Oct. 28, 2017
By Megan Golden
RALEIGH, N.C. — For the second straight season, the No. 6-seeded University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team will face No. 3 NC State in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. The Irish (9-5-4, 5-3-2) and the Wolfpack (13-4-1, 6-3-1) will meet at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at Dail Soccer Field (Raleigh, North Carolina).
Notre Dame will try to continue its road dominance as it is unbeaten in its last six games away from home (4-0-2). In order to do so, the Irish will have to slow down a Wolfpack team that has won five straight contests.
Just 35 days ago, Notre Dame scored four goals against NC State, which had allowed two goals prior to Sept. 24 and has yielded 14 goals total this season. The match was arguably Notre Dame’s most balanced performance of the season as it scored two goals in each half and ultimately turned in its fifth shutout in 2017.
The Irish used a career day from graduate student Sandra Yu, who will need to be effective on both sides of the ball to increase Notre Dame’s chances of winning an ACC Championship. Yu, who owns a career-high 19 points this season, tallied five points on two goals and an assist against the Wolfpack last month.
WHAT: No. 3 NC State vs. No. 6 Notre Dame
WHEN: 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 29, 2017
WHERE: Dail Soccer Field (Raleigh, North Carolina)
LIVE STATS: Click here.
LIVE STREAM: Click here.
Series History
Notre Dame owns a 5-1 all-time record against NC State, including a 4-0 shutout victory on Sept. 24 at Alumni Stadium. The Irish have gone 2-1 in Raleigh, N.C.
The teams met in the ACC Championship quarterfinal in 2016, where the Irish defeated the Wolfpack 1-0 at Alumni Stadium. In that contest, then-junior Kaitlin Klawunder scored off a rebound shot with fewer than three minutes remaining in regulation to give the Irish a 1-0 victory. The win marked Notre Dame’s first in ACC Championship history.
Conference Championship Info
Notre Dame is scheduled to play in its fourth ACC Championship in five years, looking to build off of its first ACC tournament victory in 2016. The Irish will try to win their first ACC Championship and their first conference tournament since 2009 (2-1 victory over Marquette), the last time they won at least two games in the BIG EAST tournament.
Notre Dame owns 11 conference championship titles, all coming in the BIG EAST Championship. The Irish have made 13 appearances in the tournament final all-time (each in the BIG EAST).
Coming Up Next
Following an Irish victory on Sunday, Notre Dame would play the winner of No. 2 seed North Carolina and No. 7 Florida State at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 3 at MUSC Health Stadium (Charleston, S.C.). The game would be streamed live on the Regional Sports Network.
For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Irish women’s soccer program, follow @NDSoccer on Twitter and @NDWSoccer on Instagram. For tickets to a Notre Dame women’s soccer match, click here.
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Megan Golden, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since August of 2016. In her role, she coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s soccer and cross country/track and field programs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Golden is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s College and former Irish women’s basketball manager. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, she worked in public relations with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.