| 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 4-0 start and back in the top-25 rankings, the No. 16 Notre Dame women’s soccer squad looks to continue its hot start when the No. 22 ranked Wisconsin Badgers (2-0-2) visit Alumni Stadium. First kick is scheduled for 7 pm ET, with the game being streamed on ACCNX.
It’s been a great start to the 2022 season for the Irish, firing off an unbeaten 4-0-0 record. More impressive is the 11-0 goal aggregate. Out of the 11 goals, it’s come from seven different players: Wingate (2), Mercado (3), Klenke (2), Fisher, Albert, Ospeck and Coyle. The Irish already have a ranked win on the season, knocking off No. 19 Saint Louis 2-0 on the road.
DOMINANT DEFENSIVE START
With four shutout victories to start the year, the Irish have tied its second-best shutout victory streak to start a season. The other instances and the streaks include: 1995 (8), 2008 (4), 2010 (4).
Shutout streaks in general (any point in the season) – the Irish are two shutouts away from tying the third longest in program history: 10 – 2003 // 8 – 1995 // 6 – three times
Next, there are currently 12 Division I teams (counting ND) who have played three or more games and have not surrendered a goal yet this season.
Furthermore, the Irish defense has only allowed four shots on net in four games, with three coming in the 4-0 win over Illinois. On the season, ND owns a 51-4 SOG advantage. Total shots-wise, they’re up 95-11 over the opposition.
NOTABLE NOTES
Notre Dame is averaging an impressive 12.75 shots on goal, which ranks 3rd nationally. Overall, the Irish are averaging 23.75 shots per game, which ranks 6th nationally.
Another notable ranking for the Irish – 1st nationally in corner kicks per game – 11.5.
JUST A FRESHMAN
In just her second week into collegiate soccer, Leah Klenke is already garnering a lot of attention. The freshman was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 30 for her efforts in the wins over No. 19 Saint Louis and Illinois. Klenke started at left back in both shutout victories. She also led to Sophia Fisher’s second-half goal against Saint Louis, then recorded a beautiful goal against Illinois in which she floated a ball from outside the box on the left side, over the keeper and into the far post of the net.
Klenke now ranks second on the team in points with five, boasting two goals and one assist.
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 111-27-6, good for a .792 winning percentage. In fact, they have only surrendered one loss or better in six separate seasons.
Looking at just the past four years (counting this season as a year), the Irish are 25-4-2 at home.
Notre Dame went 10-1-1 during the 2021 campaign – its lone loss a 3-2 decision to Clemson in the ACC Tournament.
B1G CHALLENGE
The Aug. 28 matchup versus Illinois kicked off a stretch in which the Irish take on four consecutive Big Ten teams. It started with a 4-0 win over the Illini and up next is No. 22 Wisconsin. A win over the Badgers would give the Irish two ranked victories in five games. After Wisconsin, Notre Dame has two straight road games, starting with Indiana, then Purdue.
MAC HERMANN WATCH LIST
A big reason for the backline’s success is center-back Eva Gaetino. Now her success hasn’t gone unnoticed for she was named to the Mac Hermann Trophy Watch List. On August 18, the United Soccer Coaches announced its 61 players up for soccer’s most prestigious award. The list gets narrowed down to 15 players on Nov. 30.
WIN NO. 100
When Notre Dame knocked off No. 19 Saint Louis on Aug. 25 to improve to 3-0, it not only marked the team’s first ranked win on the year, but also career win No. 100 for Coach Norman. Norman is in his fifth year with the Irish as a head coach and in his 10th year overall as a head coach.
— ND —