March 17, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team will not be playing any matches outside the South Bend area this spring, meaning that the place to see elite soccer during the next month is on the Notre Dame campus.
Friendlies with a professional foe in the Chicago Red Stars, and national teams from Mexico and Haiti, highlight a six-match 2015 spring schedule for the Fighting Irish. A total of five contests, including a neutral match between the Mexico Under-20 National Team and Michigan, will take place at Alumni Stadium.
Notre Dame, expected to return 10 regular starters and 25 veterans from its 2014 squad that reached the third round of the NCAA Championship, opens its spring slate on March 28 against Purdue. The 2 p.m. (ET) match will be played at the ND Practice Field (located on Twyckenham Road at the eastern edge of the Notre Dame campus), and admission for the contest will be free of charge.
The Fighting Irish venture to Alumni Stadium for two consecutive matches, beginning on April 8 against the Chicago Red Stars (a member of the National Women’s Soccer League) at 7 p.m. (ET). This will mark the third straight year that Notre Dame has faced the Red Stars, who earned a 2-0 victory over the Fighting Irish last spring at Alumni Stadium. Notre Dame battled during a spirited first half in that matchup, tying the Red Stars with four shot attempts in the opening 45 minutes of play.
The first international friendly for the Fighting Irish is set for the following week, when Notre Dame welcomes the Haitian National Team to old Alumni Field for a 7 p.m. (ET) kickoff on April 15. Notre Dame and Haiti have met the past three springs, with the Fighting Irish earning a 2-0 victory last year behind goals from junior captain Katie Naughton (Elk Grove Village, Illinois/Elk Grove) and classmate Anna Maria Gilbertson (Davis, California/Davis).
Notre Dame returns to the women’s soccer practice field for its final spring match away from Alumni Stadium, playing host to Michigan in a 1 p.m. (ET) contest on April 18. Admission will be free of charge. The Fighting Irish avenged a 1-0 defeat to the Wolverines in the third round of the 2013 NCAA Championship by blanking Michigan by an identical 1-0 score last spring at the UM Soccer Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
An international doubleheader is on tap at Alumni Stadium on April 22, with the Mexico U-20 National Team and Michigan set to square off at 4 p.m. (ET). Notre Dame and DePaul are expected to take the pitch with a planned start time of 7 p.m. The Fighting Irish and Blue Demons will meet for the first time since Notre Dame shut out DePaul 1-0 in double overtime on Oct. 19, 2012, clinching the 14th regular-season BIG EAST Conference Championship title for the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame closes its 2015 spring fixtures on April 24, hosting the Mexico U-20 National Team at 5 p.m. (ET) inside Alumni Stadium. The Notre Dame women’s soccer program has faced various squads from the Mexican national team system for many years, having posted a 7-2-1 record against Las Tri since 2001. The Fighting Irish won last year’s encounter over the Mexico U20s by a final score of 2-0.
Admission ($5 adults, $3 youths/seniors) will be charged for all spring matches played at Alumni Stadium, while Notre Dame faculty, staff and students, as well as Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross College students are admitted free. The Alumni Stadium gates will open one hour prior to kickoff for all scheduled events. For the doubleheader on April 22, one ticket is good for both matches.
For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Notre Dame’s Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office (574-631-7356) during normal business hours.
For more information on the Fighting Irish women’s soccer program, follow Notre Dame on Twitter (@NDsoccernews or @NDSoccer), like the Fighting Irish on Facebook (facebook.com/NDWomenSoccer) or sign up for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the main page at UND.com.
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