Aug. 6, 2018
By Matt Paras
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its preseason all-conference team and the ACC coaches’ poll on Monday, with the Irish slated to finish the season seventh in the conference.
Notre Dame finished fifth in the ACC in 2017 and clinched a berth to the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
The Irish earned their 25th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and hosted a first-round match for the 22nd time in school history. Following a 5-0 win over IUPUI, Notre Dame knocked off No. 2 seed and SEC Champion Texas A&M 2-2 (4-1 PK’s) in College Station.
The win advanced the Irish to the third round for the first time since 2014, where they ultimately fell to Baylor 3-2 in overtime.
The Irish open their 2018 exhibition schedule against Michigan at 4:30 p.m. ET on August 8 at Alumni Stadium.
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.
2018 Preseason All-ACC Women’s Soccer Team
Samantha Coffey, So., M, Boston College
Sam Staab, Sr., D, Clemson
Kayla McCoy, Sr., F, Duke
Ella Stevens, Jr., M, Duke
Deyna Castellanos, Jr., F, Florida State
Natalia Kuikka, Sr., D., Florida State
Emina Ekic, So., M, Louisville
Alessia Russo, So., F, North Carolina
Tziarra King, Jr., F, NC State
Taryn Torres, So., M, Virginia
Mandy McGlynn, Jr., GK, Virginia Tech
Preseason ACC Coaches Poll
1. North Carolina (183, 4 first place votes)
2. Florida State (174, 5 first place votes)
3. Virginia (173, 2 first-place votes)
4. Duke (151, 3 first-place votes)
5. NC State (144)
6. Clemson (120)
7. Notre Dame (111)
8. Wake Forest (104)
9. Louisville (75)
10. Boston College (72)
11. Virginia Tech (66)
12. Syracuse (40)
13. Miami (34)
14. Pitt (23)
–ND–
Matt Paras, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since January 2018. In his role, he coordinates all media efforts for Notre Dame women’s soccer, baseball and assists in ice hockey. A native of Warwick, Rhode Island, Paras is a graduate of the University of Louisville where he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Sport Administration. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, he worked at Vanderbilt University as the sports information contact for the women’s soccer and lacrosse programs.