Sept. 8, 2017
By Megan Golden
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team (3-2-2) fell 2-1 to Ohio State (5-0-1) in a double-overtime heartbreaker at Jesse Owens Stadium on Friday. The loss marks just the second of Notre Dame’s 2017 season.
In just its third visit to Columbus in program history, the Irish fought for nearly 105 minutes in what was a physical affair against Notre Dame’s midwestern foe.
How It Happened
Notre Dame opened play with an aggressive attack near the Buckeye goal, reeling off three shots within the first three minutes of the match. The high-energy Irish lost momentum not too far into the first half, however, as Ohio State took control with physical defense to move the ball up the field.
In just the 15th minute, the Buckeyes took a corner that was kicked around inside the box and ultimately scored off the foot of Ohio State’s Morgan Wolcott, giving Ohio State an early 1-0 lead.
The Irish, led by sophomores Natalie Jacobs and Jennifer Westendorf and senior Meghan Doyle, fought back in the ensuing 30 minutes. The Irish and the Buckeyes battled for possession around midfield, but Notre Dame continued to get off occasional shots.
Jacobs finally capitalized for the Irish, netting her fourth goal of the season off of a saved shot from Westendorf. Jacobs’ goal knotted the match 1-1 in the 40th minute.
The two teams battled for possession early in the second half as Notre Dame’s only opportunity in the first 20 minutes came from senior Monica Flores, who shot the ball from roughly 30 yards out.
Although sophomore goalkeeper Brooke Littman had recorded just two saves 70 minutes into the game, she and junior defender Shannon Hendricks each had many touches on the ball defensively.
A scoreless second half forced Notre Dame and Ohio State to play overtime, the fourth time this season the Irish have finished regulation in a tie.
The Irish, which entered the match with an ACC-best 112 shots, went on to total four second-half shots compared to Ohio State’s six.
Notre Dame opened the first overtime with a corner kick, which Hendricks sent toward Jacobs and senior Ginny McGowan, but the Buckeyes defense escaped without any damage.
Littman added a monster save in the first overtime as she and the Irish defense played a strong 10 minutes to keep the score even at 1-1.
The Irish continued battling a threatening Buckeyes offense in the second overtime. Ohio State took its fourth corner of the match and sent the ball well past the goal four minutes into the extra period. Ohio State rebounded, sending strong shots into the box, and the Buckeyes ultimately picked up the 2-1 double-overtime win on an own goal by the Irish in the 105th minute.
Note of the Match
The match between the Irish and the Buckeyes marks Notre Dame’s second contest of the season in which a goal from either team was scored in the first half.
Match Notes
- Notre Dame moves to 6-1 all-time against Ohio State, including going 2-1 in Columbus.
- The Irish own a 1-1 record on the road and are 1-1-1 away from home.
- Notre Dame is 0-2-2 when advancing to extra time.
- Notre Dame has had five players score goals this season: Natalie Jacobs (4 G), Jennifer Westendorf (3 G), Meghan Doyle (2 G), Sandra Yu (1 G) and Katie Uhler (1 G).
- Sophomore goalkeeper Brooke Littman totaled four saves in the match and has recorded 26 saves in seven career matches.
Coming Up Next
Notre Dame returns to action in its first match at Toledo’s Scott Park at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The contest between the Irish and the Rockets will be streamed live on ESPN3.
Notre Dame owns a 3-0 record in its all-time series against Toledo. The Irish most recently faced Toledo on Aug. 23, 2015, when they beat the Rockets 3-0.
For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Irish women’s soccer program, follow @NDSoccer on Twitter and @NDWSoccer on Instagram. For tickets to a Notre Dame women’s soccer match, click here.
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Megan Golden, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since August of 2016. In her role, she coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s soccer and cross country/track and field programs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Golden is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s College and former Irish women’s basketball manager. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, she worked in public relations with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.