No. 3 Irish Advance in PK Shootout Over No. 6 Pitt

PDF Box

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 3 seeded (No. 4 nationally ranked) Notre Dame women’s soccer team (14-2-2) had a gutsy Sunday night performance against No. 6 seeded (No. 19 nationally ranked) Pitt (12-4-3). After tying 1-1 after regulation and overtime, the Irish converted all five penalty kicks to advance past the Panthers 5-4 in the shootout. 

First, let’s start with the goal in regulation. Bri Martinez recorded her second assist on the year after a perfect cross found Kiki Van Zanten alone on the far side of the box. Van Zanten one-timed it in for her sixth goal of the season. 

Martinez later played ‘the closer’ as she iced the game as Notre Dame’s fifth kicker. The five-year vet had been in that position before, doing the same against Purdue in the second round of last year’s NCAA Tournament. 

With the shootout victory, the Irish will now head to Cary, North Carolina for the semifinal round in what will be another rematch from earlier this season – No. 2 seeded, and No. 5 nationally ranked, Florida State. That match will take place on Thursday, Nov. 3, at 8 pm ET on ACC Network. 

This will mark Notre Dame’s third ever appearance in the ACC Tournament semifinals. They are seeking their first appearance in the ACC title game and first ACC crown. 

How It Happened

Notre Dame found itself with 61 percent of the possession in the first half and outshot Pitt 11-2, with a 4-1 shots on goal differential. The Irish had several good looks in the first half, including two strong strikes from Mercado just outside the box. Albert also had a free kick opportunity from outside the right side of the box, but the angle proved too tough, as her shot was placed right at the goalie. 

The Irish finally broke through in the 57th minute. It started with Eva Gaetino finding Martinez on the right wing in Pitt’s half of the field. Martinez then delivered a perfect cross that found a sprinting Van Zanten on the far post who tucked it in the corner on a one-timed shot. 

Fast forward to the 69th minute and Laney Matriano thought she had added to the Irish lead. An Albert corner found Ellie Ospeck on the other side of the box who one-timed it to Matriano. She then let one rip from middle just outside the top of the box, as it skimmed just over the crossbar. 

However, the tide turned quick against the Irish, for a minute later the Panthers leveled it. It began with a dangerous ball deep into a crowded box which then banged around a few times before finding Pitt’s Katie Zailski who buried it. 

Now off to overtime where in the 96th minute Wingate almost added to her impressive highlight reel, volleying a shot just over the crossbar. A minute later, off an Albert corner, both Martinez and Matriano had good looks at net but couldn’t convert. 

In the second overtime, Leah Klenke almost had one of her patented floater goals from deep on the left side in the corner. Her cross/shot went over the keeper and glanced off the crossbar and out. 

In the penalty-kick shootout, all five Notre Dame shooters stepped up and delivered: Maddie Mercado, Korbin Albert, Kiki Van Zanten, Waniya Hudson and Bri Martinez. 

– ND –