COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Grace Kellerman (Sr., San Diego, Calif.) scored three times to notch Player of the Game laurels as No. 5-ranked/Midwest Division Champion the University of Notre Dame topped Mid-Atlantic Division Champion West Chester University, 12-4, to earn a date with No. 16/Southeast Division Champion Florida State University in the 2024 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship Fifth Place game.
The Irish – which holds prior second (2009, 2015), fourth (2002), sixth (2001, 2010), seventh (2000, 2023), ninth (2006, 2013, 2014), 10th (2008, 2019, 2022), 11th (2007, 2011) and 12th (2012) place marks in the championship’s history – will meet the Seminoles at 10:15 a.m. Central on Sunday, May 5, in Texas A&M University’s Student Rec Center seeking Notre Dame’s fourth all-time Top Five finish.
West Chester will square off with first-time National Collegiate Club Championship participant/No. 20/New England Division Champion Northeastern University at 9:00 a.m. Central on Sunday, May 5, for Seventh Place. No matter the outcome, it will mark the Golden Rams’ first Top 10 finish at the event as WCU took home 12th place last year at the University of California-Los Angeles.
Notre Dame did not offer any blarney in putting the game away in the early going as Lauren Rodenberg (Jr., El Dorado HIlls, Calif.) (2:07, man-up; one second, man-up) and Kellerman (32 seconds, penalty shot) accounted for a 3-0 run in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Kellerman (6:28, man-up; 4:07, penalty shot), Abygail Dravis (Jr., Fishers, Ind.) (1:22) and Emily Shank (Sr., Fullerton, Calif.) (38 seconds) surrounded an ice-breaker by WCU’s Emma Seifert (Fr, Reading, Pa.) at 6:07 to make it an 8-1 game entering halftime.
Bella Belville (Fr., Morgantown, Pa.) trimmed West Chester’s deficit down to 8-2 over midway through the third quarter with a man-up score (3:38) before Grace Christopher (So., Homer Glen, Ill.) (3:18) and Rory Kilmer (Jr., Kailua, Hawaii) (2:34, man-up) responded to make it a 10-2 contest.
Hannah Christie (Sr., Telford, Pa.) (20 seconds) closed out the third quarter to once again move the Rams within seven at 10-3, but Killmer (4:57) and Shank (59 seconds) sandwiched a man-up tally by Belville (1:16) in the fourth quarter to conclude the contest’s scoring.
For West Chester, Belville finished with a pair of goals, while Christie and Seifert put away solo markers. Goalkeeper Jasmine Thek (Jr., Fort Washington, Pa.) stopped 17 shots in cage.
Kellerman (three), Christopher (two), Kilmer (two), Shank (two), Rodenberg (two) and Dravis all found the back of the cage at least once for the Irish. Goalkeepers Olivia Sanders (Sr., Erie, Pa.) (eight) and Hazel Bramble (Fr., Chicago, Ill.) (one) combined to account for nine saves in helping Notre Dame down the road to victory.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| West Chester University |
0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | 4 |
| No. 5 University of Notre Dame | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | – | 12 |
| Notre Dame Goals: | Grace Kellerman (3); Grace Christopher (2); Rory Kilmer (2); Emily Shank (2); Lauren Rodenberg (2); Abygail Dravis | |||||
| West Chester Goals: | Bella Belville (2); Hannah Christie; Emma Seifert | |||||
| Saves: | Notre Dame – Olivia Sanders (8, 21 minutes), Hazel Bramble (1, 7 minutes); West Chester – Jasmine Thek (17) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Notre Dame – 9 ; West Chester – 11 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Notre Dame – 6-for-11 ; West Chester – 2-for-9 | |||||
| Sprints: | Notre Dame – 3-for-4 (1st, 2nd, 3rd) ; West Chester – 1-for-4 (4th) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Jennifer Frain, Philippe Knall | |||||
University of Notre Dame’s Emily Shank (#10) looks to shoot as West Chester University’s Katherine Hayner (#3) defends
University of Notre Dame’s Olivia Sanders (#1) makes a save
University of Notre Dame’s Rory Kilmer (#6) & West Chester University’s Hannah Christie (#14)
University of Notre Dame’s Abygail Dravis (#7) outraces West Chester University’s Katherine Hayner (#3)
West Chester University’s Alayna Capladi (#18) & the University of Notre Dame’s Natalina Antongiovanni (#10) battle for the ball
