Since joining the ACC in 2013, Notre Dame’s women’s soccer has never entered conference play with a better goal differential than the one it has right now. Since joining the ACC in 2013, the Irish have never opened conference play with a longer shutout streak than the one they have right now. Those statements sum up the current state of the 6-1 Irish, who head into a Thursday match at Boston College on a tear.
Notre Dame finished non-conference action with a lofty goal differential of +21. Since dropping their season opener to Michigan State, the Irish have not allowed a goal while posting four different games with at least four goals scored. Most recently, they steamrolled Northern Illinois and Marquette in a two-game weekend at home, outscoring the Huskies and Golden Eagles by a 9-0 margin. The tests will only grow tougher inside the expanded and intensified ACC, but Notre Dame could not be in a much better position to step onto the battlefield.
What to expect in conference play
Over the last three seasons, Notre Dame has thrived against ACC competition, posting a record of 21-6-3. Last year, the Irish went 7-1-2 in conference play, ranking second in the ACC standings for their best finish of head coach Nate Norman’s tenure. A fast start fueled Notre Dame’s in-league success, as the Irish opened ACC play at 5-0-1 with a critical win at Duke early on. The Irish also handled business at Alumni Stadium, winning all five of their home ACC matches by multiple goals.
This year, however, it might be more difficult than ever for the Irish to rank highly in the conference standings. As of Sept. 1, each of the top four teams in the United Soccer Coaches poll belonged to the ACC. Notre Dame will face two of them — Stanford and Virginia. The Irish also won’t have the luxury of easing into conference play at home. Four of Notre Dame’s first five ACC matches are away from home, including a potential top-10 showdown at Virginia on Sept. 21. Nevertheless, the Irish will end the year with four home games in two weeks and have a chance to secure important points when hosting contenders such as Stanford, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.
Finding the right Engle
While you could write a book about the start Notre Dame’s massive freshman class is off to this year, one first-year continues to jump off the page. Forward Izzy Engle, who collected her fourth multi-goal game of the season, has scored 10 times in seven games. Not just any seven games — the first seven games of her college career.
With those numbers, Engle currently leads the entire country with 1.43 goals per game. Her goal count ranks behind only that of Cal’s Karlie Lema, who has scored 11 times in eight contests. In the points department, Engle ranks third with 21. While her ridiculous pace is unlikely to continue as better opponents collect more film on her, Engle’s full-season projections deserve a look at this point in the season.
With seven games down and 10 to go, Engle is on pace to score 24 goals in the regular season alone. That mark would position her fourth on Notre Dame’s all-time single-season scoring list. Throw in four postseason matches at her current pace, and Engle would break Kerri Hanks’ record. On the single-season points leaderboard, her three-points-per-game pace would crack the program’s top 10 with just two added games in the postseason.
Breaking down Boston College
Given their preseason projection of 14th in the ACC, the Eagles are off a respectable start. While they haven’t faced any significant competition, they carry a record of 7-1 and a goal differential of +14. Boston College’s front-loaded conference schedule features — in addition to Notre Dame — SMU, Virginia Tech, NC State, Clemson and defending national champion Florida State before mid-October. Unlike the Irish, the Eagles have struggled dramatically in conference play, winning no more than one ACC game in any season since 2019. Last year, they went winless within league play while going 3-9-6 overall.
Through eight games this season, a former four-year Notre Dame forward has set the pace for Boston College on offense. Paige Peltier, who transferred away from the Irish as a graduate student this season, is tied atop the Eagle leaderboard in goals (four) and points (10). Alongside Peltier is Sydney Segalla, a junior who has stepped up after scoring only one goal in her first two seasons. Beyond those two, Aislin Streicek and Ella Richards — the only two Eagles with double-digit points last year — have pitched in with a combined 13 points this year. In goal, German product Wiebke Willebrandt has held the starting role since her arrival as a freshman and has 62 starts under her belt.
Historically, the Irish have dominated the Eagles to the tune of a 16-1-1 all-time record. Boston College has not beaten Notre Dame since 2003, as the Irish have won five consecutive matchups. In fact, that 2003 Big East semifinal match marked the only game in which Boston College scored multiple goals against the Irish. Last October, Notre Dame dispatched the Eagles in South Bend with a 3-1 defeat.
Notre Dame’s match at Boston College is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday at Newton Campus Lacrosse & Soccer Field.
