Women's Soccer
Wisconsin
Northwestern
| NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals: | #4 Notre Dame (14-3-4) |
|---|---|
| Opponent: | #3 Stanford (15-4-2) |
| Where: | Stanford, CA | Maloney Field at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium |
| When: | Friday, Nov. 29 | 5 pm ET |
| Watch: | ESPN+ |
| Social: | NDWSOC Twitter NDWSOC Instagram |
Notre Dame Notes | Butler Notes
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 12 Notre Dame women’s soccer squad (1-0-1) continues to roll on with its opening-season four-game homestand. This week, it’s in-state foe Butler (1-1-0) on Thursday, Aug. 24, then No. 10 Arkansas (1-0-0) on Sunday, Aug. 27. Thursday’s contest against the Bulldogs is set for 5:30 p.m. ET on ACCNX.
The Fighting Irish remain unbeaten after week one and are coming off a dominant 3-0 victory over Ball State.
GAETINO ALREADY MAKING AN IMPACT
In the three halves that Eva Gaetino has played, she and the rest of the Irish defense have only allowed two total shots on goal (Unfortunately one of those shots was the Milwaukee one that went in with 30 seconds left from midfield).
Not only is she locking it down in the backfield, but she’s also making herself an offensive threat on corners. She scored off a corner kick against Ball State on Aug. 20.
CUE THE SUCCESSION THEME SONG
If you are looking for a freshman that’s going to make an instant impact, look no further than 5-8 center midfielder Morgan Roy. The Michigan native started in the season opener and finished off a beautiful goal in the 2nd half.
Roy was ranked 59th in her class and won a Super Y National Championship.
Coach Nate Norman on Roy – “She’s an extremely creative and fun player to watch. She loves to attack, create chances and score goals. She has a great feel for the game.”
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER FRESHMAN DELIVERS
It was Roy in the season opener in terms of a freshman delivering a goal, then it was Meg Mrowicki in game two victory over Ball State. Mrowicki subbed in late in the first half and made her presence known, finishing off a great low cross from Audrey Weiss.
Mrowicki is a 5-10 forward from Arlington Heights, Illinois. Coach Norman on Mrowicki – “Meg is a strong, athletic and physical forward. She gives defenders issues with her sheer power. She can beat you in so many ways.”
GETTING THE SHOTS UP, NOW FINISH
In a similar storyline to last season, in week one, the Irish got plenty of shots off, unfortunately, they just weren’t finding the back of the net at the rate they wanted. After week one, Notre Dame ranks 5th in the country in shots per game with 28.5. They rank 24th in shots on goal per game with 10.5.
ND has posted a .368 SOG pct and is averaging a goal every 4.2 SOG.
Maddie Mercado is leading the charge with 6.5 shots per game, which ranks 3rd nationally. She also averages 2.0 shots on goal per game, the same as freshman Charlie Codd.
STANDOUTS FROM BALL STATE
Junior Sophia Fisher received high praise from Coach Norman following the 3-0 win over Ball State on Aug. 20. Fisher earned her first career start and then played all 90 minutes at defensive mid, winning ball after ball. Fisher even tallied her first goal of the season in the 84th minute, putting away a rebound off a corner kick.
Also want to shout out midfielder Erin Hohnstein. The graduate came off the bench and posted her first multi-assist game of her career.
MORE FROM MERCADO
In a preseason interview with Fighting Irish Media, Mercado said she wants one part of her legacy to be setting the goal for yourself to get better each and every year. And to put that into perspective, last year was Mercado’s best in an Irish uniform. She scored a career best 10 goals up top, which ranked 8th in the ACC and third on the team. She also set a new career high in game-winners with four, which included the 1-0 victory over No. 2 Virginia. Lastly, she tied her career high in assists with four, to total a new career best of 24 points.
With that said, she already got goal number one in game one. It was the first ND goal of the 2023 campaign in fact. And even she would admit, it could have easily been an opening day hat trick for the graduate against Milwaukee.
BECOMING MORE OF AN OFFENSIVE THREAT
Speaking of expanded roles, look for the growth in sophomore Leah Klenke. Last season, she was named the 7th best freshman in the country by Top Drawer Soccer and made their Freshman Best XI First Team. She also earned ACC All-Freshman Team honors. She started all 23 games as a freshman at left-back and even added two goals and two assists to her name. This year, Klenke looks to get a little more offensive, pushing up into the left-wing midfield position.
Klenke is also coming off a summer where she helped the USA U20 squad win the U20 CONCACAF championship.
IRISH LYNCH-PIN
Irish fans will have to wait no more to see their hometown girl on the pitch this season. Florida State transfer, national champion, and Granger, Indiana, native, Kristina Lynch will be back in action for the 2023 season – expected to start in the midfield on the right wing.
Lynch missed all of last season rehabbing an ankle injury sustained in the preseason.
At FSU, she was a two-time NCAA champion (2018 & 2021). She played in 77 games as a Seminole, including 51 starts. She scored a total of 12 goals, with three assists, good for 27 points.
The most notable goal at Florida State – the game-winning goal in the ACC Championship over North Carolina in 2018.
600 wins
With the win over Ball State on Aug. 20, Notre Dame achieved its 600th all-time program victory. A program that began back in 1988, Notre Dame has achieved three national championships and ranks third on the all-time wins list. The two teams in front – UConn and North Carolina.
— ND —