Sunday, October 30
South Bend, IN
Pitt
12-4-3, 5-3-2
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University of Notre Dame
14-2-2, 7-2-1
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5
F
Pittsburgh
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Notre Dame
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No. 19 Women's Soccer Suffers Shootout Loss to No. 4 Notre Dame in 2022 ACC Championship First Round
10/30/2022 9:21:00 PM | Women's Soccer
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The No. 19-ranked Pitt women's soccer team (12-4-3) fell to No. 4-ranked Notre Dame (14-2-2) in a penalty kick shootout, 5-4, in the 2022 ACC Championship First Round after playing to a 1-1 draw following two overtime periods Sunday at Alumni Stadium.
"I'm so proud of this team," head coach Randy Waldrum said. "We have come to Notre Dame twice and beat and tied the No. 4 team in the country. Our players played their hearts out and once again were so disciplined following the game plan. If our recent experiences against teams like Duke, Florida State, Clemson and Notre Dame don't show we can play with anyone in the country, nothing will. Our fight and resiliency have been amazing all year, and tonight was no exception."
After 110 minutes were not enough to decide a winner, the No. 3-seeded Fighting Irish prevailed over the No. 6-seeded Panthers on penalty kicks. Sarah Schupansky, Ellie Coffield, Keera Melenhorst and Ashton Gordon helped Pitt convert four of its five attempts, but Notre Dame made all five, with the fifth and final attempt by Brianna Martinez sealing the deal and advancing the Fighting Irish to the tournament semifinals.
After playing a scoreless first half, the Panthers and the Fighting Irish each found the back of the net in the final 45 minutes of regulation. Kiki Van Zanten broke the stalemate in the 57th minute with a goal that gave Notre Dame a 1-0 edge. Freshman Katie Zailski came up clutch for Pitt in the 70th minute, however, converting on a scramble in front of the net. Zailski's goal marked the third of her rookie collegiate campaign. Leah Pais assisted on the goal for her fifth helper of the season, which tied her for the team lead with 19 points on the season.
Both teams had several strong opportunities to secure a win over the ensuing 40 minutes of play, including a header by Pais in the 87th minute that just missed to the left and a shot by Anna Bout with 41 seconds left in the second overtime period that missed high.
Notre Dame outshot Pitt, 26-11, and held the advantage in shots on goal (10-4) and corners (6-5). Maddie Mercado posted a game-high seven shots, including two on goal, and was one of seven Notre Dame players to record multiple shots. Coffield, Schupansky and Samiah Phiri each logged two shots for Pitt.
Caitlyn Lazzarini piled up a game-high nine saves for the Panthers, just one off her career high. Mackenzie Wood made three saves for the Fighting Irish.
Pitt now looks ahead to the 2022 NCAA Championship Selection Show, which will take place on Monday, November 7 as the field of 64 is unveiled and the road to the College Cup begins. The Panthers hope to make history by earning one of 33 at-large bids and qualifying for the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. NCAA Championship First Round games are scheduled to be held the weekend of November 11-13 as 32 single-elimination first-round games will be conducted at non-predetermined campus sites. The winning team from each game will advance to the second round.
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"I'm so proud of this team," head coach Randy Waldrum said. "We have come to Notre Dame twice and beat and tied the No. 4 team in the country. Our players played their hearts out and once again were so disciplined following the game plan. If our recent experiences against teams like Duke, Florida State, Clemson and Notre Dame don't show we can play with anyone in the country, nothing will. Our fight and resiliency have been amazing all year, and tonight was no exception."
After 110 minutes were not enough to decide a winner, the No. 3-seeded Fighting Irish prevailed over the No. 6-seeded Panthers on penalty kicks. Sarah Schupansky, Ellie Coffield, Keera Melenhorst and Ashton Gordon helped Pitt convert four of its five attempts, but Notre Dame made all five, with the fifth and final attempt by Brianna Martinez sealing the deal and advancing the Fighting Irish to the tournament semifinals.
After playing a scoreless first half, the Panthers and the Fighting Irish each found the back of the net in the final 45 minutes of regulation. Kiki Van Zanten broke the stalemate in the 57th minute with a goal that gave Notre Dame a 1-0 edge. Freshman Katie Zailski came up clutch for Pitt in the 70th minute, however, converting on a scramble in front of the net. Zailski's goal marked the third of her rookie collegiate campaign. Leah Pais assisted on the goal for her fifth helper of the season, which tied her for the team lead with 19 points on the season.
Both teams had several strong opportunities to secure a win over the ensuing 40 minutes of play, including a header by Pais in the 87th minute that just missed to the left and a shot by Anna Bout with 41 seconds left in the second overtime period that missed high.
Notre Dame outshot Pitt, 26-11, and held the advantage in shots on goal (10-4) and corners (6-5). Maddie Mercado posted a game-high seven shots, including two on goal, and was one of seven Notre Dame players to record multiple shots. Coffield, Schupansky and Samiah Phiri each logged two shots for Pitt.
Caitlyn Lazzarini piled up a game-high nine saves for the Panthers, just one off her career high. Mackenzie Wood made three saves for the Fighting Irish.
Pitt now looks ahead to the 2022 NCAA Championship Selection Show, which will take place on Monday, November 7 as the field of 64 is unveiled and the road to the College Cup begins. The Panthers hope to make history by earning one of 33 at-large bids and qualifying for the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. NCAA Championship First Round games are scheduled to be held the weekend of November 11-13 as 32 single-elimination first-round games will be conducted at non-predetermined campus sites. The winning team from each game will advance to the second round.
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Team Stats
PITT
ND
Goals
1
1
Shots
11
26
Shots on Goal
4
10
Saves
9
3
Corners
5
6
Fouls
10
12
Scoring Plays
Kiki Van Zanten (6)
Assisted By: Brianna Martinez
GOAL by ND Van Zanten, Kiki Assist by Martinez, Brianna.
56:09
Katie Zailski (3)
Assisted By: Leah Pais
GOAL by PITT Zailski, Katie Assist by Pais, Leah.
69:34
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
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