The Notre Dame Women’s Soccer team has been propelled all season by its remarkable freshman class. Entering the NCAA tournament with an impressive 11-3-4 record and a No. 4 national seed, the Irish have defied expectations.
Despite their youth and inexperience, many doubted their ability to go far in the tournament. However, Notre Dame’s top four scorers are all true freshmen: Izzy Engle, Lily Joseph, Grace Restovich, and Ellie Hodsden. Over the past 10 days, they have silenced critics with their standout performance.
Now, the Irish are one of just eight teams remaining in the tournament, following victories over Milwaukee in Round 1, Kentucky in the Round of 32, and Mississippi State in the Sweet 16.
With a 14-3-4 record, Notre Dame will travel to Palo Alto on Friday to face off against conference rival Stanford, with a spot in the Final Four on the line. The two teams met earlier this season, with Notre Dame securing a dominant 3-0 victory at home.
Below is a recap of Notre Dame’s three NCAA tournament victories:
Feeling Elite!
No. 4 seed Irish are moving on to the Quarterfinals after a dominant 2-0 win over No. 1 seed Mississippi State.
#GoIrish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/0WUtwVlw2Z
In Notre Dame’s opening contest, the Irish made a statement, scoring early and often against Milwaukee. The aforementioned freshmen were once again at the forefront, with Izzy Engle netting her team-leading 17th goal of the season and Grace Restovich adding her 4th.
Five different players contributed goals in the dominant 5-0 victory. Reagan Pauwels, who transferred from Cornell for her final season, scored her first goal in an Irish uniform. Paige Buchner tallied her first collegiate goal, while KJ Ronan also found the back of the net for her first of the season.
While the offense was explosive, Notre Dame’s depth truly shone through. Along with five different goal scorers, the Irish recorded seven assists, with Ellie Hodsden leading the way with two.
🤯 TAKE A BOW IZZY ENGLE!
The ACC Freshman of the Year with absolute filth on the finish. Watch on ESPN+#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/oiugJT8t9G
The Irish came out strong against Kentucky, jumping to an early 2-0 lead within the first 13 minutes, thanks to standout freshmen forwards Izzy Engle and Lily Joseph.
Engle set the tone in the opening four minutes, scoring her 18th goal of the season to spark the momentum. In the 13th minute, Engle was fouled in the box, and Joseph confidently converted the resulting penalty kick for Notre Dame's second goal of the game.
Notre Dame led 2-0 at halftime. Kentucky responded with a goal in the 53rd minute, cutting the lead in half after a solid start to the second half. However, the Irish quickly regained control, answering just seven minutes later to make it 3-1.
Notre Dame’s most experienced player, Ellie Ospeck, showcased her exceptional speed and awareness by saving the ball from going out of bounds. She then found Joseph, who finished with poise for her second goal of the game — marking her second brace of the season and increasing her tally to eight goals on the year.
IRISH ANSWER!!
A heads-up play by @EllieOspeck, then a phenomenal individual effort from Lily Joseph!
ND 3 – UK 1 | 60'
Watch on @ESPNPlus. #GoIrish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/OIOf1hyGyH
Arguably the most dominant performance of Notre Dame’s three NCAA tournament victories came against Mississippi State. Entering the game, the Bulldogs were undefeated at home and had yet to concede a goal all season. The No. 1 seed Mississippi State had National Championship aspirations, but they had no answer for the Irish on Sunday night in Starkville.
If you’ve been following the Irish, you’ve probably heard this before: Izzy Engle opened the scoring for Notre Dame in the 25th minute. It was her 19th goal of the season, putting her in a tie for the most goals in the country. Just moments before that, Grace Restovich thought she had given the Irish the lead, only to be called offside. However, Restovich quickly made up for it. In the 30th minute, she rifled a brilliant left-footed shot into the upper-right corner, and the Irish never looked back.
Notre Dame’s dominance was on full display against what many considered the best team in the country. By halftime, the Irish had a commanding 14-1 shot advantage, finishing the game with a 24-8 differential. Mississippi State managed just one shot on goal the entire match, which came in the 81st minute.
If this was your first time watching, you would have easily assumed Notre Dame was the higher-seeded team. That’s how impressive the Irish were on Sunday night.
🚀 FROM RESTOVICH@GraceRestovich adds to Notre Dame's tally in the 30th minute.
ND 2 – Miss St 0
Watch on @ESPNPlus | #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/Yvz2MRxHym
A trip to Northern California awaits the Irish as they take on Stanford. Notre Dame has reached the Elite Eight for the 17th time in program history and the second time in three years under Head Coach Nate Norman.
The winner of this matchup will head to Cary, North Carolina, for the Women's College Cup.
The game against Stanford is scheduled for Friday at 5:00 PM ET. It's shaping up to be an exciting week of Irish athletics—don’t miss a moment!
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