LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Morgan Lewis scored seven times as Pacific Coast Division Champion/No. 4-ranked the University of California-Santa Barbara utilized 4-1 and 2-0 scoring advantages in the second and third quarters, respectively, to outlast Midwest Division Champion/No. 8 the University of Notre Dame, 9-5, in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship.
Competing at the University of California-Los Angeles’ Spieker Aquatics Center, the Gauchos punch their ticket to a semifinal game at 5:10 p.m. today versus the winner of another quarterfinal pitting Southwest Division Champion/No. 3 Arizona State University against Texas Division Champion/No. 5 Texas A&M University .
The loss drops Notre Dame into the consolation side of the bracket as the Irish will take on the loser of the Texas A&M-Arizona State game at 6:20 p.m. with a spot in the fifth place game on the line.
Notre Dame appeared primed to return to the tournament semifinals for the first time since placing second in 2015 as Emily Shank put away man-up and even-strength scores at 3:38 and 2:00, respectively, in the first quarter to acquire a 2-0 lead.
However, the tide turned quickly in favor of UC-Santa Barbara courtesy Irish mistakes as Lewis closed the first quarter with a five-meter penalty shot (24 seconds) and opened the second quarter (6:40) to balance the scoreboard.
Lewis (4:45; 1:28) and Thea Neushul (3:15) added to the run to build a 5-2 Gauchos’ lead before Lauren Rodenberg concluded the first half by putting away a man-up opportunity with seven seconds left in the second quarter to shave UC-Santa Barbara’s lead down to a pair at 5-3.
Lewis (5:49) and Neushul (1:55) added to the margin with tallies in the third quarter prior to Lewis raising Notre Dame’s defici to 8-3 30 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Charlotte Welsh placed the Irish within four at 8-4 with 4:53 left in regulation, but Notre Dame was unable to move any closer as Lewis (4:17) and Shank (1:39) exchanged goals to set the final damage a 9-5 in favor of UC-Santa Barbara.
Lewis accounted for the majority of the Gauchos’ offense with Neushul adding a pair of goals. Taylor Tait earned the win in cage with eight saves.
Shank keyed the Irish offense with three goals. Rodenberg and Welsh deposited solo markers, while goalkeeper Olivia Sanders stopped 12 shots.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 8 University of Notre Dame |
2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | – | 5 |
| No. 4 University of California-Santa Barbara | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | – | 9 |
| UCSB Goals: | Morgan Lewis (7); Thea Neushul (2) | |||||
| Notre Dame Goals: | Emily Shank (3); Lauren Rodenberg; Charlotte Welsh | |||||
| Saves: | UCSB – Taylor Tait (8) ; Notre Dame – Olivia Sanders (12) |
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| Exclusions: | UCSB – 8 ; Notre Dame – 8 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | UCSB – 2-for-8 ; Notre Dame – 2-for-8 | |||||
| Sprints: | UCSB – 2-for-4 (1st, 2nd) ; Notre Dame – 2-for-4 (3rd, 4th) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | UCSB – None ; Notre Dame – None | |||||
| Officials: | Unknown | |||||
University of Notre Dame’s Emily Shank (#10) and the University of California-Santa Barbara’s Emmy Donnell (#13)
University of Notre Dame’s Rory Kilmer (#6) aims to shoot over a charging Claire Alfano (#2) of the University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Barbara’s Morgan Lewis (#7) looks to shoot as the University of Notre Dame’s Grace Kellerman (#2) closes in
