NOTRE DAME, Indiana — After a scoreless 45 minutes, the Notre Dame women’s soccer team exploded for three goals in 13 minutes to take down Miami 3-0 Thursday night at Alumni Stadium.
“It feels amazing, it was the first hat trick of my career and I am really excited,” said junior midfielder Sammi Fisher. “We knew we had to stay persistent in the second half and keep going at them. We really took it to another level and we started to win the ball in our attacking third that led to all the chances in the second half.”
Fisher was responsible for all three Irish goals as she recorded her first career hat trick. It was the first Notre Dame hat trick since Sept. 26, 2013 when Cari Roccaro scored three in the win over No. 21 Maryland.
“I told the team to stay persistent in the second half and the chances will come,” said head coach Nate Norman. “I felt Miami was doing so much defending that as the game wore on, the spaces would start to open up on the outside. Luckily we got the goal early in the second half that really started the momentum the rest of the half.”
The Irish (9-4, 3-2 ACC) defense was superb once again at Alumni Stadium, tallying their third-straight home shutout and eighth overall shutout of the season. The Irish are 6-1 at home this season and recorded shutouts in all six home wins.
How it Happened
Notre Dame got the first opportunity of the game early on as Olivia Wingate received a pass into the left side of the box. She fired a shot on net but the Hurricanes keeper got to it and deflected it away for the save.
The Irish had a few other opportunities later in the half. Luisa Delgado made a nice cut into the right side of the box and got her right foot on the ball towards the near post. Tyler Speaks had good positioning in net and was able to save the shot from Delgado.
Notre Dame held a 65-35 possession advantage in the first half and turned away the Hurricanes lone chance in the 20th minute. Michelle Giaportone took a run into the attacking third and launched a shot on net. Brooke Littman went diving to her left and corralled the ball to make the save and keep the game scoreless.
In the second half, the Irish jumped on the Hurricanes early and often.
Eva Hurm made a great run down the right side and made her way into the box in the 46th minute. She put on the breaks and played a back pass to Fisher who was just outside the six-yard box. Fisher one-timed the shot into the back of the net for the goal.
Moments later it was Fisher again converting off a run from Wingate up the right side. Fisher received the ball on the right side of the box, put a shot on goal and it squeezed in between the keeper and the near post for the goal and her second of the night.
In the 58th minute, it was Fisher once again in the right spot at the right time. After Miami intercepted a cross into the box, Fisher was able to get to the loose ball. She acted quickly and sent a low shot inside the far post for her first career hat trick.
After the Irish extended the lead, a number of subs came on for Notre Dame to gain valuable game experience and give some rest to the starters on a two-game week. The Irish defense kept the Hurricanes at bay in the second half, not allowing a shot in the final 45 minutes.
Stats of the Match
- Sammi Fisher’s hat trick was the first of her career and the first Irish hat trick since Cari Roccaro on Sept. 26, 2013 against No. 21 Maryland.
- Fisher tied the Notre Dame record for most goals in the second half with three. She ties four former players, the most recent coming from Melissa Henderson on Oct. 21, 2011 against DePaul.
- The Irish tallied their third straight shutout at home and have not given up a goal since the first half against Iowa on Sept. 15. That is a total of 345:23 of game time since they have conceded a goal at Alumni Stadium.
- The Irish are 6-1 at home this season with a shutout in all six wins. Notre Dame is outscoring opponents 21-3 in those games.
Coming Up Next
The Irish will close out the three-game homestand with a visit from the 16th-ranked Louisville Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. The Irish and Cardinals will kick off at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon from Alumni Stadium and the game will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.
For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Irish women’s soccer program, follow @NDSoccer on Twitter and @NDWSoccer on Instagram. For tickets to a Notre Dame women’s soccer match, click here.
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