| 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 University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team (1-0-0) looks to keep its momentum rolling into a Sunday showdown with Indiana University (1-0-0). Kickoff inside Alumni Stadium is slated for 4 p.m. ET and will air live on ACC Network.
Important note for all soccer matches this year – Notre Dame Athletics has announced a renewed effort to enhance opportunities for the local community to experience Fighting Irish sporting events. All tickets to regular season Notre Dame home athletic events, besides basketball, football and hockey, will be free for all attendees.
WEATHERING THE STORM
The box score may show a 3-1 season-opening victory over Bowling Green on Aug. 19, but what it doesn’t say was how the weather impacted the flow of the game. After Olivia Wingate delivered a goal in the eighth minute to give the Irish an early 1-0 lead, lightning struck in the 27th minute. The weather delay ultimately lasted 2.5 hours as play was stopped from 7:33-9:58 p.m.
Yet, that didn’t stop the Irish momentum as Sammi Fisher scored just two minutes into the restart.
Then a couple of firsts rounded out the score for Notre Dame as Bri Martinez notched her first career goal off of a first career assist from Korbin Albert.
LOOKING FOR MORE B1G SUCCESS
A week before the season got underway, the Irish competed in two preseason tune-ups against Big Ten foes. Up first, Notre Dame hosted Ohio State at home and found themselves in an early 2-0 hole. However, the Irish ultimately rallied for the 3-2 victory. ND received goals from Kiki Van Zanten, Sammi Fisher and Olivia Wingate, as the latter scored in the final minute of play.
The Irish then traveled to Champaign to take on the Fighting Illini. It was all navy and gold, as Notre Dame cruised to a 4-0 victory, which included a goal from Brooke VanDyck.
RECORD NUMBER MAKE THEIR IRISH DEBUT
There was a record number of Irish debuts in the season opener on Thursday, as 11 different players donned the ND uniform for the first time in game action. In fact, all eight freshmen received minutes, including midfielder Korbin Albert who started.
All-in-all, 29 different Irish players received playing time in the win over Bowling Green. Outside of center back Eva Gaetino (71 min), Coach Norman was able to keep all his starters’ minutes under 65.
IRISH IN SEASON OPENERS
The Irish program, now in its 34th year, has achieved much success in its season openers, going 28-4-2.
When looking at specifically home season openers, the Irish haven’t lost an opener at Alumni Stadium since a 3-2 double-overtime defeat to North Carolina on Sept. 3, 1999. Since, the Irish have gone 14-0-2 in that span.
DYNAMIC DUO OF FISHER/WINGATE
Notre Dame’s two forwards plan on wreaking plenty of havoc on opposing defenses this season and their unique skillsets complement each other very well.
First, there’s Fisher, who is a two-time All-ACC selection. She enters Sunday’s matchup with 17 career goals and nine career assists. The graduate student is looking to top her 2019 season total of six goals and she’s off to a great start. On Thursday, Fisher scored in her third consecutive home-opener (2019-21). She almost got a second one in the first half when her shot from 25 yards out hit off the crossbar.
Then there’s Wingate, with the freedom to explore space and use her speed up top. “She’s one of the fastest kids in the country in my opinion,” said Coach Norman.
Wingate got the offense rolling in the opener in the eighth minute. A nice give-and-go with Mercado at the top of the 18-yard box led to a rocket in the upper left corner. It marked Wingate’s sixth career goal.
FRESHMAN STARTING – #2 KORBIN ALBERT
One rookie by the name of Korbin Albert was able to crack the starting lineup in the season opener. The freshman midfielder made an immediate impact, constantly advancing the ball into the attacking third and disrupting the Bowling Green defense. The bright spot of the night came when Albert recorded her first career assist and point when she delivered a beautiful low cross from the left side to a sprinting Bri Martinez on the far side of the six-yard box.
During a recent media call, Coach Norman said, “Korbin is a gifted attacking player that can do things on the ball that not too many players in this country can. She’s awesome in tight spots or 1v1 areas.”
ABOUT INDIANA
Coach Bennekom led the Hoosiers to their best season since 2013 with a 6-5-1 record. Indiana tied its record for most Big Ten program wins with six and recorded the most points in Big Ten Conference play. The Hoosiers placed fifth in the Big Ten for their highest finish since the 2013 season.
Indiana enters Sunday’s contest with a 1-0-0 record after defeating Valpo in their season opener on Thursday. Freshman forward Jordyn Levy scored the lone goal.
NEW BUT NATURAL FORMATION
The Irish sported a 3-5-2 formation to kick off the 2021 season. Coach Norman said the formation is what this team naturally gravitated to. “We want to press teams and attack relentlessly. I’m more concerned with are we making the right passes as opposed to trying to connect 20 passes in a row.”
— ND —