October 12, 2012
STREAK SNAPPED
Notre Dames fall to hot Hoyas 2-0

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Georgetown scored two second half goals to snap Notre Dame's eight-match unbeaten streak, 2-0 on a breezy Friday afternoon at North Kehoe Field.

The Fighting Irish (10-4-2, 6-1-1) fall out of a first-place tie with Georgetown in the Big East’s National Division with two matches remaining in the regular season.

GU (13-1-2, 7-0-1) broke the ice in the 50th minute, as Colleen Dinn scored an unassisted goal. The Hoyas then got the critical second score with less than 17 minutes remaining, when Daphne Corboz re-directed a cross from short range for her nation-leading 16th goal of the season.

Notre Dame’s best looks were denied by the frame, first in the 26th minute when junior Mandy Laddish collected a short clearance off a corner kick and fired a right-footed volley from the top of the box that skimmed off the top of the crossbar.

In the 79th minute, sophomore forward Lauren Bohaboy capped a dynamic passing sequence by the Fighting Irish in tight quarters at the edge of the offensive third, ripping a laser that beat GU goalkeeper Emma Newins, but clanged hard off the left post and then was covered by Newins.

Georgetown finished with an 11-7 edge in total shots, including a slim 4-3 advantage in shots on goal.

Sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Voigt registered two saves in the Fighting Irish net, while Newins was credited with three saves to record the shutout in the Georgetown goal.

“I thought we looked pretty sharp in the first half, both in creating good chances and possessing offensively, and keeping Daphne (Corboz) in check,” Notre Dame head coach Randy Waldrum said. “Unfortunately, we showed our youth a little early in the second half and had a breakdown in the midfield on that first goal and goodteams punish you when you make that kind of mistake. Once that happened, we had to decide if we were going to try and get that goal back with the way we were playing, or really go after it, and we chose the second option. In doing that, you run the risk of giving up a second goal, and that’s what happened. This was another good learning experience for us, and now we need to get refocused tonight and begin to look ahead to Sunday at Villanova.”

Georgetown’s first good scoring chance of the afternoon was all the hosts needed to grab the lead. The Hoyas picked off a square pass in midfield and played ahead for Kaitlin Brenn at the top center of the attacking third. The Fighting Irish backline looked like it had the run stopped, but the ball deflected out wide in the left channel to Dinn, who had time and space to push forward and then tee up a 15-yard left-footed shot that snuck inside the far right post past a diving Voigt .

With Notre Dame being forced to chase the game a bit, Georgetown capitalized and doubled its lead, as Brenn patiently waited at the top of the box before swinging a pass wide on the left side of the area for Audra Ayotte, who in turn fed the ball to the top of the six-yard box. Corboz made a timely run and was able to sneak a foot in front of her defender, poking it home in the 74th minute.

Notre Dame will wind up its two-match East Coast road swing at noon (ET) Sunday contest when it takes on Villanova at the VU Soccer Stadium in Villanova, Pa.