Oregon State
Notre Dame
Late Goal Stops Men's Soccer
September 07, 2012 | Men's Soccer
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – In a game played in a steady downpour, Oregon State redshirt freshman goalkeeper Matt Bersano stood tall against a flood of shots from the No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. As the game ticked beneath 10 minutes to play, however, the Irish struck for the game's lone goal as they defeated the Beavers, 1-0, Friday night.
Max Lachowecki was able to finally dent the scoreboard in the 81st minute as he took a shot from the left side that beat Bersano low to the far side.
“We were defending the flanks pretty well,” head coach Steve Simmons said. “They created some good opportunities and that time they were able to get inside and finish.”
Bersano made two sparkling saves on Notre Dame's Danny O'Leary in the first half. In the eighth minute, Bersano challenged O'Leary on the right side of the 18-yard box and was able to make a sliding kick save to keep the game scoreless. In the 42nd minute, the Irish had a corner kick. O'Leary found the loose ball in front but was stopped from point blank range by Bersano. Those were two of Notre Dame's three shots on goal in the half.
“Matt did a really great job and did all he could,” Simmons said. “Really, our whole back four played a heck of a game and really put in a workmanlike shift.”
The Beavers' best chance of the first half came on a neat individual play by senior Colin Mitchell in the 18th minute. He forced a turnover on the left side and carried into scoring range. He rifled a low shot that was saved by Irish keeper Will Walsh as he dove to his left.
The Beavers had a couple of opportunities early in the second half. Emery Welshman had a shot go high in the 53rd minute and freshman Mikhail Doholis sent a couple of crosses into the Notre Dame box, but the Beavers could not dial the proper combination to open the safe.
Welshman led the way with three of OSU's seven shots in the contest. Bersano made three saves, all in the first half. The Irish outshot the Beavers 21-7 for the night. Sophomore Khiry Shelton's goal-scoring streak ended tonight after he was injured early on. He had scored in three straight games. Simmons and the Beavers are now looking forward to another challenging match in this tournament.
“I think our guys know that they have more to offer in terms of performance, so on Sunday we have another opportunity to play against a quality opponent.”
The Beavers will play No. 7 Indiana on Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. PDT. The Hoosiers lost their first game of the season earlier today, 1-0, to No. 4 Akron.
