CARY, N.C. – The No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-2-6, 8-1-1) fell 1-0 to the No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers (11-3-4, 5-3-2) in the 2026 Ally ACC Women's Soccer Championship Semifinals on Thursday afternoon.
Virginia outshot the Irish 9-1 in the first half and 12-7 in the match, scoring the game-winning goal in the 38th minute before heading into halftime. Junior forward and First Team All-ACC honoree, Izzy Engle, led the Irish with four shots on the day.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cavaliers held possession for a large piece of the first half, outshooting the Irish 6-0 through the first 20 minutes of play. Goalkeeper Sonoma Kasica recorded two saves over this span.
The Irish would have their sole shot of the half in the 22nd minute as Engle’s heel touch sent it to Lily Joseph at the top of the box. Joseph’s right-footed strike would hit the far post and land out of bounds for a Virginia goal kick.
Roughly ten minutes later, the Irish had another scoring chance as Chukwu attacked down the left flank. The junior forward sent a cross into the box in hopes to find the feet Engle running in on the attack, but the ball would just miss Engle as it was picked up by the Virginia keeper.
In the 38th minute, the Cavaliers would score on their eighth shot of the day to take the 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Looking for an equalizer, Engle took the first shot of the second half for Notre Dame in the 47th minute as she played a cross into the box, but her quick touch resulted in a Cavaliers save.
Engle would have a similar opportunity in the 67th minute as a cross from distance was delivered to the far post. The junior forward attacked on the weak side and while her touch was on target, Virginia made the stop.
Junior Ellie Hodsden fired it from inside the box in the 81st minute, resulting in another quick save to hold the Irish off the board.
In a persistent effort to level the score in regulation, the Irish tried to play a ball through a set of defenders in the box to the feet of Engle in the 86th minute, but the Virginia tackle would prevent Engle from getting the shot off.
Despite Notre Dame’s late efforts, the Cavaliers would advance with a final score of 1-0.
UP NEXT
The Irish will await their seeding in the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship selection show on Monday, Nov. 16 at 4 PM.