Oct. 25, 2014
DATE: Oct. 26, 2014
TIME: 1 p.m. ET
LOCATION: Notre Dame, Ind. (Alumni Stadium – cap. 3,007)
LAST MEETING: ND 2-1 (9/14/12 at ND)
BROADCAST: ESPN3
LIVE STATS:
TWITTER: @NDsoccernews
TEXT ALERTS: Sign up at UND.com
Storylines
– The Fighting Irish are 9-3 (.750) all-time against Louisville.
– Notre Dame was 7-1 (.875) against Louisville during regular season matches in the BIG EAST Conference. The teams meet for the first time in ACC play on Sunday.
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team caps its 2014 regular season home schedule on Sunday, welcoming Louisville for an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown on Senior Day. The program will hold a brief pregame ceremony to honor its six departing seniors, Lauren Bohaboy (Mission Viejo, California/Santa Margarita), Jennifer Jasper (Fort Worth, Texas/Trinity Valley School), Taylor Schneider (Southlake, Texas/Carroll Senior), Sammy Scofield (Geneva, Illinois/Geneva), Karin Simonian (Westbury, New York/W.T. Clarke) and Sarah Voigt (Middleburg, Florida/St. John’s Country Day School).
The 1 p.m. (ET) match between the No. 9/7 Fighting Irish (11-4-1, 6-2 ACC) and the Cardinals (7-7-2, 3-3-2 ACC) will be streamed live on ESPN3 (WatchESPN).
Notre Dame and Louisville will meet for the first time in ACC play, with Louisville in its inaugural season in the league after competing as members of the BIG EAST Conference from 2005-12. Notre Dame owns a 9-3 edge in the all-time series against Louisville, including a 7-1 mark in regular season conference matches, but the Cardinals have won two of the last three encounters dating back to the 2011 season.
A goal in the 27th minute from forward Lauren Bohaboy provided the winning tally for Notre Dame on Thursday night, as the Fighting Irish scrapped to a 1-0 ACC win over No. 20 Clemson at Alumni Stadium. The win was the sixth in the past seven matches for Notre Dame, improving the Fighting Irish to 6-2 in ACC play this season.
Bohaboy extended her active program lead in goals (26), points (65) and shots (193) with the game-winning tally on Thursday, the 10th match-winning goal of her Notre Dame career. Bohaboy and sophomore midfielder Morgan Andrews (Milford, New Hampshire/Milford) are tied at the top of the Notre Dame goal count with six each through 16 matches, with Andrews adding a team-high five assists and 17 points to the Fighting Irish attack.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kaela Little (Tulsa, Oklahoma/Bishop Kelley) made three saves in net against Clemson to earn her 10th solo shutout of 2014, and her sixth clean sheet in ACC matches. Little, tied for the ACC lead in shutouts with Florida State’s Cassie Miller, became the first Notre Dame goalkeeper to log 10 or more solo shutouts in a single season since Nikki Weiss recorded 10 clean sheets for the 2010 NCAA champion Fighting Irish team.
Louisville enters Sunday’s match on the heels of a dramatic overtime win on Thursday at Pittsburgh, converting a rebound off a penalty kick in the 93rd minute to stun the host Panthers 1-0. The Cardinals are a combines 2-3-2 in away matches this season, forcing back-to-back road ACC draws at Miami (1-1 on Sept. 28) and Duke (0-0 on Oct. 4) earlier in the conference schedule.
By earning a decision in either of its final two matches, Notre Dame will clinch its second straight berth into the ACC Championship. The Fighting Irish, currently in fourth place with 18 points in the conference table, can lock out fifth place Clemson (13 points) by earning one more point in the standings. Notre Dame would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Tigers on the strength of Thursday’s 1-0 shutout win at Alumni Stadium.
For more information on the Fighting Irish women’s soccer program, follow Notre Dame on Twitter (@NDsoccernews or @NDSoccer), like the Fighting Irish on Facebook (facebook.com/NDWomenSoccer) or sign up for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the main page at UND.com.
SCOUTING LOUISVILLE
Louisville caps a two-game ACC road swing at Notre Dame after scoring on a penalty kick rebound in overtime to stun Pittsburgh 1-0 on Thursday. Louisville is 7-7-2 overall, and 3-3-2 in the ACC, through 16 matches.
Freshman forward Isabella Habuda leads all Louisville players with three goals and seven total points during her rookie year with the Cardinals, including one game-winning goal. Freshman forward Allison Price has added three goals to tie Habuda for the Louisville lead, while sophomore midfielder/forward Kari Weinland has chipped in one goal and a team-high two assists.
Sophomore goalkeeper Paige Brown has played every minute in net thus far in 2014 for Louisville, posting a 7-7-2 mark and a 1.27 goals-against average. Brown has added six solo shutouts.
Head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes is in her 15th at the helm of the Cardinals, and has led Louisville to a 133-125-27 (.514) mark during her tenure. The Cardinals have made three NCAA Championship appearances under Ferguson-Dayes’ charge, reaching the third round in 2011.
THE NOTRE DAME-LOUSVILLE SERIES
Notre Dame holds a 9-3 record all-time against Louisville in the series history between the teams, including a 5-2 mark in matches contested in South Bend. The Fighting Irish have outscored the Cardinals 26-7 in the aggregate goal count in those matches.
THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND LOUISVILLE MET
Forwards Crystal Thomas and Lauren Bohaboy scored unassisted goals on either side of halftime to help Notre Dame open its BIG EAST Conference slate on a winning note, defeating Louisville, 2-1 on Sept. 14, 2012 at Alumni Stadium.
The Fighting Irish held a slim 14-13 edge in total shots, while each team tallied five shots on goal. Notre Dame also maintained a 10-9 margin in corner kicks, while fouls were nearly even (7-6 against Louisville).
Goalkeeper Elyse Hight worked the first 45 minutes in the Fighting Irish cage, registering three saves. Sarah Voigt came on to play the second half and made one save. Chloe Kiefer was credited with three saves in the Louisville goal.
LAST TIME OUT: #20 CLEMSON
Forward Lauren Bohaboy tied the team-high with her sixth goal of the year in the 27th minute to power Notre Dame to a 1-0 shutout of No. 20 Clemson on Thursday night at Alumni Stadium.
No. 9/7 Notre Dame won its fourth straight conference match, limiting Clemson to a handful of sustained possessions in its defensive third throughout the contest. The Fighting Irish held a 12-7 shot advantage over the Tigers in the match, including a slim 5-3 cushion in shots on goal, and attempted three corner kicks to the one of Clemson.
Clemson received a pair of yellow cards during a chippy second half, while Notre Dame was issued one caution on the night.
TUCKER NAMED NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Former two-time captain and 2014 Notre Dame graduate Elizabeth Tucker added to her sterling resume last Sunday night by being named the first-ever Notre Dame recipient of the NCAA Woman of the Year award. You can learn more about Tucker’s honor, including video comments and more by visiting the women’s soccer page at UND.com.
IRISH DOMINATE IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Entering Sunday’s match against Louisville, Notre Dame is 178-18-11 (.886) all-time in conference play dating back to the 1991 season. The Fighting Irish have never lost more than five league matches in a single season, and have posted unbeaten conference marks on 15 occasions.
THANK YOU SENIORS
The six member Notre Dame women’s soccer Class of 2015 will be recognized before Sunday’s match in a brief on-field ceremony. Notre Dame is a combined 13-2 (.867) on Senior Day dating back to the 1999 season.
The Fighting Irish have won 50 games during the careers of the current senior class, and have made three straight appearances in the NCAA Championship, most recently reaching the third round of the national tournament in 2013.
Goalkeeper Jennifer Jasper made her collegiate debut on Senior Day in the 2011 regular-season home finale against DePaul, collecting two saves. She also added a match appearance as a sophomore in 2012 against Seton Hall. The Fort Worth, Texas native is currently enrolled in Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, where she is a marketing major.
Goalkeeper Sarah Voigt has appeared in 21 matches for the Fighting Irish, starting 13 times while posting an 8-4-1 record and a 1.19 goals-against average. She enjoyed a career year as a sophomore in 2012, closing the season 6-1-1 over 11 matches. From Middleburg, Florida, Voigt is currently enrolled in Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters as an English major.
Defender/midfielder Taylor Schneider has appeared in 70 career matches for the Fighting Irish, earning a start on 29 occasions, adding in 13 postseason appearances with four starts. She has recorded four career assists, including a career-high two this season, in time split between defender and midfielder. A native of Southlake, Texas, Schneider is enrolled in Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters, majoring in psychology.
Forward Karin Simonian has started 33 of the 71 total matches she has played with the Fighting Irish, scoring seven goals and adding eight assists for Notre Dame. From Westbury, New York, Simonian is currently enrolled in Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, where she is finishing up work on her degree in marketing.
Forward Lauren Bohaboy enters today’s match as the active program leader with 26 goals, 65 points and 193 shots attempted in 83 games, including 67 starts. Her 10 career game-winning goals lead all active Fighting Irish attackers. The Mission Viejo, California native is currently enrolled in Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business as a marketing major.
Defender and tri-captain Sammy Scofield will appear in her 83rd career match, having started all but one of the past 75 Notre Dame contests dating back to the 2011 season. She has scored four career goals and added two assists from the Notre Dame back line, including two match-winning goals. Her goal with three seconds remaining in regulation in a 1-0 ACC win over Syracuse last season remains the latest goal ever scored by a Notre Dame player. From Geneva, Illinois, Scofield is currently enrolled in Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, pursuing a degree in marketing.
NEXT UP FOR THE IRISH: BOSTON COLLEGE
Notre Dame wraps up the 2014 regular season on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. (ET) at Boston College.