STILLWATER, Okla. — The Notre Dame women’s soccer team (6-6-0) gave No. 18 Oklahoma State (12-3-1) all it had and then some on Sunday afternoon, falling 2-1 in overtime. The Fighting Irish outshot the Cowgirls 10-9 and had several near chances to pull ahead in the second half.
Sophomore midfielder Maddie Mercado secured Notre Dame’s lone goal of the game via a free kick during the 27th minute. It marked her second goal of the season, for she has now scored in two straight games.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Notre Dame nearly got on the board first in the 11th minute when Kiki Van Zanten fired a shot off her left foot from about 25 yards. The ball soared to the left-side upper-90, missing the mark by inches as it hit the crossbar and ricocheted out.
Thus, it was Oklahoma State who got on the scoreboard first, striking in the 19th minute. Gabriella Coleman hit a low cross into the box from the left side where Eckert made the initial save. Yet, the deflected ball landed at the feet of Olyvia Dowell who put in the back of the net.
However, the Notre Dame response came in the 27th minute via a free kick just outside the box from Maddie Mercado. The sophomore sailed her shot over the wall, over the goalie’s arms, off the bottom half of the crossbar and in.
Ultimately, the Irish outshot the Cowgirls 5-2 in the first half and boasted a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Ellie Ospeck nearly put the Irish ahead to kick off the second half. The freshman forward received a cross from the right wing just outside the six-yard box. Ospeck’s first touch was a little strong as the goalie was able to run out and meet her shot in the nick of time.
Later on, around the 59-minute mark, Eckert stepped up with a huge play in goal to keep the Cowgirls at bay. The senior keeper cut off a cross from the left side then dove on the loose ball just before an open attacker could reach it.
Notre Dame recorded another near goal in the 68th minute off of a corner kick. Kati Druzina connected on a one-timer but Oklahoma State’s Plotz was in the right position at the right time.
The back-and-forth battle waged all the way into overtime, where the Irish maintained most of the possession in Oklahoma State’s defensive third. However, a turnover which led to a counter-attack down the left wing resulted in a Gabrielle Coleman goal in the 98th minute and the Cowgirl 2-1 victory.
UP NEXT
The Irish close out the regular season with a road matchup against one of the top-5 teams in the country. Notre Dame will be down in Ft. Worth to take on another Big 12 opponent in No. 4 TCU. They will face off Saturday, April 17 at 8 p.m. ET from Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.
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