SOUTH BEND, Ind. – It’s Tourney Time once again on campus and the Notre Dame women’s soccer team is dancing as the No. 3 seed in the upper left quadrant. The Fighting Irish (11-3-4) will kick things off on Saturday, Nov. 11, at 6 p.m. ET inside Alumni Stadium. And their opponent? None other than next-door neighbor and now Missouri Valley Conference Champion Valpo (11-5-6).
NCAA TOURNEY HISTORY
For the 29th time over the last 31 years, Notre Dame women’s soccer qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
Notre Dame’s overall postseason record sits at 73-24-4, which ranks as the 4th most wins behind UNC (144-18-4), Florida State (76-19-4) and 2022 NCAA Champion UCLA (74-21-6).
Irish are an impressive 50-4-1 at home in the NCAA Tournament.
Irish boast 49 clean sheets in their NCAA Tournament history.
Notre Dame earned a third seed or higher for the third consecutive year.
THE ROAD AHEAD
With a three-seed, Notre Dame will only get to host its first-round matchup inside Alumni Stadium, which is none other than Missouri Valley Champion and next-door neighbor Valparaiso.
The top-eight seeds in said quadrant are as follows: No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 5 Texas, No. 6 Memphis, No. 7 Pittsburgh and No. 8 Texas A&M.
The Irish would only get to host the following weekend (second and third rounds) if two-seeded Arkansas would get upset in the opening round – they host Grambling.
The last time the Irish were a three-seed – you don’t have to look far. Two years ago, Notre Dame fought its way to the Round of 16 to square off against two-seed Arkansas in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks took that one 3-2 to advance.
Last year, the Irish earned a No. 1 seed and made it to the quarterfinal round where they lost to North Carolina. With two years on the cusp, the senior/graduate class are looking for that first College Cup appearance since 2010 and some revenge along the way.
EYES ON IRISH
Ranked in the top-12, with an RPI in the top-12, for the latter half of the season, the Irish enter the NCAA Tournament with an 11-3-4 record. Notre Dame finished in second place in the always-tough ACC, producing a record of 7-1-2.
The Irish recorded a 2-2-1 record against ranked opposition, which included wins against No. 8 Clemson and No. 16 Duke, with ties against No. 3 North Carolina and No. 10 Arkansas.
Four players were named All-ACC selections: Eva Gaetino (First Team), Kiki Van Zanten (First Team), Leah Klenke (Second…