The No. 13 Notre Dame women’s soccer team returned home to a packed Alumni Stadium on Thursday night, as they welcomed the North Carolina State Wolfpack to town for an important ACC clash in the annual “Irish Wear Green” game.
Coming off an impressive road victory over a top-20 Virginia Cavaliers squad in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Irish looked to continue their unbeaten streak, having earned at least a share of the spoils in every match since the opening night defeat against now-No. 1 Michigan State. Thursday’s match marked the first home ACC contest of the season for the Irish, but they were quickly in for a battle with a seemingly inferior NC State group, who entered with a measly 3-6-1 record following two home ACC defeats.
Irish control possession, but NC State strikes first
Following a slow offensive start from both sides, Irish freshman forward Annabelle Chukwu fired off the first chance of the evening off a nice cross from fellow freshman midfielder Grace Restovich. Chukwu’s left-footed attempt from about six yards out was turned away by the Wolfpack backline, who stood up strongly throughout the first half despite Notre Dame dominating possession.
Despite the early Irish control, it was NC State who opened the scoring on its first shot of the match. Freshman midfielder Mana Nakata served in an outswinging corner which found the head of the unmarked Taylor Chism, who made no mistake to give the Wolfpack momentum and the 1-0 lead in the 19th minute. The goal was also the first time the Irish conceded with sophomore keeper Atlee Olofson between the sticks this season.
Despite outshooting the Wolfpack 11-3, the Irish offense was held at bay for the remainder of the first period, and Notre Dame trailed at the intermission for just the second time all season.
Experienced Irish find equalizer
The Irish were nearly granted a penalty in the 49th minute when Restovich was brought down with mild contact towards the top of the 18-yard box. Referee JC Griggs took an extensive look at the play through VAR, but he eventually decided that the contact was minimal, and the Notre Dame threat subsided.
Notre Dame continued to attack on the front foot throughout the first 20 minutes of the second half, headlined by a strike off the foot of junior midfielder Leah Klenke that soared just wide of the right post. Some of NC State’s defensive momentum simmered when Chism, the team’s defensive leader and lone goal-scorer of the match, exited in the 67th minute with an apparent lower leg injury.
The Irish wasted no time to find the equalizer in Chism’s absence. Junior midfielder Laney Matriano served in a nearly identical outswinging corner as NC State’s opener in the first half, but this time it was Notre Dame senior captain Sophia Fisher who slotted it home to level the match at 1-1. It was the first goal of the season and sixth all-time for the midfielder from Scottsdale, Arizona. Fisher last found the back of the net in the top-10 win over Clemson at Alumni Stadium on Oct. 26, 2023.
Matriano nearly gave the Irish their first advantage of the night in the 81st minute, but her right-footed strike from roughly 20 yards out was deflected into the post by junior goalkeeper Olivia Pratapas for her eighth save of the evening.
NC State was held without a shot for the entirety of the second half, but the Irish were only able to make good on one of their 19 shots. While the unbeaten streak will stay intact for at least one more match, Notre Dame certainly expected a better result than a 1-1 home draw against NC State.
What’s next
Currently sitting in a tie for sixth place in the middle of the ACC standings, the Irish will face an extended break before returning to Alumni Stadium. Following a bye, the homestretch of the conference calendar begins next Saturday, Oct. 5, as the Irish will make the journey to Upstate New York to do battle with conference dweller Syracuse, a match that will air on ACCNX at 1 p.m. The road trip will continue the following Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky, as the Cardinals will search for a marquee victory against Notre Dame to solidify their spot in the NCAA Tournament field of 64.
Head coach Nate Norman’s squad will then return home for four of its final five matches to be played in the concluding two weeks of the regular season, the first of which being a date with California back at the friendly confines of Alumni Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 17.
