Notre Dame Wins Women’s Soccer Title With Free Kick in Overtime

Notre Dame completed its startling rise to the top of women’s soccer, defeating previously undefeated Portland, 1-0, Sunday on Cindy Daws’ free kick in sudden death to win the NCAA championship.

Daws caught Portland goalkeeper Erin Fahey off guard, sending a 25-yard kick into the right corner of the net while Fahey was at the left post still trying to set up a wall of defenders.

Fahey said she was asking the official whether the kick was direct or indirect when Daws struck. Daws said she never saw the official signal either way before she hit the ball with 9:29 left in sudden death.

A crowd of 6,926 attended, the largest for a women’s soccer final and the first women’s championship game to go to overtime.

Notre Dame (21-2-2) reached the title game for a second consecutive time in only its sixth year as a Division I program. Portland finished 20-1-2. The Irish beat 13-time champion North Carolina in the national semifinals.