| 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 No. 24 Notre Dame women’s soccer team will take its top-25 ranking and 6-1-1 record into ACC play this weekend when Syracuse comes to visit Alumni Stadium. The Fighting Irish and the Orange (4-2-1) will kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. ET. The game will stream live on ACCNX. Reminder to all fans that admission is free all season.
COMEBACK KIDS
Down 1-0 at halftime to 24th ranked Brown at home on Sept. 12, the Irish rallied for the 2-1 victory. Kati Druzina had one of her best matches in an Irish uniform, creating both goals to record her first multi-assist performance. In fact, Druzina had just two assists to her name prior to said match. The Irish scored off of crosses from the left side in both the 67th and 77th minute.
The Irish almost pulled off a rally down 2-0 at Missouri earlier in the year. Facing the two-goal deficit with just 20 minutes left in the match, the Irish scored in the 73rd and 87th minute. However, Mizzou scored in overtime and is the only loss on ND’s schedule.
SUCCESS AGAINST SYRACUSE
The Irish and Orange will meet for the 18th time on Saturday and it’s been one-sided thus far in the series, with Notre Dame owning a 16-0-1 advantage.
In addition, the Irish are unblemished at home with a 9-0-0 mark.
Syracuse is one of four opponents (Pitt, St. John’s, Providence) that the Irish have played 10 or more times and have not lost to.
Furthermore, Notre Dame has not allowed a goal to Syracuse in the nine previous home games and holds a 25-0 goal advantage in those games.
SAVED BEST SEASON FOR LAST
Sammi Fisher is making the most of her graduate season and is off to a blazing start. She has already matched her 2019 goal total of six goals, and she’s done so in just eight games. Her six total goals this year ranks 18th in the country.
Amongst those six, she boasts an impressive three game-winning goals, which ranks her fourth in the nation. Fisher scored the game-winners against Brown, Wisconsin and Bowling Green. In addition, her 13 total points ranks 37th nationally.
Career wise, Fisher has tallied 22 goals and 10 assists. She has started in 71 of 77 total games played.
AN IRISH QUARTET
Sammi Fisher (13 points), Olivia Wingate (7 points), Korbin Albert (9 points) and Maddie Mercado (6 points) are the attacking four-headed monster for the Irish.
First, there’s Fisher, who is a two-time All-ACC selection. She leads the Irish with six goals and one more would mark a new career best during a season.
Then there’s Wingate, who boasts two goals and three assists. She scored the game-winner against Purdue and was responsible for the assist of Albert’s game-tying goal at Mizzou that forced overtime.
Albert cracked the Irish starting XI on day one and has made the most of it. She ranks second on the team in points, boasting four goals and one assist.
Albert’s first two goals were on the road – at Wisconsin and at Mizzou. Her goal at Missouri tied the goal with three minutes left and forced overtime, before the Irish unfortunately suffered their first defeat.
Last but not least, there’s junior midfielder Maddie Mercado, who has two assists and two goals this season. Notable – Mercado had just two career assists to her name prior to this season.
JUST AROUND THE CORNER
The Irish have enjoyed a dramatic advantage in corner kicks vs its opposition, 51-16. Notre Dame’s 6.38 corners/game ranks 52nd in the nation.
The Irish scored off of a Sammi Fisher corner kick against Purdue, as Olivia Wingate headed it past the goalie and into the net.
BEST START
With the 2-1 win over Brown on Sunday, the Irish moved to 6-1-1 on the year, marking Coach Norman’s best start at the helm of the Irish.
The 2019 Irish started 6-0-0 but dropped three straight right after.
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 102-26-6, good for a .784 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 16-3-2 at home.
SOUTH BEND NATIVE ON A STREAK
Heading into the 2021 season, South Bend product Brooke VanDyck had scored two goals as a freshman, then one each her sophomore and junior seasons.
Fast forward to now, the senior has produced a first, scoring in back-to-back games (Detroit Mercy and Brown). She’ll go for three in a row and a new season/career high on Saturday.
— ND —