Oct. 27, 2013
CLEMSON, S.C. — Freshman forward Kaleigh Olmsted (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands) and sophomore forward Crystal Thomas (Elgin, Ill./Wheaton Academy) scored goals early in each half to help No. 20/12 Notre Dame secure a berth in the upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship with a 2-0 win over Clemson Sunday afternoon at Historic Riggs Field in Clemson, S.C.
Olmsted headed in a right-side cross from senior midfielder/tri-captain Mandy Laddish (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Lee’s Summit) at the 7:12 mark of the first half, staking the Fighting Irish to a lead they would never relinquish. Thomas then added the critical insurance goal at 58:01, scoring from close range off an assist from junior forward Lauren Bohaboy (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita).
Freshman goalkeeper Kaela Little (Tulsa, Okla./Bishop Kelley) made four saves to register her fifth solo shutout of the season (and the seventh for Notre Dame), and the first clean sheet for her side since Sept. 29, when the Fighting Irish blanked Pittsburgh, 3-0 at Alumni Stadium.
Notre Dame (11-5-1, 7-4-1 ACC) wound up with a narrow 13-12 edge in total shots, as well as a 7-4 advantage in shots on goal and 5-3 margin on corner kicks. Clemson was whistled for 11 of the 18 fouls during the match, while the Fighting Irish received the lone yellow card of the afternoon.
“This was a good solid effort for us on the road and another opportunity to successfully bank wins as we get closer to the postseason,” Notre Dame head coach Randy Waldrum said. “Kaleigh has been playing really well for us lately and her goal was important because it got us off on the right foot. They put us under a little bit of pressure there in the second half, but I thought we were pretty composed and focused all game long. I was also pleased with the way our midfield and forward lines played, and was happy to see both Kaleigh and Crystal getting back in the scoring column.”
Notre Dame closes out the regular season at 8 p.m. (ET) Thursday when it travels to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on No. 3 Florida State at the Seminole Soccer Complex. The match will be televised live on the ACC-Regional Sports Networks (check local listings for availability) and ESPN3.
For more information on the Fighting Irish women’s soccer program, follow Notre Dame on Twitter (@NDsoccernews or @NDsoccer), like the Fighting Irish on Facebook (facebook.com/NDWomenSoccer) or sign up for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the main page at UND.com.
#20/12 Notre Dame 2, Clemson 0
Oct. 27, 2013
Clemson, S.C. (Historic Riggs Field)
Notre Dame 1 1 — 2
Clemson 0 0 — 0
ND 1. Kaleigh Olmsted 2 (Mandy Laddish) 7:12. ND 2. Crystal Thomas 3 (Lauren Bohaboy) 58:01.
Total Shots: ND 13 (7-6), CU 12 (4-8)
Shots on Goal: ND 7 (3-4), CU 4 (2-2)
Saves: ND 4 (Kaela Little 4 in 90:00), CU 5 (Kailen Sheridan 4 in 87:11, Morgan Hert 1 in 2:49)
Corner Kicks: ND 5 (1-4), CU 3 (0-3)
Fouls: ND 7 (4-3), CU 11 (5-6)
Offsides: ND 8, CU 1
Yellow Card: Katie Naughton (ND) 63:18
Attendance: 797
Records: ND 11-5-1 (7-4-1 ACC), CU 7-7-4 (4-6-2 ACC)
Next for ND: at No. 3 Florida State, 8 p.m. (ET) Thursday at Seminole Soccer Complex in Tallahassee, Fla. (live on ACC-Regional Sports Networks and ESPN3).
— Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director