| 3-seed Notre Dame (12-3-4) | NCAA Tournament 2nd & 3rd Rounds |
|---|---|
| Where: | Fayetteville, AR | Razorback Stadium |
| Watch: | ESPN+ |
| 2nd Rd Opponent: | 6-seed Memphis (19-1) |
| When: | Friday, Nov. 16 | 4 p.m. ET |
| 3rd Rd Opponent: | Pitt or Arkansas |
| When: | Sunday, Nov. 18 | 7 p.m. ET |
| Social: | NDWSOC Twitter NDWSOC Instagram |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 18 Notre Dame women’s soccer team (8-1-0, 1-1-0) will be riding a wave of momentum on Sunday when they host the Pitt Panthers (9-1-0, 2-0-0) inside Alumni Stadium. Fresh off an upset over No. 2 Virginia, the Irish look to remain undefeated at home this season (6-0-0). First touch is scheduled for 1 pm ET, streaming live on ACCNX.
TAKING DOWN #2 VIRGINIA
What a Battle in the Bend it was between two top ACC teams, but it was the Irish who ultimately broke through in the 76th minute for the 1-0 victory.
It marked the first signature victory (first top-10 ranked win) for head coach Nate Norman. It also marked the program’s first top-2 victory since the 2015 season – ironically enough over No. 1 Virginia (W 2-1).
The Irish, who lead the nation in corner kick attempts, scored its second goal of the season off a Korbin Albert corner. This time, a deflected header found Maddie Mercado’s left foot near the six-yard box.
For Mercado it marked her sixth goal of the season which ties Olivia Wingate for the most on the team. It also marks the most she’s ever scored in a single season in her career and she’s only nine games in. In addition, Mercado now leads the team in game-winners with three.
UVA entered the matchup with 30 goals, which ranked top-five in the country at the time. The Irish defensive line only allowed one shot on net.
Coach Norman during post-game media: ““We have a really simple goal. We want to win a national championship. And hopefully a win like this puts us in the conversation, puts us in the group that can do that. We just have to continue on and have some consistency.”
HOME SWEET HOME
The Irish have made Alumni Stadium a difficult venue for opposing programs to succeed in. Since its creation in 2009, Notre Dame has gone 114-27-6, good for a .796 winning percentage. In fact, they have only surrendered one loss or incurred none on six separate seasons.
This year the Irish are off to a 6-0-0 start inside Alumni.
Last season, Notre Dame went 10-1-1 with its lone loss being a 3-2 decision to Clemson in the ACC Tournament. Since the start of the 2019 season, the Irish are 28-4-2 at home.
NOTABLE NOTES
Notre Dame is averaging 10.7 shots on goal, which ranks 5th nationally. Overall, the Irish are averaging 22.7 shots per game, which ranks 4th nationally and 1st in the ACC.
Those shots have led to a scoring offense that ranks 37th (2.4) with a total goals ranking of 33rd (22) and total points of 40th (61).
Also how about tops in the country – 1st nationally in corner kicks per game – 8.6. Notre Dame has scored two goals off corner kicks this season: Sept. 11 vs Ohio, a Gaetino header & Sept. 22 vs Virginia, a Mercado goal off a deflection.
Olivia Wingate — 10th in shots per game (4.4) // 2nd in shots on goal per game (3.1) // 29th in total goals (6) // 7th in shot accuracy (0.700)
Maddie Mercado — 9th in game-winning goals (3) // 15th in shots per game (4.2) // 6th in shots on goal per game (2.4).
IRISH IN THE CHARTS
It seems the United Soccer Coaches poll doesn’t know where to place the Irish for this has been the weekly progression despite the 8-1-0 record: No. 16 – Unranked – No. 16 – No. 12 – No. 6 – No. 18. The last time ND was as high as No. 6 (and the last time they climbed as high as a single-digit ranking) was the 2016 season.
The first RPI rankings were released on Sept. 19 and the Irish checked in at No. 4 in the country. They were the second highest ACC team behind No. 2 UNC.
The Irish are 3-1 against the RPI Top-25. The Irish now boast three ranked wins on the season – No. 19 Saint Louis, No. 22 Wisconsin, No. 2 Virginia. Notre Dame’s strength of schedule ranks 6th in the country.
OFFENSIVE FLURRY
Notre Dame has tallied a 22-5 goal aggregate thus far. Out of the 22 goals – it’s come from 9 different players: Wingate (6), Mercado (5), Klenke (2), Albert (2), Van Zanten (2), Fisher, Ospeck, Coyle and Gaetino.
DOMINANT DEFENSIVE START
Notre Dame boasts five shutouts through nine games.
The Irish defense surrendered its first goal of the season after 439 minutes of play in game five vs. Wisconsin. All-in-all, they’ve allowed five goals which equates to a 0.556 GAA (ranks 28th in the nation).
The five goals is an interesting number for the ND backline has only allowed 18 total shots on net, which equates to just over two per game. On the season, ND owns a 96-18 SOG advantage.
Total shots wise, they’re up 204-54 (22.7 vs 6.0) over the opposition.
ND vs PITT – THE SERIES
You can certainly put the bullseye squarely on the back on the Irish heading into Sunday’s matchup, for ND has never lost to the Panthers, owning a 15-0-1 advantage. The two sides haven’t clashed on the pitch since September of 2019.
Patrolling the Pitt sidelines is a name familiar to the ND program – Randy Waldrum. Waldrum coached 14 seasons in South Bend, leading the Fighting Irish to two national championships in 2004 and 2010. His teams won eight Big East Tournament titles and appeared in eight NCAA College Cup games in that span. He wrapped up his tenure at Notre Dame with a mark of 292-58-17 (.819).