Despite a No. 10 national ranking to begin the season, a 3-4 start has dropped the Irish out of the top-25. Starting this weekend, the squad looks to make the necessary adjustments to break back in.
Despite their troubles, the Irish can reach .500 with a victory against Hofstra Sunday.
Notre Dame pulled out a 13-12 win against the Pride last year thanks to senior captain Shaylyn Blaney's career-high six goals, including the game winner. Fellow senior captain Jackie Doherty said Hofstra will be a difficult matchup.
"Hofstra is an athletic team," she said. "I expect that they'll give us a tough game."
The Irish failed to score in the second half of regulation during their double-overtime game against Cornell Sunday, losing 6-5. Against the Pride, they will look to get their offense back on track.
Doherty said doing so will take some more careful attacking.
"One of the big keys is once we get possession, holding on to the ball a little longer," Doherty said. "We're definitely a fast-break team, but we need to work on being more patient at times."
As a leader on a struggling team, Doherty said she assumes some responsibility and looks for ways to improve.
"I feel really disappointed about how we've started," she said. "Obviously none of us imagined it going this way. As a captain, I have to look at how my leadership could change and how we can get better and get back to playing how we know we can play."
According to Doherty, the disappointing start has fueled additional competition in practice. She said her role as captain is to present a good example for her teammates in order to reach a level of consistency.
"At this point, everyone's playing for a starting spot in practice," Doherty said. "We've had glimpses of great play, but we need to be more consistent. I just try to lead by example by going 100 percent in every game and every practice and letting people know what's acceptable, and then trying to correct mistakes."
The Irish will take on Hofstra (3-5) in New York Sunday at noon.
