NIU women’s soccer (3-1-1) was shut out by the No. 9 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1) in a 4-0 loss.
In a game with very close stats, the Huskies fell short in converting. NIU ended the match with 14 shots, seven on goal, only one short of the 15 shots, eight on goal, that Notre Dame created.
NIU women’s soccer head coach Michael O’Neill reflected on the team’s play, and his pride in the effort displayed.
“I’m happy with their effort and identity,” O’Neill said. “4-0 doesn’t do it justice, I felt like we gave them as good as we’ve got. Honestly, there’s probably like 90% positive from this game, where I felt like we came out and executed the game plan. We didn’t quite capitalize in those moments, but we learned the hard way from some of those individual mistakes where good players and good teams will punish you. I couldn’t be prouder of the group, and I feel like it bodes well for us moving forward.”
The Huskies started the game strong, forcing Notre Dame freshman goalkeeper Sonoma Kasisca to make two saves. In the sixth minute, sophomore forward Tyra King shot to the bottom center of the net into the hands of Kasica. Junior forward Kelsi McLaughlin aimed for the bottom right corner in the eighth minute, allowing Kasisca to make her second save.
NIU graduate student goalkeeper Ary Purifoy committed a foul in the 10th minute, leading to a penalty kick for the Irish. Freshman midfielder Grace Restovich sent the ball to the left while Purifoy went right, converting the penalty and scoring for Notre Dame.
Two minutes later, freshman midfielder/forward Izzy Engle slipped the ball past Purifoy and doubled Notre Dame’s lead.
The score remained locked at 2-0 until the 66th minute when Engle scored her second of the night to increase the Irish lead over the Huskies.
Graduate student midfielder Abby Zipse put pressure on the Notre Dame defense when she created 3 shots, two in the 68th minute and one in the 72nd minute. Kasisca recorded three saves on each of Zipse’s shots, all of which were on goal.
Notre Dame rounded out the win with a goal in the 78th minute from freshman midfielder/forward Lily Joseph.
NIU created 10 shots in the second half, over double the shots from the first half.
“We try not to let the score line dictate who we are,” O’Neill said. “I felt, even 2-0 down, we wanted to get back in the game. We wanted to continue to press and play when we had it and keep momentum high. They came out here with good energy and good effort. They weren’t suffering with the scoreline or starting to get in their heads in any way. It was very much a positive group effort in the second half.”
Purifoy ended the match with 4 saves, while Kasica saved 7 of NIU’s attempts to score.
O’Neill looks forward to the Huskies’ next match against Eastern Illinois University.
“Sunday’s game is going to be a really tough challenge for us,” O’Neill said. “Coming from one of the biggest, best schools in the country to going to Eastern Illinois, where we’re going to be seen as the favorite. We’ve got to keep that mindset consistent in how we play. Eastern Illinois isn’t Notre Dame in terms of quality, but they’re going to pose different problems for us and we’ve got to prepare for them.”
UP NEXT
The Huskies continue on the road at 1 p.m. Sunday when they head to Charleston, Illinois to face the Eastern Illinois University Panthers at Lakeside Field. The match will be available on ESPN+ and SideArm Stats will be updating live stats.
