| 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 |
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s soccer team (10-1-1, 4-0-0) will be riding a six-match win streak into Thursday night’s showdown with Louisville (7-2-1, 3-1-0). In addition, the Fighting Irish will not only look to remain unbeaten at home this season (6-0-1) but also undefeated in ACC play.
Kickoff is slated for 8:06 p.m. ET inside Alumni Stadium. It will be a RSN (regional sports networks) broadcast so be sure to check your local listings. For those in the Michiana area, the game can be found on the Marquee Network.
SAVED BEST SEASON FOR LAST
Sammi Fisher is making the most of her graduate season, for it only took her one month of play to achieve her best year in an Irish uniform. She owns 10 goals to her name, topping her previous season high of six set in 2019.
Her 10 total goals rank 8th in the country and first in the ACC. In addition, her 0.83 goals per game rank 13th in the nation.
Fisher also leads the team in game-winners with four, which ranks sixth in the nation. Fisher scored game-winners against Syracuse, Brown, Wisconsin and Bowling Green.
Her 21 total points rank 20th nationally and second in the ACC.
BEST START
The Irish are now 10-1-1 on the year, marking Coach Norman’s best start at the helm of the Irish.
In addition, it marks the quickest the team has reached 10 wins (12 games or less) since the 2010 national championship season.
Notre Dame also made history in its last win at NC State, for it marked the first time the program has started 4-0-0 in ACC play.
IN THE RANKINGS
After achieving a top-25 ranking from Top Drawer Soccer heading into ACC play, the Irish continue to climb the charts. This week they check in at No. 15.
The Irish also finally cracked the United Soccer Coaches poll, checking in at No. 24. In the updated Women’s Soccer RPI, the Irish check in at No. 21.
WIN STREAK
With the win over NC State, Notre Dame has been the victors of six straight. During the win streak, the Irish have outscored their opposition, 25-3. Furthermore, Notre Dame has outshot its opponents 115-25.
In addition, there have been nine different goal scorers during said span: Maddie Mercado, Kiki Van Zanten, Sammi Fisher, Sophia Fisher, Olivia Wingate, Kaylie Ronan, Katie Coyle, Brooke VanDyck, Korbin Albert
FLEXING THE OFFENSIVE MUSCLE
Notre Dame has scored 34 goals which rank second in the ACC and 10th in the nation. Their 34 goals are already more than the last two years (2019 – 31 ; 2018 – 24) and the most in the Coach Norman era.
Notre Dame’s scoring offense of 2.83 ranks 16th in the nation and third in the ACC.
In addition, ND’s 92 total points rank 18th in the country and fourth in the conference.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Korbin Albert is not the only freshman impressing this season. In fact, several are.
Both Katie Coyle and Sophia Fisher have notched five points on two goals and one assist. In fact, Coyle is fresh off of her first career game-winner, scoring the second half of the 2-1 victory at NC State. Fisher also has a game-winner, scoring in the 1-0 victory at Marquette.
Last but not least, there’s Kaylie Ronan, who recently scored her first career goal in the win over Boston College on Sept. 26.
Thus, Notre Dame has had four different freshmen score this season.
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 104-26-6, good for a .787 winning percentage. In fact, they have only surrendered one loss or better on six separate seasons.
Looking at just the past three years, the Irish are 18-3-2 at home.
Notre Dame is unbeaten at home this season with a 6-0-1 record. The Irish have three home games remaining, including two this week. The last time the Irish went unbeaten at home was the 2008 season in which they went 26-1 overall (lone loss in the national title game).
DEFENSE STARTS STRONG
Sophomore Eva Gaetino has anchored the Irish back-line (as center-back) to a solid start, posting a 0.650 goals against average, which ranks 35th in the nation.
All-in-all, the Irish defense has allowed just eight goals with 37 shots on goals. Total shots wise, they are only allowing 6.8 per game.
Sophomore goalie Ashley Naylor has started the last six games for the Irish, allowing three goals and recording three shutouts.