Sept. 26, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 16/6 University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team will look to ride the momentum from a double-overtime win Thursday over No. 1 Virginia into its third top 10 clash in as many matches when the Irish welcome No. 3 Florida State to Alumni Stadium a 1 p.m. ET Sunday.
WHAT: Match 11
WHO: No. 16/6 Notre Dame (8-1-1, 1-1-0 ACC) vs. No. 3/3 Florida (8-1-1, 1-0-1 ACC)
WHERE: Alumni Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
WHEN: 1:00 p.m. (ET) – September 27, 2015
LIVE STREAM: WatchND
STATS:
TWITTER: @NDSoccer
GAME NOTES
Below, find the all you need to know before the Irish take on the Seminoles:
Scouting Florida State
The Seminoles opened ACC play last weekend with a 0-0 draw with No. 23 Duke, but defeated No. 7 Clemson 3-1 on Thursday in Tallahassee. With an 8-1-1 record, the reigning national champs are ranked third in the country in the NSCAA coaches’ poll.
In 2015, Florida State has outscored its opponents 28-6 with a 179-69 edge in shots. Midfielder Megan Connelly and forward Cheyna Williams lead the Seminoles with four goals apiece, while D/M Natalia Kuikka, F/M Berglind Thorvaldsdottir and Kaycie Tillman boast three goals each. Goalkeeper Cassie Miller has has started all 10 games for Florida State, boasting 19 saves, a .760 saves percentage and a 0.62 GAA.
Last Time They Met
The Irish and Seminoles did not meet until the postseason in 2014, as fourth-seeded Notre Dame fell to top-seeded Florida State 3-1 in the ACC Championship semifinal. The Seminoles scored two goals within five minutes of each other in the first half and added an insurance score in the second. The Irish did not score until the game’s final minute, when then-senior Karin Simonian thwarted the shutout with a goal off a corner kick by current junior Kaleigh Olmsted with three seconds remaining.
Last Time Out: Virginia
The Irish exorcised all sorts of demons Thursday with their victory over top-ranked and undefeated Virginia on the Cavaliers’ home turf in Charlottesville, Virginia. Thanks to a pair of goals by senior forward Anna Maria Gilberston, Notre Dame walked away with its sixth win in program history over a No. 1 team, including the first since a 1-0 win over North Carolina on September 15, 2013; its first overtime win since joining the ACC (1-6-2 in overtime since 2013) and just its second overtime win since 2009 (3-9-9 since an overtime win over St. John’s on November 6, 2009). The Irish also halted the Cavs’ 38-game home win streak, the longest active streak in the NCAA prior to Thursday.
Gilbertson In The Clutch
Senior forward Anna Maria Gilbertson has been an offensive force of the Irish so far this season, netting a team- and career-best seven goals, 16 points and 54 shots on the season. Her three game-winning goals puts her in a six-way tie for first place among ACC players, while she also paces the league in shots and shots per game (5.40). Of Gilbertson’s 54 shots, 27 have been on goal this season.
Irish Against The Top 5
Since the program was found in 1988, the Irish women’s soccer team has faced a top five opponent 63 times and compiled a 31-28-4 (.524) record against those opponents in that span. That includes Thursday’s victory over No. 1 Virginia, the program’s sixth win over No. 1 (6-9-2 all time). Notre Dame will go for win No. 32 against its second top-five opponent in as many games in No. 3 Florida State on Sunday.
—
Season and single game tickets for Notre Dame women’s soccer are on sale now. Visit UND.com/tickets or call the Murnane Family Ticket Office at 574-631-7356.
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.
— Joanne Norell, Athletics Communications Assistant
–ND–