| 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 (1-0-1) hits the road for the first time for the 2021 season, starting with a trip to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers (2-0-0). That contest will kick off on Thursday, Aug. 26, at 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 pm CT inside the McClimon Track/Soccer Complex. It will also stream live on BTN+.
The Irish are 14-2-1 all-time against the Badgers with a 4-2 record in Madison.
LEARNING MOMENTS FROM GAME TWO
The Notre Dame defense was once again stout and the offense outshot the Indiana Hoosiers 13-5, but the Irish settled for a 0-0 draw. Furthermore, Notre Dame didn’t allow a single IU shot on goal. In addition, ND maintained 60 percent of the possession and boasted a 9-1 advantage in corners.
The Irish had several chances around the net, but just couldn’t get it on frame as Gaetino, Hohnstein, Albert, Wingate and Fisher all had near misses.
DEFENSE STARTS STRONG
With senior leadership in net in Mattie Interian and sophomore Eva Gaetino anchoring the back-line as center-back, the Irish defense has started the year strong defensively. Through two games, they’ve allowed just one goal, which was scored off a free kick right outside of the box against Bowling Green.
The Irish defense allowed just four shots on goal against Bowling Green, and more impressively, zero against Indiana.
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 Van Zanten, Fisher and 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 last Thursday, as 11 different players donned the ND uniform for the first time. In fact, all eight freshmen saw game action, 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 – which ultimately proved beneficial with Sunday’s game going 110 minutes.
DYNAMIC DUO
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 this weekend’s slate of games 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. That speed was on display in the opening minutes against Indiana – when she outran three Hoosier defenders and almost got the Irish on the board (see highlight package).
In the season opener, Wingate got the offense rolling 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. The freshman midfielder has made an immediate impact, advancing the ball into the attacking third and has gotten a few good looks on net.
In the opener, 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.
In game two, the freshman fired off a shot near the right-upper corner of the 18-yard box, as the ball sailed just over the upper-left 90.
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 WISCONSIN
Wisconsin is coming off of a 7-4-3 shortened season which only featured Big Ten opponents and advanced to the conference title game for the first time since 2014.
The Badgers were picked to finish fifth according to the Big Ten Conference’s preseason poll.
UW returns a strong group of players from last year’s squad, including two-time Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year Jordyn Bloomer. Also returning for UW is two-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree Maia Cella along with former Big Ten honorees Cammie Murtha and Lauren Rice.
UW also returns its leading goalscorer from last year in Emma Jaskaniec, who paced UW with four goals and 10 points during the 14-game season.
Wisconsin started its season by defeating Kansas City, 4-0, and Kansas, 1-0 – both on the road.
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. His ideal style – “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 —