Box Score (.html) I
Box Score (.pdf) I
Photo Gallery
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The IUPUI women's soccer team knew it would take a special effort to pull off an NCAA first round thriller over nationally renowned Notre Dame at Alumni Stadium on Saturday night (Nov. 11). And while the Jaguars certainly didn't put up a poor showing, it was evident from the outset that Notre Dame would have no part of dropping a contest to the in-state foe.
Notre Dame (10-6-4) scored a pair of goals before halftime and never took off the gas en route to an easy 5-0 victory. The Fighting Irish outshot the Jaguars 30-4 for the game as the IUPUI attack was limited to just a handful of attempts from distance.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Sophia Lipka, the Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year, was her typical brilliant self, recording 12 saves in the defeat.
"I'm incredibly proud of this group," head coach
Chris Johnson said. "They've been resilient all season long and tonight was no different. These young ladies have shown nothing but heart all season long and I'm not choosing to remember them based on the outcome of tonight's match. I'm remembering all the long hours of hard work they've put in the past four years to make this season special.
"They were a fun group to work with and they're going to be an incredibly tough group to replace. At this point though, I think it's fair to reflect on what's been an incredible season and celebrate what all they've achieved."
IUPUI (14-6-3) was unable to possess much against the bigger, faster Irish, but tried to sit in defensively in hopes that the typically stout back could hold strong. However, the hosts finally broke the dam in the 18th minute when Kate O'Connor rifled a shot off the crossbar. The rebound came free to Natalie Jacobs, who rolled a shot into the open net for the game's first goal.
In the 36th minute, Sabrina Flores sent a brilliant pass into Sandra Yu, who tallied from close range as Lipka had no chance on the play.
The beat rolled on for the hosts early in the second half as Ginny McGowan netted in the 47th minute for her second score of the year. Erin Ospeck put one away from a tough angle over Lipka in the 79th minute and the Irish capped the scoring with a Katie Uhler penalty kick in the closing minutes.
Senior
Krissy Kirkhoff, the program's all-time leading scorer with 80 points, accounted for two of the Jaguars' four shots while fellow senior
Hayley Shelton had her senior moment with a well deserved yellow card in the closing minutes. The scrappy Shelton knocked Uhler to the ground in the 86th minute, leading to the PK goal.
Jennifer Westendorf fired a team-high six shots at the Jaguars as 14 different UND players had at least one attempt.
The Jaguars dropped to 0-2 all-time against Notre Dame as IUPUI also fell by a 5-0 score to the Irish in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
IUPUI caps the season at 14-6-3 overall and a Horizon League title in the program's first season in the league. The Jaguars will graduate a strong group of six seniors that includes
Sarah Jacobs, Kirkhoff,
Hannah March,
Beth Parks,
Leia Peterman and Shelton.
