COLUMBUS, Ohio -- For the second time in just three days, No. 16 Ohio State defeated a top-10 opponent. The Buckeyes (12-4, 4-1 ALC) concluded their memorable 2014 home season with a 12-9 victory against No. 9 Notre Dame. The win against the Fighting Irish (9-6, 2-4 ACC) marks the first time in school history the Scarlet and Gray have defeated back-to-back top-10 opponents, while extending their win streak to six consecutive games.
Offensively, junior midfielder Kelsea Ayers (3 goals, 2 assists) and sophomore attack Cian Dabrowski (2g, 3a) had five points (tied her career high), while junior midfielder Mary Kate Facchina (3g, 1a) had four points. Jackie Cifarelli notched a pair of goals, while senior attack Katie Chase and junior midfielder Christine Easton each netted scores.
After Notre Dame jumped out to a 2-0 lead, the Buckeyes went on a 4-0 run, scoring four goals in a 12-minute span. A won draw by the Scarlet and Gray led to their first goal of the contest when Dabrowski tallied her first score following a quick pass by Ayers from the far post at 16:16. Dabrowski then found Mary Kate Facchina cutting through the crease, who buried in a shot just 24 seconds later at 15:52 to tie it, 2-2. Ohio State claimed its first lead of the evening when Cifarelli finished off a Notre Dame turnover with a low shot into net at 7:32 making it 3-2. Ayers scored the teamâs fourth goal at 3:36 when she received a long pass from the near side by junior attack Hallie Keselman and finished off a shot passed UND starting goalie Allie Murray. The assist was Keselmanâs second of the year. Ayers gave the Buckeyes a 5-3 lead heading into halftime when she netted in her second goal with 34 seconds left on the clock on a free position shot.
At half, shots were 12-8 in favor of Notre Dame, while the Fighting Irish held a close 5-4 advantage on draw controls. Mary Kate Facchina put the squad up 6-4 at the start of the second half with an unassisted score at 27:16 after she sprinted around the net and fired in her 25th goal on a man-up situation. Easton then got in on the scoring with her third goal of the year when she fired a shot into the top of the net at 26:48 with help from Mary Kate Facchina.
Notre Dame scored three consecutive goals to tie it at 7-7, but it would be the last time the game would be knotted up as Ohio State scored five times in the final 20 minutes, while holding strong on the defensive side en route to the win.
Cifarelli scored for the second time at 19:26 followed by Ayers, who spun her way passed two UND defenders and sent one into the cage at 15:33 for an unassisted score.
Dabrowski boasted the hat trick at 9:11 after she sprinted through the Notre Dame defense and ripped a shot into goal to give the Buckeyes a two-goal lead. Chase made it a three-goal advantage to extend her point streak to 10-consecutive games when she netted in a shot at 4:24 with the assist from Ayers. Mary Kate Facchina wrapped up the evening with teamâs final score at 3:44 assisted by Dabrowski.
Overall, shots were 29-19 in favor of the Fighting Irish, while Notre Dame held a slight edge in draw controls 12-11.
