Kelley Monogue scored her second goal of the afternoon to put the No. 5 Texas A&M soccer team out in front for good as the Aggies defeated No. 12 Notre Dame 2-1 to advance to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament.
With overtime looming, the senior launched in the second of her pair of Sunday afternoon goals at Ellis Field to punch A&M’s ticket to the next round of tournament play.
An early corner led to the first goal of the game with 38 minutes left in the first half. The 51st goal of Monogue’s career put the Aggies up 1-0 as the ball navigated its way past Notre Dame goalkeeper Kaela Little and into the back of the net.
The first half saw no further scoring as both teams launched off seven shots each in the first 45 minutes. A&M (21-2-2) held a slight advantage with shots on goal at 3-1. A&M goalkeeper Jordan Day recorded one save in the half with Little recording two of her own for the Irish.
Karin Muya, who recorded an assist as well as a goal in the 2-1 Notre Dame victory over Texas to reach the Sweet 16, recorded a team-leading three shots before intermission.
Meghan Streight missed an opportunity to improve the lead to 2-0 on a free kick for A&M that sailed slightly wide and high of the goal. Shortly after, Monogue almost had her second goal of the day off a corner kick. However, Little held strong between the posts for Notre Dame to keep the score at 1-0.
In the 71st minute, Muya put the Irish on the board on a goal assisted by Sabrina Flores to bring the game to a tie at 1-1.
The 12th Man roared in the 81st minute as Monogue pushed the score to 2-1. Mikaela Harvey and Stephanie Malherbe led the attack downfield with Monogue applying the dagger.
With the victory, the Aggies turn their focus to Elite 8 opponent Penn State, who defeated Virginia Tech on Sunday to advance. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Ellis Field.