NOTRE DAME, Indiana — The University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team had an offensive explosion in the second half en route to a 4-0 win over Northwestern Sunday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.
After a scoreless first half, the Irish (2-0) put up four goals in a 15 minute span to put the game out of reach. It all got started with a goal straight off the corner kick from Eva Hurm. Luisa Delgado added the next goal, the first of her career after missing the entire 2018 season due to injury. Both Hurm and Delgado added the final two goals to earn a brace each.
“We were a lot more aggressive in the second half and our pressure led to a lot of opportunities,” said Delgado. “It felt great to get back out there this year and it is a great feeling to get two goals, especially in this environment we had today.”
The Irish defense had another strong outing to earn their second consecutive shutout to begin the season. Mattie Interian got the start in net and made four saves for her third career shutout.
“The energy level we brought in the first 20 minutes of the second half was the difference,” said head coach Nate Norman. “We were very calm in our finishes in the offensive third which was another big help. Very happy with the defensive performance the entire game and Mattie Interian made the save of the game in the first half to keep the score even.”
How it Happened
Not much action occurred in the opening half as neither team had many offensive chances. The best chance from either team came from the Wildcats in the 26th minute.
Kayleigh Stahlschmidt sent a cross into the box from the right flank and found Regan Steigleder right in front of the net. She fired a shot on net but Interian was up to the task and she deflected the shot. The ball stayed close to the goal-line but Jenna Winebrenner was able to clear it away.
The second half began with a flurry of goals from the Irish, the first coming in the 48th minute. Hurm lined up for corner and struck it right towards the goal-line. The ball continued to curl left and the Northwestern keeper was unable to get a hand on it as it crossed the line for the goal.
Moments later, Brianna Martinez won a battle with two Northwestern defenders and sent the ball up into the box. She laid a back pass to Delgado who had stopped in the middle of the box. Delgado wasted no time and fired the pass low and into the back of the net for her first career goal and increased the Irish lead.
Hurm was at it again in the 58th minute after Brooke VanDyck had some fancy footwork around a few Northwestern defenders. VanDyck sent a through ball in for Hurm who drew the keeper out and slotted the ball low and inside the far post for her second career brace.
The final goal of the afternoon came from Delgado but it was all set up by Hurm. Hurm got to a loose ball at midfield and immediately sent it forward to Delgado who was on a run past two Northwestern defenders. The Wildcat keeper came out to tackle the ball away but Delgado deflected it back towards the wide open net for her first career brace.
Stats of the Match
- Notre Dame scored four goals in the second half, the most in a half since Sept. 10, 2017 when they scored four in the second half against Toledo.
- The Irish tallied their second consecutive shutout victory to start the 2019 season. It is the first time since Oct. 27-30, 2016 (2-0 Miami, 1-0 NC State) that the Irish have had two straight shutout wins.
Coming Up Next
The Irish will hit the road for the first time this season when they take on Western Michigan in Kalamazoo on Thursday night. The Irish and Broncos will kick off at 5 p.m. ET.
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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