Oct. 2, 2015
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The No. 14/4 University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team will look to move back to .500 in the Atlantic Coast Conference on Friday as the Fighting Irish (8-2-1, 1-2-0 ACC) face Miami (3-7-0, 0-3-0 ACC) for their lone match of the weekend.
WHAT: Match 12
WHO: No. 14/4 Notre Dame (8-2-1, 1-2-0 ACC) vs. Miami (3-7-0, 0-3-0 ACC)
WHERE: Cobb Stadium – Coral Gables, Florida
WHEN: 8:00 p.m. (ET) – October 2, 2015
LIVE STREAM: ESPN3
STATS: hurricanesports.com
TWITTER: @NDSoccer
GAME NOTES
Here are the five things you should know as the Irish get set to clash with the Hurricanes:
Scouting Miami
The Irish will be the second top-15 opponent in as many matches for the Hurricanes (3-7-0, 0-3-0), who took No. 7 Clemson to double overtime last Sunday before eventually falling 2-1 to the Tigers.
The Canes are led by a pair of four-goal scorers on the season, senior forward Amy Schmidt and junior forward and Evansville, Indiana native Gracie Lachowecki, whose brother, Max Lachowecki, plays on the Irish men’s soccer team. Schmidt also leads Miami with a team-high 12 points, while Lachowecki has provided clutch go-ahead goals for the Hurricanes against then-No. 14 Florida and No. 7 Clemson.
Phallon Tullis-Joyce has played the majority of minutes in net for Miami, having accumulated a 1.59 GAA with 24 saves and 13 goals against. Opponents have outscored Miami 19-15, while the Hurricanes have an edge in shots, 133- 122.
The Last Time They Met
The Irish brought the offensive firepower against the Hurricanes last season, scoring four second-half goals en route to a 5-0 shutout victory at Alumni Stadium.
Then a freshman, Karin Muya started the game off in stellar fashion for the Irish, scoring at the match’s 45-second mark to give the Irish the early lead. It would stay 1-0 until the game’s 60th minute, when the Irish began the scoring in earnest. Morgan Andrews put the Irish up 2-0 on a penalty kick, while senior Karin Simonian added a goal less than two minutes later on an assist from Muya, who will miss this season due to injury. Senior Lauren Bohaboy made it 4-0 in the 82nd minute on the assist from current sophomore Monica Flores, while current senior Anna Maria Gilbertson rounded out the scoring in the 89th minute with her third goal of the season.
The Irish outshot the Hurricanes 31-4 for their highest shot total of the season, with an 18-2 edge in shots on goal. Goalkeeper Kaela Little notched a pair of saves in the shutout effort.
Last Time Out: UVA & FSU
It was a rollercoaster of a weekend for the Irish as they travelled to Charlottesville, Va., to take on No. 1-ranked Virginia before returning home to face defending national champion and third-ranked Florida State.
The Irish came out with incredible energy – and green jerseys – against the Cavaliers, attacking the open spaces in the Virginia defense to take an early 1-0 lead. Anna Maria Gilbertson put the Irish on the board first with a goal in the 13th minute off a beautifully threaded pass from midfielder Sabrina Flores. The Irish would hold the lead until the 85th minute, when Virginia’s Morgan Reuther notched the equalizer. Notre Dame dominated the overtime periods, though, outshooting Virginia 4-0 in extra time, which included the gamewinner off the foot of Gilbertson in the 104th minute off another great pass from freshman Natalie Jacobs. The win gave the Irish their first over No. 1 since unseating North Carolina 1-0 on September 15, 2013.
The Irish could not find the same rhythm on Sunday against the Seminoles, who walked away with a 1-0 victory. Florida State outshot the Irish 11-7, including 6-1 in shots on goal, breaking through with the game’s only goal in the 35th minute from Elin Jensen.
Stacking Up
At No. 14, the Irish are one of seven Atlantic Coast Conference teams to appear in the NSCAA Division I Women’s Soccer poll, along with No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Florida State, No. 3 Virginia, No. 7 Clemson, No. 9 Virginia Tech and No. 22 Duke. They rank near the top of the ACC in most defensive categories, including third place in goals against average (0.52) and third-place ties in goals allowed (6) and shutouts (6).
Individually, Anna Maria Gilbertson leads the league in shots (56) and shots per game (5.09), while ranking third in goals (7) and tying for fourth in points (16). Natalie Jacobs ranks sixth in shots (39) and seventh in shots per game (3.55). Kaela Little is seventh in the league in goals against average (0.53).
Coming Up
After returning from this weekend’s trip to Miami, the Irish will gear up for three straight games at home at Alumni Stadium, with the first two taking place next weekend. They’ll kick things off against Syracuse on Thursday, October 8, then welcome Boston College the following Sunday, October 11. The Irish will wrap up the homestand on October 16 against Wake Forest.
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Season and single game tickets for Notre Dame women’s soccer are on sale now. Visit UND.com/tickets or call the Murnane Family Ticket Office at 574-631-7356.
For the latest Fighting Irish women’s soccer coverage, be sure log on to UND.com, follow@NDSoccer on Twitter and like Notre Dame Women’s Soccer on Facebook.
— Joanne Norell, Athletics Communications Assistant
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