September 9, 2012
OUTRANKED
No. 22 Washington routs Irish women, 3-0

SEATTLE, Wash. – Notre Dame gave up two unassisted goals in a nine-minute span midway through the first half and was not able to recover, as No. 22 Washington posted a 3-0 victory over the Fighting Irish on Sunday afternoon at the Husky Soccer Field in Seattle.

Lindsay Elston and Jaclyn Softli scored in the first half to put Washington (7-0-0) in front, with Falon Miller adding the final tally against the run of play in the 89th minute, off an assist from Isabel Farrell.

The opening 25 minutes were played largely in the middle third of the pitch, with both sides probing for openings in the other’s defensive wall. Notre Dame’s best early look came in the 16th minute, when Elizabeth Tucker sent a dangerous cross from the left side through the heart of the penalty area, but freshman Crystal Thomas couldn’t quite get her right-footed volley on target, pushing it wide right from 12 yards out.

Washington eventually got the first shot on goal for either side, and it put the hosts in front in the 29th minute. Elston latched on to a loose ball on the right side near the box, cut inside two defenders and drilled a rising 18-yard shot that found the upper left corner.

The Fighting Irish rebounded quickly, making a trio of forays into the final third. Forward Lauren Bohaboy had two of her team-high eight shots in the flurry, redirecting a service from freshman defender Stephanie Campo on goal in the 32nd minute, then turning and firing from the top of the arc moments later, but that try was stopped by netminder Kari Davidson.

Just when it seemed Notre Dame was in position to equalize, Washington took advantage of a Fighting Irish miscue to double its lead. Netminder Elyse Hight attempted to play the ball out of the back up the left side of the defense, but the clearance was knocked down by Softli just outside the top of the box. She then outraced Hight and two retreating defenders to drive a low 12-yard shot inside the far left post in the 38th minute.

Notre Dame came out with increased intensity in the second half, but were plagued by poor finishing.

After being pinned down in their end of the pitch for the majority of the second half, the Huskies finally caught Notre Dame on one of its offensive rushes and counterattacked for the final goal of the day. Farrell took a through ball down the left channel and tried to slip a pass on to Miller. A defender got her foot on the ball, but mis-hit the clearing attempt, with the ball settling perfectly for Miller, who alertly fired a low ten-yard shot past Voigt inside the far right post.

Hight played the first 45 minutes for Notre Dame and was not credited with a save, before sophomore Sarah Voigt came on at halftime and recorded two saves the rest of the way. Davidson logged four saves for the home side.

“We’re still not finding the kind of consistency we need, especially against the quality opponents we’re playing,” Notre Dame head coach Randy Waldrum said. “We can’t afford to have an incomplete, subpar effort like today on top of all the positive work we showed on Friday at Portland.

“At this point, the non-conference season is basically over, and regardless of how we feel about our record and results so far, there’s nothing we can do to change it,” Waldrum added. “All our focus is now on conference play and getting ready for our BIG EAST opener at home on Friday (7:00 pm) against Louisville.”