SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Coach Norman knew game one would be a tough one – a top-15 battle for a squad in which five freshmen started. The result was a 2-1 defeat and a learning lesson. Now the Irish have proven that they can bounce back quickly. The program hasn’t suffered back-to-back losses since mid-October of the 2021 season. The next challenge is the first road test of the season, flying south to Samford.
The Bulldogs finished 12-4-5 last season, reaching their fifth straight SoCon Championship game. Samford is coming off a 3-1 victory in their season opener against Tennessee Tech.
STATE OF THE PROGRAM
Doug & Lisa Jones Family Head Coach Nate Norman is certainly hitting his stride on making Notre Dame women’s soccer an impactful program, and he shows no signs of letting up. For starters:
- Back-to-back seasons with either an ACC Midfielder (Korbin Albert in 2022) or Defender of the Year (Eva Gaetino in 2023). Both Albert and Gaetino were also First Team All-Americans and went on to sign with PSG.
- Back-to-back years in which multiple Irish were selected in the NWSL Draft. Kiki Van Zanten and Maddie Mercado were the most recent selections. Seven Irish have gone pro over the last two years.
- Back-to-back years in which the Irish made the ACC Tournament semifinals in Cary, North Carolina.
- Three consecutive seasons of earning a top-3 seed or higher in the NCAA Tournament.
- Three straight years in which Notre Dame has achieved 7 wins during ACC play (10-league game format).
- Notre Dame finished in 2nd place in the ACC in 2023 and outscored league competition 24-11.
- Irish are 8-5-4 against ranked opposition over the last two years.
KLENKE EARNS PRESEASON PRAISE
A Notre Dame standout to keep an eye on — Leah Klenke was named as one of the top returning players in the league and earned a 2024 Preseason All-ACC spot. She was the lone Irish representative out of the 12 honorees.
In addition, Top Drawer Soccer released its preseason top-100 Division I players list and Klenke checked in at No. 18 on the list. Sophomore Clare Logan joined her on the list at No. 51.
In addition, Top Drawer Soccer named Klenke to its Preseason Best XI Second Team.
In 2023, Klenke started all 20 games, logging over 1,740 minutes on the pitch. She led the squad with 10 assists, which ranked fourth in the ACC and 18th in the nation. In fact, she tallied the most assists in conference play with seven.
Klenke posted a career best 14 points on the season.
Klenke also booted…