TALLAHASSEE – Notre Dame women’s soccer earned its way into the toughest conference tournament in the country – the six-team ACC Tournament. The first-round test – try to take down a Florida State squad that hasn’t lost at home and is ranked sixth in the country. The sixth-seeded and 13th nationally ranked Fighting Irish (11-3-4) battled for a complete 90 minutes but came up just short in a 2-1 loss to the third-seeded Seminoles (13-2-2).
So much happened in one game. Notre Dame had a goal waved off at the end of the first half when Ellie Hodsden’s shot didn’t cross the goalline before the buzzer went off. Then the Irish, who didn’t record a shot in the first half, settled in and created the better chances in the second half.
Even when down 0-2, the Irish kept pushing and got one back in the 82nd minute from none other than Izzy Engle. The Minnesota native collected her 16th goal of the year, which puts her into a tie for eighth most by a freshman in program history.
With the loss, the Irish now play the waiting game until Monday, November 11. That’s when the Selection Show takes place and the Irish get told their NCAA Tournament fate.
HOW IT HAPPENED
If you were waiting for the game on ACC Network, you were in disbelief when coverage kicked over and the Irish were already down 0-1. Florida State’s Marianyela Jimenez scored in the second minute off a throw-in. She dribbled down the right-side goalline and beat Sonoma Kasica near post.
Notre Dame did settle in soon after, despite the fact they didn’t record a shot until the final seconds of the half. At first glance it looked like Ellie Hodsden got the equalizer at the buzzer. Yet, the sport doesn’t keep the time on the field, nor does it allow similar rules like basketball where if you can get the shot off before the buzzer it would count.
With all that said, the ref reviewed and waved off Hodsden’s would-be goal. Thus, Notre Dame trailed 0-1 at the half. The Irish had an uphill battle now for the second half. Since 2010, the Seminoles were 165-0-3 when leading at the midway point.
The Irish responded well in the second half, creating several more scoring chances. Annabelle Chukwu nearly scored twice in the opening 15 minutes. One was a header off a cross from Ellie Ospeck in which the FSU keeper was in the right place at the right time. The second was a left-footed shot from just outside the box that missed the right post by inches.
Another great opportunity arrived in the 70th minute. Ellie Hodsden beat a pair of defenders on the left side of the box and fired off a rocket that was punched away by the keeper. Six minutes later, Lily Joseph tore through the Seminole defense and had a wide-open look at the top of the box but soared it over the crossbar.
With all these Notre Dame chances, Florida State hadn’t registered a shot in over 20 minutes. Yet, you know exactly what happened next. FSU’s Sophia Nguyen let a low liner rip from just outside the box and there was nothing Kasica could have done.
Down 0-2, the Irish did not give up. They kept pushing and got a goal back in the 82nd minute. A deep ball into FSU’s box led to a collision between several players. The ball popped to Izzy Engle and she volleyed it home for her 16th of the year.
The Irish just weren’t battling the Seminoles at this point, but also time. Time was against them and time ultimately ran out for the 1-2 defeat.
— ND –