SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-0-1, 5-0) remain undefeated after defeating the No. 23 Louisville Cardinals (10-3, 3-2) in a 3-1 victory at Alumni Stadium on Friday night.
Annabelle Chukwu, Ally Pinto, and Izzy Engle each scored a goal in the win. Morgan Roy, Abby Mills, and Engle each recorded an assist as well.
Engle leads the ACC and is second in the country with 12 goals this season. Scoring three points in the win tonight, she continues to lead the country with 2.56 points per game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both the Irish and Cardinals had some opportunities early, but it was an aggressive battle between the two top-25 teams. The Cardinals would strike first, scoring on a rebound off of a Kasica save in the 18th minute of play.
It didn’t take long for the Irish to respond as Mills played a ball over the top from the backline and Engle flicked it on to the feet of Chukwu. While the Louisville goalkeeper came off her line to try to make a stop, Chukwu was able to get around the goalie, which resulted in her placing it into an empty net to make it 1-all.
At a level 1-1 heading into the second half, the Irish offense started to heat up. In the 55th minute, Roy found Pinto on a corner kick as the Pinto header put Notre Dame in front 2-1.
Shortly after, Engle won the penalty on a collision with the goalkeeper. Shooting the penalty kick, Engle converted and is now a perfect 2-2 on penalty kicks this season. Engle’s 12th goal of the season extended the Irish lead to 3-1 in the 57th minute.
While both teams had some chances, the Irish would ultimately take home the win for a perfect 5-0 record in conference play.
UP NEXT
The Irish are back in action next Thursday, October 9 at home as they host No. 6 Florida State at 7:00 p.m. on the ACC Network.