This weekend, the Irish travel to Ohio to square off with both Ohio State and Toledo on the road.
After suffering a tough loss in double overtime against South Carolina last Friday, Notre Dame (3-1-2) bounced back for a decisive 4-1 victory at home on Sunday against Santa Clara.
Sophomore forward Jennifer Westendorf is still leading the Irish on the offensive side, with three goals and four assists so far this season. At the back end, sophomore goalie Brooke Littman continues to impress in her first season starting for Notre Dame, holding a 88 percent save percentage. She has allowed only three goals, compared to Notre Dame’s eleven goals scored, in the past six games.
Ohio State (4-0-1) and Toledo (1-3-1) are the last two teams left on Notre Dame’s non-conference schedule before the remaining 10 games are in ACC play.
The Irish have a 6-0 all-time series record against the Buckeyes, most recently defeating Ohio State in the 2010 national semifinal. The Buckeyes will be a tough test, however, as Ohio State is undefeated and has outscored opponents 13-3.
The Buckeyes boast a strong defense, and the trio of senior Sammy Edwards (two goals, four assists), senior Eleanor Gabriel (three goals, one assist), and sophomore Meghan Kammerdeiner (three goals, one assist) pose a threat offensively. The squad is coming off a convincing 6-2 victory over South Florida.
Against Toledo, Notre Dame is also undefeated, with a 3-0 all-series record; however, this is the first time the two teams will meet in Toledo. The most recent contest between the Irish and the Rockets was during the 2015 season, when the Irish shutout Toledo 3-0 in Alumni Stadium.
Toledo has gotten off to a slow start this season, losing its last three consecutive games. The Rockets’ most recent loss was courtesy of UC Irvine last Sunday, as Toledo was held scoreless in a 3-0 defeat. Senior midfielder Isa Echeverri leads the offensive attack with a goal and an assist so far this season.
Notre Dame’s matchup against Ohio State takes place Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The game is available for streaming on BTN Plus.
Sunday’s contest against the Toledo Rockets will kickoff at 1:00 p.m. at Scott Park in Toledo.
