March 2, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Five home matches, including an international friendly with the Haitian National Team, spotlight a challenging six-game training schedule for the Notre Dame women’s soccer team this spring, head coach Randy Waldrum announced Friday.
The Fighting Irish will open their spring schedule on March 31 by playing host to a four-team event that will be split between Old Alumni Field and the team’s practice ground, both located on Twyckenham Road on the eastern edge of the Notre Dame campus. At 11 a.m. (ET), Notre Dame will square off with Grand Valley State, which advanced to the NCAA Division II national championship match last season before finishing with a 20-1-4 record. In the other morning match, Valparaiso will take on Western Michigan. At 2:30 p.m. (ET), the pairings will reverse and Fighting Irish will face WMU (the reigning Mid-American Conference Championship runner-up), which participated in last fall’s Notre Dame adidas Invitational, but did not face the Fighting Irish — Notre Dame is 2-0 all-time against the Broncos during fall competition, most recently earning a 3-1 victory on Sept. 20, 1989.
The Fighting Irish continue their spring schedule on April 14, traveling to Fort Wayne, Ind., for the seventh annual University of Saint Francis Spring Fling at USF’s Bishop D’Arcy Stadium (admission is $5 and tickets are available at the stadium on match day). Notre Dame will face Dayton at 5 p.m. (ET) in the last of the day’s four matches, pitting two clubs that have met six times during the traditional fall season, with the Fighting Irish holding a 3-2-1 edge in the series. Notre Dame won its most recent match against the Flyers, 5-1 on Nov. 14, 1999, in the second round of the NCAA Championship at Old Alumni Field, with the Fighting Irish scoring four goals in a span of 7:22 midway through the second half to blow open what had been a tight match.
The following weekend, Notre Dame returns home to take on Big Ten Conference member Purdue, with the teams set for a 1 p.m. (ET) contest on April 21 at the Fighting Irish practice field. Admission for that contest is free (as are all matches played at Old Alumni Field and the team’s practice field), although fans wishing to attend are cautioned that traffic on campus will be heavy that afternoon due to the annual Blue-Gold Spring Football Festival.
The spotlight event of the 2012 Notre Dame spring schedule comes at 4:30 p.m. (ET) on April 27, when the Fighting Irish play host to the Haitian National Team at Alumni Stadium. Haiti is led by recently-appointed head coach Shek Borkowski, who has achieved tremendous success through his leadership at FC Indiana, a professional club that had its roots in nearby Goshen, Ind., through 2006 and now is based in Indianapolis. Under Borkowski’s guidance, FC Indiana won Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) titles in 2005 and 2007, and it will be part of the new WPSL Elite League (which includes several franchises from currently-suspended Women’s Professional Soccer) when it debuts this summer.
The friendly with Haiti on April 27 will be the opener in an international doubleheader at Alumni Stadium, with the Fighting Irish men slated to face Mexico in the nightcap. Admission will be charged for these matches — contact Notre Dame’s Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office (574-631-7356; UND.com/tickets) during normal business hours for more information.
Notre Dame will wind up its 2012 spring schedule on April 29, playing host to another Big Ten member when Iowa comes calling for a noon (ET) match at the Fighting Irish practice field.
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s soccer program, join the Fighting Irish women’s soccer news Twitter page (@NDsoccernews) or sign up for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the main page at UND.com.
— ND —
2012 NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SOCCER SPRING SCHEDULE
Saturday, March 31 – Old Alumni Field/ND Practice Field
11 a.m. – Notre Dame vs. Grand Valley State / Valparaiso vs. Western Michigan
2:30 p.m. – Notre Dame vs. Western Michigan / Valparaiso vs. Grand Valley State
Saturday, April 14 – Fort Wayne, Ind. (USF Spring Fling – Bishop D’Arcy Stadium)
5 p.m. – Notre Dame vs. Dayton
Saturday, April 21 – ND Practice Field
1 p.m. – Notre Dame vs. Purdue
REMINDER: This is the day of the Blue-Gold Spring Football Festival
Friday, April 27 – Alumni Stadium
4:30 p.m. – Notre Dame vs. Haitian National Team
Sunday, April 29 – ND Practice Field
Noon – Notre Dame vs. Iowa
All times listed are Eastern and subject to change // admission free for matches played at Old Alumni Field or ND Practice Field