SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The road to the College Cup indeed runs through South Bend, as two storied programs collide at Alumni Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 5 p.m. ET. It’ll be No. 1 Notre Dame (17-2-3) hosting No. 2 North Carolina (18-4-1) in an ACC showdown. This will mark the first time this season the two league foes will have matched up against each other.
The Fighting Irish are looking to punch their ticket to the College Cup for the 13th time and first time since 2010 (when they last won the national championship).
Notre Dame is 7-22-3 all-time against North Carolina and 3-7 against them in the NCAA Tournament. However, this will mark the first NCAA Tournament matchup taking place in South Bend. Important to note, the Irish boast a 50-3-1 record at home in the NCAA Tournament.
NCAA TOURNEY HISTORY
Notre Dame’s overall postseason record sits at 73-23-4, which ranks as the third most wins behind UNC (142-17-4) and Florida State (75-18-4). UCLA is right behind with 71-21-6.
The Irish boast three NCAA championships, which is tied for second-most – 1995, 2004, 2010 – and five runner-up finishes (1994, 1996, 1999, 2006, 2008).
They are making their 16th appearance in the quarterfinals and first since 2012. They are an impressive 12-3 in that round.
UNBEATEN STREAK ROLLS ON …
Notre Dame is now unbeaten in its last 12 matches, outscoring the opposition 33-6 over that stretch. Their last loss was a 3-1 decision to Pitt on Sept. 25.
ALBERT SAYS HI TO HERMANN TROPHY COMMITTEE
Korbin Albert has been an absolute highlight reel over the final stretch to the season and we’ll let the following stats speak for itself.
Albert has scored an impressive 14 goals over the last 11 games.
4 multi-goal performances over the last seven games – 5 total on the season
16 total goals – 8th in the country – tops for a midfielder
0.8 goals per game – 10th in the country
37 total points – 9th in the country
1.8 points per game – 11th in the country
6 game-winning goals – 4th in the country
She has 3 PK goals, so when looking at her 13 non-PK goals – 10 have come from outside the box. In addition, three have come via direct free-kicks.
One of the best individual performances she’s had this season was against Florida State on Nov. 3 when she recorded her first career hat trick. The way she did, you just have to see to believe.
9 of her 16 goals have come against top-25 teams.
And oh by the way, she’s your 2022 ACC…