| 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 |
NEWTON, Mass. – The 16th-ranked Notre Dame women’s soccer team (8-2-0, 1-2-0) has a bad taste it wants to get out of its mouth and the Irish will have that opportunity on Thursday, Sept. 29, at Boston College (4-4-3, 0-3-0). The Fighting Irish had a roller-coaster last week, handing No. 2 Virginia its first loss of the season but then getting upset by Pitt. With plenty of ACC season left ahead, the Irish look to get back on track in a game that will air live on ACC Network at 6 pm ET.
SHOTS ON SHOTS
Notre Dame is averaging 10.2 shots on goal, which ranks 6th nationally (3rd in ACC). Overall, the Irish are averaging 21.9 shots per game, which ranks 5th nationally (1st in the ACC).
Notre Dame’s ability to stretch the field has led to a national ranking of 3rd in corner kicks – 7.9 per game. Notre Dame has scored twice off corners 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) // 1st in shots on goal per game (2.9) // 16th in shot accuracy (0.659)
Maddie Mercado — 11th in game-winning goals (3) // 13th in shots per game (4.2) // 7th in shots on goal per game (2.4).
IRISH RESUME
In the updated RPI rankings, the Irish sit at No. 4 behind UCLA, UNC and Duke. Notre Dame is 3-2 against the RPI Top-50. The Irish boast three ranked wins on the season – No. 19 Saint Louis, No. 22 Wisconsin, No. 2 Virginia. In addition, Notre Dame’s strength of schedule ranks 4th in the country.
It seems the United Soccer Coaches poll doesn’t know where to place the Irish for this has been the weekly progression despite the 8-2-0 record: No. 16 – Unranked – No. 16 – No. 12 – No. 6 – No. 18 – No. 16
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 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.
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.”
ALUMNI ADVANTAGE
The Irish have made Alumni Stadium a difficult venue for opposing programs to succeed in. Since its creation in 2009, Notre Dame has gone 114-28-6, good for a .795 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 6-1-0 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. Thus, 16-2-1 over past two seasons. Since the start of the 2019 season, the Irish are 28-5-2 at home.
A 7-0 NON-CONFERENCE
The Irish posted a perfect non-conference slate for the first time since 2008, going 7-0-0 –> that same year the Irish went 26-1 and made the NCAA title game.
NOTABLE NOTES
The importance of scoring first? Well, the Irish are 8-0 when doing so. Both times ND has trailed this season at the half (both 1-0 scores), they’ve suffered a loss.
The odd defensive statistic for the Irish backline is on one hand, they’ve only allowed 23 shots on goal over 10 games – which equates to a stout 2.3 SOG per game. However, opponents are making the most of their few chances with 8 goals on the season. Thus, opponents are tallying a goal for every 3 SOG. In comparison, Notre Dame has notched a whopping 102 SOG with 23 goals, which equates to a goal every 4-5 SOG.
Notre Dame’s defensive/goalie crew does boast five shutouts on the year. Mackenzie Wood in particular boasts a 0.600 GAA which ranks 32nd in the country, allowing three goals in five games. She boasts three shutouts.
Total shots-wise, Notre Dame continues to own an advantage there, up 219-63 (21.9 vs 6.3) over the opposition.
OFFENSIVE SPARKPLUGS
Notre Dame has tallied a 23-8 goal aggregate over the 2022 season. Out of the 23 goals – it’s come from 9 different players: Wingate (6), Mercado (6), Klenke (2), Albert (2), Van Zanten (2), Ospeck (2), Coyle, Fisher and Gaetino.
Mercado and Wingate are having breakout years up top, much like how Sammi Fisher did a year ago. Mercado has already scored a career high in goals for a season with six and boasts three game-winners to boot (tied her career high). Meanwhile, Wingate is one goal away from tying her season best of seven set a year ago.
ND vs BC – THE SERIES
Notre Dame has been dominant in the series, owning a 14-1-1 advantage. The lone loss came on Nov. 7, 2003, on a neutral site in New Jersey in a 2-1 defeat.
In the 16-game series, ND has outscored BC, 39-8.
— ND —