| 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 |
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 15 Notre Dame women’s soccer team looks to get back in the win column and make a statement in ACC play with a big road week ahead starting with No. 6 Duke on Thursday, Oct. 21, followed by No. 7 North Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 24. Thursday’s contest kicks off at 7 p.m. ET, while Sunday’s game will begin at 1 p.m. ET. Both contests will stream live on ACCNX.
ACC STANDINGS
With the 2021 ACC Tournament only featuring the top-six teams, in what is a loaded conference, every remaining game is pivotal. At 6-1-0, the Irish sit in third place with a big matchup at No. 8 Duke on the horizon next. The Blue Devils are in fourth with a 4-2-1 league record.
No. 1 Florida State (7-0-0) and No. 2 Virginia (6-0-1) occupy the top two spots.
Wake Forest (4-3-0), who the Irish host on Oct. 28, is in fifth place. No. 3 North Carolina is also vying for a spot at 3-2-2.
BEST START
The Irish have won 12 times through its first 15 games, going 12-2-1 on the year. It marks Coach Norman’s best start at the helm of the Irish. Overall, it’s the team’s best start since 2010 when they began 13-1-1 and finished 21-2-2.
The Irish also made program history with its 6-0-0 start in ACC play. Virginia was its first loss, dropping to 6-1-0.
IN THE RANKINGS
After achieving a top-25 ranking from Top Drawer Soccer heading into ACC play, the Irish continued to climb the charts, reaching as high as No. 13. This week they checked in at No. 14
The Irish finally got some attention in the United Soccer Coaches poll as well, moving up to No. 15 as of the Oct. 18 poll.
EYE ON THE RPI
For the Oct. 18 week, the Irish boast the No. 10 RPI in the country. The ACC checks in with the No. 1 conference RPI. In fact, Notre Dame is 1-of-4 ACC schools in the top-10 RPI. Furthermore, the Irish are 2-1 against the RPI top-25 and 5-1-1 against the RPI top-50.
ON THE FRONT FOOT
Notre Dame has had a tendency to strike early, scoring a total of nine goals in the first 12 minutes of games this season – spanning seven games. In fact, they have done so in six of the past eight games:
Clemson 11:51 | Louisville 0:37, 9:28 | NCST 0:58 | BC 4:49 | Syracuse 6:38 | Detroit 1:43, 11:59 | Wisconsin 7:52
SAMMI FISHER
Sammi Fisher deserves to be recognized as one of the nation’s top scorers this season, as her 10 goals rank 23rd in the country and tied for first in the ACC. To put into perspective, her previous season best was six goals in 2019.
Fisher also leads the team in game-winners with four, which ranks 15th in the nation. Fisher scored game-winners against Syracuse, Brown, Wisconsin and Bowling Green.
Her 24 total points rank 25th nationally and leads all players in the ACC. In addition, her 0.67 goals per game ranks 33rd in the nation and third in the league.
WIN STREAK
With the 2-1 loss at Virginia, Notre Dame’s eight-match win streak came to a close. During the win streak, the Irish outscored their opposition, 30-4. In addition, Notre Dame outshot its opponents 152-38.
Furthermore, there were 10 different goal scorers during said span: Maddie Mercado, Kiki Van Zanten, Sammi Fisher, Sophia Fisher, Olivia Wingate, Kaylie Ronan, Katie Coyle, Brooke VanDyck, Korbin Albert and Eva Gaetino.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Coach Norman talked about how the freshmen class is his true first class at the helm of the program and they are certainly leaving their mark on this season.
Seven of the last 10 goals have been delivered from the foot of a freshman: Korbin Albert, Katie Coyle, Sophia Fisher and Kaylie Ronan.
Albert is the No. 8 ranked freshmen in Division I (according to Top Drawer Soccer) and she’s living up to the ranking. She owns the second most goals on the team with eight. In fact, she has four goals in the last four games, including an absolute rocket at No. 2 Virginia.
Katie Coyle recorded her first career game-winner, scoring in the second half of the 2-1 victory at NC State. Coyle owns two goals and one assist.
Sophia Fisher also has a game-winner, scoring in the 1-0 victory at Marquette. The freshman most recently scored in the win over Louisville, bringing her season total to three.
Last but not least, there’s Kaylie Ronan, who scored her first career goal in the win over Boston College on Sept. 26.
FLEXING THE OFFENSIVE MUSCLE
Notre Dame has scored 40 goals which rank second in the ACC and 13th in the nation. The 40 goals are already more than six of the past seven seasons.
Notre Dame’s scoring offense of 2.67 ranks 18th in the nation and 2nd in the ACC. In addition, ND’s 108 total points rank 24th in the country and 4th in the conference.
— ND —