| 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 |
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 12 Notre Dame women’s soccer squad knew this final four-match swing to end the regular season would be tough. The Fighting Irish have had a week to stew on that 4-1 loss to No. 1 Florida State and they’ll now look to bounce back and make a statement against No. 3 North Carolina. The Irish and Tar Heels will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
MATCH STORYLINES
First and foremost – this match is pivotal for that straight ticket to Cary, North Carolina, in the ACC Tournament and obtaining a top-two seed. It’s also about building that NCAA Tournament resume. Despite not earning a result at FSU, the Irish still have two more opportunities against top-10 ranked teams in UNC and Clemson.
And if the Irish didn’t already have a sour taste in their mouth from the Florida State loss, this match is a reminder of the team who knocked them out of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, one win shy of a College Cup appearance. In that Quarterfinal matchup, the Irish lost to the Tar Heels, 2-0, after not allowing a goal in the NCAA Tournament up to that point.
The Irish are trying to snap a six-match losing streak in the series. They haven’t defeated UNC since a 1-0 victory in South Bend on 10/14/16. The last win in Chapel Hill occurred on 9/15/13 in a 1-0 victory as well.
ANOTHER ACC BATTLE AT THE TOP
Notre Dame is currently in second place in the ACC standings with a 5-1-1 league record. The Irish are tied with Pitt and future opponent Clemson with 16 points with the Tar Heels right behind with 15.
GOAL SCORERS FROM ALL OVER
This season’s stats allude to the depth and balanced attack Coach Norman has at his disposal. Currently, six players boast four goals or more. All-in-all there have been 11 different goal scorers for the Irish — four of which have been freshmen.
It is three grad players who lead the way –> Mercado, Van Zanten and Lynch all have six goals. Ellie Ospeck, Meg Mrowicki and All-American defender Eva Gaetino follow right behind them with four goals.
ASSIST LEADER – LEAH KLENKE
Klenke has been an absolute sparkplug and the main cog that runs the Notre Dame offense. Klenke leads the team with nine assists, which ranks 8th nationally and first in the ACC. Her 0.64 assists per game also ranks 8th in the country and first in the league.
Get this, Klenke has registered points in eight of the last 10 matches. She has six assists in conference play.
Klenke now has a career-best 11 points on the season.
TRENDING
- Leah Klenke has recorded a point in four consecutive matches. As previously stated, she has notched one point in eight of the last 10 matches.
- Behind the efforts of Klenke and Ellie Ospeck, the Irish rank 22nd in assists per game, 4th in the ACC, at 2.4.
- Kristina Lynch has scored in back-to-back games. She also has scored three times in the past five matches. In addition, she’s recorded a point in three consecutive matches.
- Van Zanten has recorded two braces over the last five matches. Against Louisville on Sept. 30, she recorded a five-point night behind two goals and one assist. It marked the second most points of her career, only behind a hat trick she achieved back in 2020 against Miami. As a result, she was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week.
- Notre Dame ranks 12th in the country and 3rd in the ACC in shots per game with 18.2. Both Mercado and Van Zanten lead the Irish in this category with 3.2 and 3.3 shots per game, respectively.
- Heading into this week’s game, seven players now boast 10 points or more– Mercado, Ospeck, Mrowicki, Van Zanten, Lynch, Gaetino, Klenke.
- The key to victory – the Irish have scored multiple goals in every game they’ve won this season. Notre Dame has outscored its ACC opponents 20-10 thus far.
- Notre Dame’s scoring offense of 2.57 ranks 14th nationally and 4th in the ACC. Their 7.5 points per game ranks 15th in the country.
CUE THE CRAZY FROG
If you see the frog emoji in the comments section of any Ellie Ospeck post on social, it’s because her goal song is Crazy Frog and the team has rallied behind it.
Ospeck has turned up the heat in October and has achieved a lot of firsts: First career ACC POTW honor, first four-point performance of her career in the win over BC on Oct. 5, and first three-assist performance of her career in the win over Miami on Oct. 8.
She now co-leads the team in total points with 15 – for reference, her point total last year was four.
She now ranks second on the team in assists with seven, which also ranks fourth in the ACC and 25th nationally.
RECENT MOVES PAYING DIVIDENDS
Around the start of ACC play, Coach Norman changed several positions in his lineup and the moves have paid dividends.
First off, Maddie Mercado was moved from forward to center mid. She now co-leads the team in scoring.
Second one was moving Kristina Lynch from right back in the midfield to forward. Lynch also co-leads the team in scoring with six goals – which marks a career best for the graduate.
The next was starting Meg Mrowicki up top and bringing the speed of Ospeck off the bench. Mrowicki has been a great freshman breakout story for the 2023 season. She got the game-winner against Louisville on Sept. 30, which marked her fourth goal of the season. Then there’s Ospeck who co-leads the team in points with a career best 15.
Another has been the switch to Atlee Olofson in goal. She’s played in five ACC contests. Olofson earned her second shutout in the 3-0 win over Louisville, then made a career high eight saves in the 3-1 win over BC.
— ND —