from the outset of the match, and following a shot attempt by Oakland’s Alice Palmer that sailed high in the 16th minute, limited the Golden Grizzlies (0-2-0) to just one additional shot attempt over the final 74 minutes. Sophomore goalkeeper Kaela Little (Tulsa, Okla./Bishop Kelley) did not have to make a save in collecting her first shutout of the season. It was the seventh solo clean sheet for Little (2-0-0) in her young Fighting Irish career.
Oakland goalkeepers Alison Holland (0-1-0), two saves) and Stephanie Bukovec (six saves) split time in the Grizzlies’ net, and the visitors were also credited with one team save.
Freshman forward Kaitlin Klawunder (Coto de Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita) got the Fighting Irish on the board in the 27th minute, slotting home an empty-net shot from close range after Andrews’ initial drive hit the crossbar at 26:44.
Along with her twin sister Taylor Klawunder (Coto de Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita), the Klawunders are the first sister tandem in Notre Dame program history to not only both score at least one career goal, but the freshmen duo notched the opening goal in each of the season’s first two matches to kick start Fighting Irish victories.
With a total of 11 freshmen on the 2014 Notre Dame roster, competing for minutes with the 22 returning Fighting Irish veterans was to be a tall task from the outset of team training this fall. A total of six members of the class of 2018 have seen action in the first two games this season, a plan the Notre Dame coaching staff established for the team’s success almost immediately.
“From the very beginning they (the freshmen) have been involved,” Romagnolo said. “Even in some of our scrimmages we had a few freshmen step up. Today, Kaitlin Klawunder came up big for us off the bench. There’s a lot of talent within that class, but we also have a strong returning group. With a team of 33 it’s going to be an ongoing battle to get on the field this year.”
Bohaboy then scored twice in a span of less than 12 minutes midway through the second half to secure the Notre Dame win. She opened her 2014 goal ledger in the 63rd minute, parking in front of the goal to drive home a rebound from six yards out off an Andrews strike that extended the Fighting Irish lead to 2-0 at 62:39.
“She’s huge for us,” Romagnolo said of Bohaboy. “She brings great senior leadership, great skill on the ball, and what she brings that I think is most valued for us is her mentality. She gets after it defensively on the front line, she’s always in the right spot at the right time, and she likes to go 1-V-1. (Most of all) she wants to win.”
Bohaboy capped the day’s scoring in the 75th minute, making a great turn inside following a nice chip over the top from junior defender Brittany Von Rueden (Mequon, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) to finish the third and final Notre Dame goal of the match.
“It feels good to get the win,” Bohaboy said after the match. “To start with (two) goals, it’s always a good way to build confidence.
“It’s great to be out here, and it’s always exciting to win our first home game,” she added. “And, we had a really good crowd. It was (also) nice to get the home win in Theresa’s first game here, so it’s exciting.”
The Fighting Irish return to action at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on Friday at Alumni Stadium, playing host to No. 17 Texas Tech in the nightcap on the opening day of the Notre Dame Invitational. USC will take on Iowa State in the tournament opener at 5 p.m. (ET), also at Alumni Stadium.
To purchase a season pass or single-match tickets for the 2014 Notre Dame women’s soccer season, call the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office at (574) 631-7356, visit the official Notre Dame athletics ticketing web site, UND.com/tickets or stop by the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office windows during normal business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday). Tickets also can be purchased at Alumni Stadium on match days.
For more information on the Fighting Irish women’s soccer program, follow Notre Dame on Twitter (@NDsoccernews or @NDSoccer), like the Fighting Irish on Facebook (facebook.com/NDWomenSoccer) or sign up for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the main page at UND.com.
–ND–
Notre Dame 3, Oakland 0
Aug. 24, 2014
Notre Dame, Ind. (Alumni Stadium)
Notre Dame 1 2 – 3
Oakland 0 0 — 0
ND 1. Kaitlin Klawunder 1 (Morgan Andrews) 26:44. ND 2. Lauren Bohaboy 1 (Andrews) 62:39. ND 3. Bohaboy 2 (Brittany Von Rueden) 74:21.
Total Shots: OU 2 (1-1), ND 27 (9-18)
Shots on Goal: OU 0 (0-0), ND 12 (3-9)
Saves: OU 8 (Alison Holland 2 in 45:00; Stephanie Bukovec 6 in 45:00; TEAM 1), ND 0 (Kaela Little 0 in 90:00)
Corner Kicks: OU 1 (0-1), ND 6 (1-5)
Fouls: OU 10 (2-8), ND 14 (8-6)
Yellow Cards: Annie Quiroga (OU, 59:28); Anna Maria Gilbertson (ND, 61:07); Taylor Schneider (ND, 71:53)
Offsides: OU 0, ND 7
Records: OU 0-1-0, ND 2-0-0
Next for ND: Vs. No. 17/22 Texas Tech, 7:30 p.m. (ET) Friday at Alumni Stadium
— Tony Jones, Media Relations Assistant