Notre Dame (16-5-2, 8-1-1 BIG EAST) scored a goal in each half,
ending No. 2 regional seed Florida’s (19-5-1, 11-2 SEC) season with a 2-0 loss
in the NCAA Round of 16 Sunday at the James G. Pressly Stadium.
Notre Dame advances to next weekend’s NCAA Quarterfinal Round to
face the region’s top seed, Florida State, a 4-0 winner over Texas A&M in
Tallahassee Sunday afternoon.
Notre Dame scored in the 20th minute off its only
corner kick of the match. The ball sent in by Brittany Von Rueden found junior
Rebecca Twining at the middle of the six-yard box where she placed in a low
header for her third goal of the season.
The Irish got an insurance goal in the 70th minute off a
turnover in the Gators’ defensive third. Sophomore Lauren Bohaboy received the
ball at the top of the box and drove along the 18-yard line. Her diagonal shot
scored at the far post to put Notre Dame up 2-0.
Florida dominated possession in the early going of the match and
had its chances in the opening half. In the eighth minute, sophomore Annie
Speese’s shot hit the post. Senior Holly King got a head on a corner
kick in the 24th minute, but her shot was high. With seconds remaining in the
half, Notre Dame’s goalkeeper Elyse Hight got a hand on Erika Tymrak
28-yard free kick to push it over the crossbar for a Gator corner kick.
Not converting on the Gators’ early chances added to the team’s
pressure, Florida head coach Becky Burleigh said.
“I think early in the game we had some really great
opportunities that, if you score those, that changes things tremendously. I
think the longer a game goes on, and particularly when you’re chasing a game,
the pressure gets higher and higher and that makes what we do more and more
difficult,” Burleigh said. “The game was probably hinged a little bit on the
fact that we didn’t finish our chances early. That could have changed the whole
complexion of the game.”
Hight turned in four saves Sunday which including getting a hand
on a Tymrak shot from 20 yards in the 59th minute. Late in the match
Tessa Andujar beat her marker on the right flank and the ball she sent
to the middle of the box found Adriana Leon. The shot Leon took was also
stopped by Hight.
Notre Dame was the first team to score a pair of goals against
the Gators since the opening match of the Southeastern Conference season on
Sept. 16.
“Credit to Notre Dame for coming and putting two goals in the
back of the net. That’s something that hasn’t happened to us in quite some
time,” Burleigh said. “Best of luck to them as they advance.”
Sunday’s result ends the Florida careers for seniors McKenzie
Barney, Jo Dragotta, King, Tymrak and Kathryn Williamson. They
finish with a four-year record of 71-21-6, which currently ranks among the
nation’s top five for total wins. Florida advanced to the NCAA Championships’
field each year during their careers and they were part of SEC Championship
teams in 2009, 2010 and 2012.
“This team has been so unbelievably awesome to work with. These
players really love each other, they love the way that we play, they’ve bought
in to everything that we’ve asked and these three captains [Barney, King and
Williamson] are a big part of that. It’s been such a great experience the whole
year and the unfortunate part about it is that it’s ending. This is a group
that I just wanted to extend it as long as I possibly could because it was just
so enjoyable,” Burleigh said.
“The legacy that this group left is what will be carried
on. They’ve set such a high standard for our team and not just in the way
we play, which is so unique, but also in the standards of our team off the
field. Those are some really big shoes to fill.”
