RALEIGH, North Carolina — The University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team is preparing for the final stretch of ACC play and a Sunday afternoon road clash with NC State is up next. Coming off a 1-1 draw against ninth-ranked Duke Thursday night, the Irish turn their attention to the Wolfpack in their final road game of the regular season. Sunday’s matchup is crucial for seeding in the ACC tournament as the Irish and Wolfpack are separated by just one point in the standings.
Know the Opponent: NC State Wolfpack
- The Irish close out the fall break road trip with the NC State Wolfpack for the ninth time in school history Sunday afternoon.
- The Irish lead the series 6-2 all-time over the Wolfpack but it is split 2-2 for games played in Raleigh.
- Last time Notre Dame and NC State squared off, the Irish came out on top against the 21st-ranked Wolfpack 2-1 at Alumni Stadium. Karin Muya got the Irish in front in the first five minutes but NC State quickly equalized in the 10th minute. The game-winner came from Jen Westendorf after she tapped in an Eva Hurm cross that was deflected off the bar. The win gave the Irish their first ranked win of the season.
- The Wolfpack come into Sunday’s matchup with a 7-5-4 record and a 2-2-4 mark in ACC play.
- NC State is coming off a 3-2 overtime win at home against Syracuse Thursday night.
- With two matches left for each team in ACC play, Sunday’s game will have a big impact on the standings for the upcoming ACC Tournament. The Irish currently sit tied for 6th with 11 points and NC State is eighth with 10 points. The top-8 teams qualify for the ACC Championship and heading into Sunday, teams 4-10 are separated by just six points.
Irish Facts and Figures
- The Irish are sixth in the ACC in goals against per game (0.88) and are one of eight ACC teams that are averaging one goal or less allowed per game.
- Sammi Fisher leads the team with 15 points and is tied with Eva Hurm for the team lead in goals with five.
- Brooke Littman leads the squad with six shutouts in 10 games this season. She has allowed eight goals in 940:00 minutes of game time, good for a 0.77 goals against average.
- Littman currently ranks second in the ACC in shutouts (6) and seventh in the conference in goals against average (0.77).
- 10 different players have scored so far this season after only eight different players scored during the entire 2018 campaign.
- Sammi Fisher notched her first career hat trick in the 3-0 win over Miami. It was Notre Dame’s first hat trick since 2013 when Cari Roccaro scored three against No. 21 Maryland.
- Fisher tied a Notre Dame record for most goals in a half when she scored all three in the second half. Fisher’s goals all came in a span of 11:58 minutes of game time.
- The Irish have four players that have tallied a brace so far this season. Eva Hurm and Luisa Delgado scored twice against Northwestern and Autumn Smithers scored both goals against Western Michigan. Kiki Van Zanten was the latest Irish to tally a brace in the win over Pitt.
Wingate’s Equalizer Leads Irish to Draw Against No. 9 Duke
- The Irish kicked off their fall break trip with another top-10 road matchup Thursday night against the ninth-ranked Duke Blue Devils.
- Duke struck first in the 36th minute and kept the 1-0 lead late into the match before the Irish got the much needed equalizer.
- After sustaining much of the possession in the second half, Erin Hohnstein flicked a pass from Jade Gosar up into the box for a streaking Olivia Wingate.
- Wingate got behind the Duke defense and after a touch, fired the shot past the keeper for the goal.
- Neither team scored in extra time and the Irish and Blue Devils picked up a crucial point as ACC play is winding down in the final weeks of the season.
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