Nov. 29, 2016
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The United States U-20 Women’s National Team fell to Korea DPR in extra time Tuesday during semifinal play at the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Papua New Guinea, eliminating Notre Dame women’s soccer’s final representatives in Sabrina Flores and Natalie Jacobs.
Jacobs, making her first start of the tournament, scored the lone goal for the U.S., evening the tally in the 89th minute on a volley over the head of the goalkeeper. Korea DPR answered two minutes later in extra time, however, to bounce the three-time U-20 World Cup champions.
Jacobs played all 91 minutes of the semifinal match and totaled three appearances on the tournament. Flores made one appearance, playing 78 minutes in a quarterfinal start against Mexico on Friday.
Flores and Jacobs played key roles in helping the U.S. program win their fourth consecutive CONCACAF title last fall in Honduras, earning the automatic bid to the World Cup. Following that performance, Jacobs was named to the CONCACAF Championship Best XI team.
The Irish pair took the 2016 season off from NCAA competition to prepare for the World Cup with the U.S. They were joined in Papua New Guinea by Irish teammate (and twin to Sabrina) Monica Flores, who made starts in all four matches for Mexico before falling to the U.S. in the quarterfinal round.
Friday’s head-to-head match-up led to one of the more touching moments of the tournament, as the Flores twins were captured postgame with Sabrina consoling Monica after the U.S. victory.
UNREAL moment after ?? beats ?? in U20 World Cup.
âš½️@NDSoccer Stars
?Twins
??Sabrina
??Monica#FOE(HT @AnnOdong)pic.twitter.com/vXApXtOrd6
– The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) November 26, 2016
–ND–
Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, and earned her master’s degree in sports industry management from Georgetown University in 2013.