Feb. 28, 2017
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team has assembled another challenging spring schedule in 2017, adding six matches to the slate, including three against professional or national teams.
The Irish will face three major conference opponents in exhibition play this spring. They will open the slate against Purdue on March 25, face Iowa on April 1 and match up against Marquette on April 22. All three matches will take place on the women’s soccer practice field.
The Irish will also host the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars (April 6), the Puerto Rico Women’s National Team (April 20) and the Mexico U-20 Women’s National Team (April 28) at Alumni Stadium. The near-annual Mexico game will take place as part of a doubleheader with the Irish men’s soccer team and the Mexico U-20 men’s squad.
Last spring, the Irish posted a 5-1-0 record in spring play, highlighted by a 4-1 win over Mexico in the spring finale.
2017 Spring Schedule
March 25 – Purdue, 1 p.m. ET (Women’s Soccer Practice Field)
April 1 – Iowa, Noon ET (Women’s Soccer Practice Field)
April 6 – Chicago Red Stars, 5 p.m. ET (Alumni Stadium)
April 20 – Puerto Rico Women’s National Team, 5 p.m. ET (Alumni Stadium)
April 22 – Marquette, 3 p.m. ET (Women’s Soccer Practice Field)
April 28 – Mexico U-20 Women’s National Team, 5 p.m. ET (Alumni Stadium)
Naughton In Camp With U.S. U-23 Squad
Notre Dame graduate Katie Naughton (’15) joined the U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team last week in La Manga, Spain, and will remain with the group in camp through March 7. The team will play in three matches, facing Japan (March 2), England (March 4) and Norway (March 7).
Naughton is one of 17 professionals joining the 22-player group in camp, along with four collegiate players and a high school senior. Naughton was the 19th pick by the Chicago Red Stars in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. She will enter her second professional season when preseason camps open in mid-March.
Naughton also joined the U-23s last March during a successful run to the Istria Cup in Umag, Croatia.
Flores Returns From Mexico Team Camp
Rising senior Monica Flores is recently returned from camp with the full Mexico Women’s National Team. Fresh off an appearance with the U-20 squad at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup at the end of 2016, Flores traveled to Mexico City to train with El Tricolor before heading to Vancouver to face Canada during its Olympic bronze medal celebration on February 4.
Look for a feature on Flores and her time with Mexico coming soon to UND.com.
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For the latest Fighting Irish women’s soccer coverage, be sure log on to UND.com, follow @NDSoccer on Twitter and like Notre Dame Women’s Soccer on Facebook.
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Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.