Aug. 17, 2007

In a rare rematch of the previous year’s national championship game, the Notre Dame and North Carolina women’s soccer teams will meet in a preseason exhibition on Sunday, Aug. 19, at Alumni Field (1:00 p.m.). The game is attracting plenty of advance interest from Michiana-area soccer fans, as 1,143 tickets had been purchased as of Friday at 5:00 p.m – through sales at the Joyce Center box office or online at und.com. Fans still can purchase tickets online through Sunday morning and then can purchase tickets later in the day at Alumni Field, with the gates to open at noon.

Top-ranked North Carolina returns eight starters from its 2006 NCAA championship team that went 27-1-0 while second-ranked Notre Dame has seven starters back from its NCAA runner-up squad that completed a 25-1-1 season. The 2006 championship game marked the first time in the 25-year history of Division I women’s soccer that both teams entered the title game with 25 or more victories.

Fans should be aware of the new parking situation at Alumni Field starting this weekend and to be in effect for all ensuing Notre Dame men’s and women’s soccer games. Due to the recent groundbreaking and start of construction for Melissa Cook Softball Stadium, the soccer programs had to shift one of their practice fields to the area immediately south of Alumni Field. In the past, this area had served as the primary parking area for games at Alumni Field. With the new configuration of the various fields, fans attending soccer games at Alumni Field will not be able to enter by car off Ivy Road. Instead, all vehicles carrying soccer fans should enter campus off Edison Road and proceed straight to the Eck Baseball Stadium parking area (a.k.a. Gold Lot) – before walking east on the small access road to Alumni Field.

** Look for plenty more Notre Dame women’s soccer preseason information coming to und.com throughout the weekend and over the next two weeks.