PITTSBURGH – It was scoreless at the half between the No. 10 Notre Dame women’s soccer team and Pittsburgh. Then ND’s Kristina Lynch put the Irish out front in the 60th minute. Right when it was starting to look like a perfect road swing for the Irish (6-1-3, 2-0-1), the Panthers (8-2-1, 1-1-1) scored off of a corner kick in the 83rd minute.
Lynch scored her fourth goal of the season, which now ties Maddie Mercado for the team lead. Lynch now has three goals in the last four games. Eva Gaetino recorded the assist on the play, her second on the year.
Freshman Atlee Olofson started again in net and came up big down the stretch, recording six saves.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Notre Dame owned a majority of the possession in the first half, as the ball was mostly found being pushed into Pitt’s side of the field. However, the game remained scoreless heading into halftime.
Notre Dame’s best chance in the half came in the 43rd minute. Five minutes after being subbed into the midfield, Erin Hohnstein hit a volley that cascaded off the crossbar.
Morgan Roy and Maddie Mercado both had good looks on goal in the Pitt box in the early going of the second half, but it was Lynch in the 60th minute who broke the Irish through and put them on the board.
Gaetino played a brilliant through ball up the middle and behind the Pitt defense. Lynch then had a breakaway and was left one-on-one with the goalie. The Granger native tucked it away with her left foot for the goal.
A dangerous moment occurred in the 70th minute, but Olfoson made an athletic save, timing her jump perfectly to punch the shot over the goal.
Yet, just when it looked like the Irish were going to cap off a great road swing, the Panthers struck off of a corner kick, as Deborah Abiodun’s header was perfectly placed between the Irish keeper and a defender on the near post.
Olofson was tested in the final minutes but came big time and time again to preserve the 1-1 draw.
UP NEXT
The Irish return home for a rare Saturday night contest under the lights against the Louisville Cardinals. That match will kick off at 7 p.m. ET on Sept. 30.
– ND –