RALEIGH, North Carolina — The Notre Dame women’s soccer fell behind early and could not comeback Sunday afternoon when it dropped the road contest to NC State 3-0 at Dail Soccer Field.
The Wolfpack jumped on the Irish early, scoring twice in a two minute span to take control of the game. The Irish fought back in the second half but could not mount enough offensive chances to level the score. The Wolfpack added an insurance goal in the 77th minute to seal the game.
How It Happened
The Wolfpack brought the offensive pressure early and Brooke Littman made a crucial save in the opening minutes. Tziarra King was 1-on-1 with Littman and tried to curl a shot inside the far post. Littman dove to her left and deflected the ball away for the save and kept the score level.
In the 15th minute, NC State capitalized on an Irish turnover in the midfield and scored the first goal of the game. The Wolfpack’s initial shot went off the bar and King recovered the loose ball. She found Ricarda Walkling at the top of the box and she slotted home the shot inside the left post for the goal.
NC State kept the pressure up and it resulted in their second goal moments later. 15 made a run up the right side and got around the Irish defense. She cut inside towards the middle of the box and fired the shot back inside the right post for the goal.
Notre Dame battled in the second half and its best chance came in the 68th minute. Brooke VanDyck played a ball up in the box for Olivia Wingate who was racing past the Wolfpack defenders. She fired a shot towards the near post but the Wolfpack keeper pushed it away for the save.
NC State picked up an insurance goal in the 77th to clinch the win.
Up Next
The Irish will return back to South Bend for the regular season finale against Wake Forest. Thursday’s matchup will also be senior night for the Irish as Alexis Martel-Lamothe, Brooke Littman, Megan McLaughlin and graduate student Autumn Smithers will be honored prior to the game. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and ceremonies will begin around 6:45 p.m.
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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