SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 18 Notre Dame women’s soccer team (8-1-0, 1-1-0) will be riding a wave of momentum on Sunday when they host the Pitt Panthers (9-1-0, 2-0-0) inside Alumni Stadium. Fresh off an upset over No. 2 Virginia, the Irish look to remain undefeated at home this season (6-0-0). First touch is scheduled for 1 pm ET, streaming live on ACCNX.
TAKING DOWN #2 VIRGINIA
What a Battle in the Bend it was between two top ACC teams, but it was the Irish who ultimately broke through in the 76th minute for the 1-0 victory.
It marked the first signature victory (first top-10 ranked win) for head coach Nate Norman. It also marked the program’s first top-2 victory since the 2015 season – ironically enough over No. 1 Virginia (W 2-1).
The Irish, who lead the nation in corner kick attempts, scored its second goal of the season off a Korbin Albert corner. This time, a deflected header found Maddie Mercado’s left foot near the six-yard box.
For Mercado it marked her sixth goal of the season which ties Olivia Wingate for the most on the team. It also marks the most she’s ever scored in a single season in her career and she’s only nine games in. In addition, Mercado now leads the team in game-winners with three.
UVA entered the matchup with 30 goals, which ranked top-five in the country at the time. The Irish defensive line only allowed one shot on net.
Coach Norman during post-game media: ““We have a really simple goal. We want to win a national championship. And hopefully a win like this puts us in the conversation, puts us in the group that can do that. We just have to continue on and have some consistency.”
HOME SWEET HOME
The Irish have made Alumni Stadium a difficult venue for opposing programs to succeed in. Since its creation in 2009, Notre Dame has gone 114-27-6, good for a .796 winning percentage. In fact, they have only surrendered one loss or incurred none on six separate seasons.
This year the Irish are off to a 6-0-0 start inside Alumni.
Last season, Notre Dame went 10-1-1 with its lone loss being a 3-2 decision to Clemson in the ACC Tournament. Since the start of the 2019 season, the Irish are 28-4-2 at home.
NOTABLE NOTES
Notre Dame is averaging 10.7 shots on goal, which ranks 5th nationally. Overall, the Irish are averaging 22.7 shots per game, which ranks 4th nationally and 1st in the ACC.
Those shots have led to a scoring offense that ranks 37th (2.4) with a total goals ranking of 33rd…