ND Women's Soccer: Augustin helps Irish advance

The Notre Dame offense couldn’t get much going Friday night against a tough Oregon State defense, but junior Rose Augustin’s blast in the 62nd minute was all they would need.

Sophomore Melissa Henderson slid a pass into the penalty box that found a wide-open Augustin who calmly one-touched a shot past the Beavers keeper, giving the No. 5/6 Irish (20-3-1) a 1-0 victory over the Beavers (14-8-1) at Alumni Stadium.

“In games like these, you either play afraid of losing or someone has to step up to the plate and take all the chances,” Irish coach Randy Waldrum said of the goal. “I thought Henderson did that at the right time for us tonight.”

The Beavers dominated play in the first half, keeping up constant pressure on the Irish end, but failing to breakthrough with a go-ahead goal.

“I think in the first half they were clearly the better team,” Waldrum said. “They dominated play because we really struggled to match up in the middle.”

The Irish came out in the second half determined to bounce back.

“We knew we had to pick up our strength and determination,” Augustin said. “If we didn’t come out better in the second half, we weren’t going to win.”

After a few personnel changes, Notre Dame flipped the momentum by forcing the issue on offense. Henderson had a field day down the right side, creating a number of chances, including a set up of the game-winner.

“Henderson was a handful for them on both sides,” Waldrum said. “Her pace was just too much for them to handle. She was the player of the match for us tonight.”

Irish goalkeeper Nikki Weiss was solid again in net, turning away four shots including one from close range with just minutes remaining to conserve her first career solo shutout in the NCAA tournament.

“I thought we did a better job controlling the game after the goal,” Waldrum said. “They threw everything at us trying to get a goal and we dodged some bullets at the end.”

The final opportunity of the game for Oregon State came off a free-kick from near midfield that ricocheted around the penalty area before finding its way to an open Beaver player.
With the defense closing in, the shot was hurried and didn’t have enough power to sneak by Weiss, who tracked it the whole way.

With the win, the Irish advance to face top-seeded Florida State in the regional final Nov. 27 in Tallahassee, Fla. The Seminoles knocked off a feisty Texas A&M squad 2-1 in double overtime Friday night.

Next weekend’s matchup with the Seminoles will mark the fourth consecutive year the two teams have met in the NCAA tournament. The Irish are 2-1 in those matches, including last year’s 2-0 victory in the quarterfinals.

3 comments

P.R.

Mon Nov 23 2009 13:52

Zahm Hall had its name officially changed to Zahm House last year. It took a few years to pass in the student senate because they didn't like the similarity with Animal House, but justice ultimately prevailed. We all go crazy for football, but all the halls should be united in support of women's soccer. They are one of the best programs in the country

M S

Mon Nov 23 2009 11:30

I contacted regional ND alumni clubs about the event. I realize the game is Friday, 11/27/09 (not Thursday as I had mistakenly posted). The FSU online ticket office is offering general admission. I bought it this morning. It was only $9. I hope the team excels as usual. The last ND events I watched in-person were the bookstore basketball championships of 2007. I had not been back to campus in sixteen years. It'll great to revisit the ND tradition on Friday. Best wishes to the women's soccer team of my Alma Mater.

M S

Mon Nov 23 2009 10:41

This is great news. I graduated from Notre Dame and lived in Zahm Hall. I now work as a biomedical engineer for the Florida Department of Health in Tallahassee, FL. I will be there to give ND Alumni fan support. I will wear my ND Alumni T-shirt in blue and gold. Go ND! I actually got my 2nd master's degree at FSU, but I am Pro-ND for this game. Soccer is great for female athletes. My 15 year-old niece plays HS soccer in Arizona, and I took her on a hike into the Grand Canyon for cardio training. She reminds of that girl from Wizards of Waverly Place (Selena Gomez). I'll record MPEGs on Thursday and post them on facebook. I already bought tickets.

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