| 3-seed Notre Dame (12-3-4) | NCAA Tournament 2nd & 3rd Rounds |
|---|---|
| Where: | Fayetteville, AR | Razorback Stadium |
| Watch: | ESPN+ |
| 2nd Rd Opponent: | 6-seed Memphis (19-1) |
| When: | Friday, Nov. 16 | 4 p.m. ET |
| 3rd Rd Opponent: | Pitt or Arkansas |
| When: | Sunday, Nov. 18 | 7 p.m. ET |
| Social: | NDWSOC Twitter NDWSOC Instagram |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 1 seed Notre Dame women’s soccer team (15-2-3) dances on in the NCAA Tournament this weekend when it hosts a four-team regional starting on Friday, Nov. 18. The first matchup of the day will see No. 4 Michigan State vs. No. 5 TCU at 2 p.m. The nightcap will feature the Fighting Irish challenging No. 8 Santa Clara (11-6-3) at 6 p.m. inside Alumni Stadium. The two winners will clash on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 6:30 p.m.
To purchase tickets in advance, click here.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
For the 28th time over the last 30 years, Notre Dame women’s soccer is dancing in the NCAA Tourney.
Notre Dame earned a No. 1 national seed for the first time since 2008.
Notre Dame’s overall postseason record sits at 71-23-4, which ranks as the third most wins behind UNC (140-17-4) and Florida State (73-18-4). UCLA is right behind with 70-21-5.
The Irish boast three NCAA championships, which is tied for second most – 1995, 2004, 2010 – and five runner-up finishes (1994, 1996, 1999, 2006, 2008).
All-in-all, they’ve qualified for 12 College Cups and boast an 8-4 record in the Final Four round.
They have made a total of 15 appearances in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tourney. Thus, they are an impressive 12-3 in that round. However, the last time they made it to the quarters was 2012.
Irish improved to 48-3-1 at home in the NCAA Tournament.
Irish boast 47 clean sheets in their NCAA Tournament history.
UNBEATEN STREAK ROLLS ON …
Notre Dame is now unbeaten in its last 10 matches, outscoring the opposition 27-6 over that stretch. Their last loss was a 3-1 decision to Pitt on Sept. 25.
ALBERT SAYS HI TO HERMANN TROPHY COMMITTEE
Korbin Albert has been a highlight reel down the stretch and she got everyone’s attention in the Florida State matchup on Nov. 3 in what was one of the best individual performances of the season of any player. Albert recorded her first career hat trick and the way she did it, you just need to see to believe.
Albert has scored an impressive 12 goals over the last 9 games.
She’s your reigning ACC Midfielder of the Year Award.
She has scored a total of 14 goals, which leads the team and ranks 9th in the country.
She boasts a team best 32 points, which ranks 12th in the country.
She has 2 PK goals, so when looking out her 12 non-PK goals – 10 have come from outside the box. In addition, three have come via direct free-kicks.
Lastly, Albert owns five game-winning goals, which leads all ACC players and ranks 10th in the nation.
HOLD THE LINE
Notre Dame’s defensive/goalie crew now boasts 12 shutouts on the year – their most since 2016. Their shutout percentage of 0.600 ranks 12th in the country.
The Irish backline of Hudson, Klenke and ACC Defender of the Year Eva Gaetino have only allowed 60 shots on goal over 20 games – which equates to a stout 3.0 SOG per game.
6 games this season the Irish backline has only allowed 1 SOG or fewer: NC State (Oct. 6), Boston College (9/30), Virginia (9/22), Saint Louis (8/25), Western Michigan (8/21) and Marquette (8/18).
Mackenzie Wood won the starting role and has been solid in net – her 0.585 GAA ranks 16th in the nation, 2nd in the ACC. Furthermore, she has collected a career high 9 shutouts, which rank 24th in the nation and lead the ACC.
TAKING THEIR PLACE
The Irish have made major statements all season long to boost their resume. Take this stat — 4-1-3 against the top-25.
Notre Dame defeated then No. 2 Virginia 1-0, No. 3 Florida State 4-0 and tied No. 11 Duke, No. 19 Pitt and No. 5 Florida State in the rematch.
ND’s RPI was rated No. 4 entering the Tourney. They went 3-2-3 against the current RPI Top-25 and 7-2-3 against the Top-50.
Notre Dame earned two top-three wins during the regular season for the first time in program history.
The victory over FSU was its largest win against a top-3 program since Sept. 8, 2000 (6-1 win over #2 Santa Clara). Furthermore, the last time Florida State lost by 4 goals in an ACC matchup was on Oct. 15, 2002 against #2 UNC by a score of 5-1.
BREAKAWAY NUMBERS
The importance of scoring first? Well, the Irish are 15-0-1 and undefeated when doing so. Irish are also 9-0-1 when leading at the half.
Notre Dame is averaging 9.4 shots on goal per game, which ranks 4th nationally (1st in ACC). Overall, the Irish are averaging 20.1 shots per game, which ranks 6th nationally (1st in the ACC).
In comparison, shots on goal differential sits at 188-60.
All those shots have led to 50 goals on the year and a scoring offense (2.5) that ranks 11th in the nation (2nd in ACC).
2ND HALF STRONG
When looking at Notre Dame’s 50 goals – 33 have come in the 2nd half. The goal differential sits at 33-8.
home sweet home
The Irish have made Alumni Stadium a difficult venue for opposing programs to succeed in. Since its creation in 2009, Notre Dame has gone 117-28-8.
This year the Irish have gone 9-1-2 inside Alumni. Last season, Notre Dame went 10-1-1. Therefore, Notre Dame is 19-2-3 at home over its past two seasons. Since the start of the 2019 season, the Irish are 31-5-4 at home!
OFFENSIVE SPARKPLUGS
Notre Dame has tallied a 50-14 goal aggregate over the 2022 season. Out of the 50 goals – it’s come from 9 different players: Albert (14), Wingate (13), Mercado (9), Van Zanten (6), Klenke (2), Ospeck (2), Coyle, Fisher and Gaetino.
The trio of Albert, Mercado and Wingate are all having career high years up top in goals scored. .
Wingate rankings — 3rd in SOG per game, 1st in ACC (2.5) // 16th in total points, 3rd in ACC (31) // 13th in totals, 3rd in ACC (13)
Now add in Van Zanten to complete the four-headed monster that is the Irish attack. As a foursome, they have contributed 74.6 percent of the team’s points.
FRESH BLOOD
Two freshmen in Leah Klenke and Laney Matriano have been staples in the Irish starting lineup this season.
Klenke has started all 20 games for the Irish and Coach Norman had high praise for his talented upcomer: “one of the best incoming freshmen I’ve had here in terms of being ready to go game one. She can play any position.”
Week of Oct. 17, Klenke was named the 7th best freshman in the country by Top Drawer Soccer.
Matriano has started in 16 games this season in the midfield.
— ND —