NOTRE DAME, Ind. — It was the sixth win and sixth shutout of the season for the Notre Dame women’s soccer team (6-5), defeating the Missouri Tigers (5-5-2) 2-0 in its lone home game of the spring season. Therefore, it marked Senior Day at Alumni Stadium and one Irish senior in particular made the most of it.
Senior forward Eva Hurm scored her first goal of the season and secured an assist as well (her third overall) to power the Irish offense. Sophomore midfielder Maddie Mercado supplied the second goal.
All-in-all, the Irish offense rolled, outshooting the Tigers 16-9, including an 8-3 shots on goal advantage.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Missouri’s best first-half scoring chance occurred in the 12th minute. The Tigers hit a through ball past the Irish defense where a Mizzou forward was left alone with Notre Dame’s Jaina Eckert. The Irish goalie sped out and made the sliding tackle just in time to keep the Tigers off the board.
Fast forward to the 20th minute and a beautiful ball into the box almost led to a goal by Jenna Winebrenner. Her right-footed one-time shot just caught a Mizzou defender in the shoulder around the six-yard box.
Next, Eva Hurm started her stellar Senior Day with a goal in the 29th minute, pushing the Irish out front. It marked her first goal of the season.
Luisa Delgado almost made it 2-0 in the 40th minute. The junior received the ball at the top of the 18-yard box with her back to the goal. Delgado then spun, pushed the ball to her left foot then fired it off the crossbar.
Notre Dame maintained its 1-0 lead into the half. The Irish also boasted a 6-5 shot advantage at the time.
Notre Dame’s first corner in the 51st minute led to a Missouri counter attack, but the Irish defense recovered quickly to keep the Tigers at bay and off the scoreboard.
Hurm continued to give Missouri problems in the 53rd minute. The senior brought the ball into the box from the left wing and found Maddie Mercado at the top of the six, where she tucked it past the keeper for the 2-0 lead. It marked Mercado’s first goal of the season and Hurm’s third assist.
Later, Delgado recorded back-to-back near goals in the 73rd minute, as the latter came off an Irish corner. In fact, it took a diving save from the Mizzou goalkeeper to keep it from the back of the net.
Lastly, the defensive effort revved up in the final minutes, starting with a great shot block by Winebrenner in the 79th minute. The senior sprinted to the far post and slid in at the final second to stop an open Missouri attacker. Another great defensive stand happened in the 84th minute, when Eckert made a save off a Tigers corner, then the Irish defense swarmed the loose ball.
UP NEXT
The Irish will hit the road for their next matchup next weekend in Lawrence, Kansas. The Irish will face off with the Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday, March 28. The match is set for a 12:30 p.m. ET start from Rock Chalk Park.
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