SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-0-1, 3-0) remain undefeated as they took down the No. 22 North Carolina Tar Heels (7-4, 1-2) at Alumni Stadium in a 4-3 victory on Wednesday evening.
Since UNC has competed in the NCAA (since 1982) the Tar Heels have now allowed four or more goals in a match just four times, with ND achieving the feat twice.
Sophomores Izzy Engle, Ally Pinto, and Elle Hodsden, along with freshman Tessa Knapp, each netted a goal for the Irish in the 4-3 win. Sophomore goalkeeper Sonoma Kasica tied her season-high with five saves tonight.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Izzy Engle has been an absolute offensive force for the Irish and it wasn’t any different against the top-25 Tar Heels as she put the Irish on the board with her ninth goal of the season.
In the 7th minute, Engle dribbled from midfield with a shifty move just outside the box to get the shot off for a top shelf goal to give the Irish the 1-0 advantage.
It was followed by a career-first moment for sophomore Ally Pinto, who scored first career goal on a corner kick from Grace Restovich. The Pinto header in the 21st minute extended the Irish lead 2-0.
The No. 22 Tar Heels weren’t going anywhere as they found the back of the net in the 39th minute to bring it within one heading into halftime.
The Irish pressure paid off in the 54th minute. Notre Dame’s high press forced a Tar Heel turnover, as Tessa Knapp picked off an errant pass in the visitor’s box and slotted into an empty net to put the Irish up 3-1.
The North Carolina offense struck again as the Tar Heels fired a shot into right upper 90 to make it a one-goal match yet again.
With the Irish in front 3-2, Lily Joseph was battling her defender in the deep right corner of the field as she found Ellie Hodsden on a cross. The Hodsden header in the 72nd minute extended the Notre Dame advantage 4-2.
The Tar Heels would go on to net one last goal in the 86th minute, but the Irish defense persevered in the final minutes to secure the 4-3 ACC win over the Tar Heels.
UP NEXT
The No. 2 Irish are back in action at Clemson this Sunday, Sept. 28 at 6:00 p.m. on ACC Network.