Buckeyes Win Third in a Row with 1-0 Victory at Notre Dame
Ohio State closes non-conference play against Florida Gulf Coast at 5 p.m. Friday
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SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Blair Cowan’s game-winner in the 80th minute lifted the Ohio State women’s soccer team over Notre Dame, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at Alumni Stadium. With the win, the Buckeyes are 3-2-0 on the year while the Irish drop to 4-2-0.
QUOTE FROM THE COACH
“Being successful at this level requires the entire team,” Lori Walker-Hock, Ohio State head coach, said. “Players have stepped up in moments when we’ve needed a lift and what our freshman have done in the last two games is a perfect example of that. Behind the scenes with that is the strong leadership from our upperclassmen to take the pressure off them to be successful and it’s showing on the field.”
THOUGHTS FROM THE GOAL-SCORER
“This means a lot to me,” Cowan said. “I’m happy that I was able to come out and positively impact this team because they’ve done so much for me and my improvement. This should give us positive energy going into the last game of non-conference play and then into the Big Ten.”
MATCH SUMMARY
– The match was scoreless at the half but each team notched some quality opportunities in the first 45. Ohio State’s best chance came in the 11th minute when Sarah Roberts hit a left-footed strike from the top of the box toward the right post but Notre Dame goalkeeper Mattie Interian was there to make the lunging stop. The Irish recorded their best chance in the 31st minute when a corner was played toward the far post where Notre Dame’s Sammi Fisher was there for the volley but the Buckeyes’ Devon Kerr ranged far to her right to make the diving stop.
– Ohio State kept up the pressure in the second half. In the 53rd minute, a perfectly-executed give-and-go by Eleanor Gabriel and Roberts resulted in a Gabriel shot from six yards on the right wing but Interian was there once again to deflect the shot wide. In the 65th minute, Talani Barnett laid a pass off to Kayla Fischer, who tried to place her shot inside the right post from 12 yards but it narrowly missed wide.
– The Buckeyes then got on the board in the 80th minute when Eleanor Gabriel found Izzy Rodriguez out wide and the sophomore delivered a perfect cross from the left wing to the foot of Cowan for the finish from eight yards.
– Less than a minute later, the Irish earned a free kick just outside the box but Jennifer Westendorf’s blast narrowly sailed over the crossbar and the Buckeyes came away with the win.
MATCH NOTES
– Cowan’s goal was the first of her career and marked the third-consecutive game-winner scored by a Buckeye freshman
– Kerr notched her third clean sheet of the year after notching nine a year ago. The senior now sits in sole possession of fourth on the Ohio State career shutout list with 14.
– The Buckeyes improved to 28-1-1 when scoring first since 2016 and 3-0-0 this season.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Shots: Ohio State 12, Notre Dame 9
Saves: Notre Dame 5, Ohio State 5
Shots on Goal: Ohio State 6, Notre Dame 5
Corner Kicks: Ohio State 5, Notre Dame 1
UP NEXT
The Buckeyes host Florida Gulf Coast at 5 p.m. Friday at Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Match: Ohio State at Notre Dame
Date: Sept. 1, 2018
Venue: Alumni Stadium – South Bend, Ind.
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
Attendance: 778
Weather: Partly sunny, breezy and 83 degrees
Scoring Summary 1 2 F
UND 0 0 0
OSU 0 1 1
