SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – The Notre Dame women’s soccer team has a chance to clinch a share of the ACC title if the Fighting Irish beat Duke Thursday night at Alumni Stadium.
The No. 4 The Irish are on a six-game winning streak heading into their final game of the regular season against the Blue Devils. They haven’t allowed a goal since Sept. 25 against Pitt.
16 Sports caught up with the team to see where its focus lies with the postseason right around the corner.
“Our motto is game-by-game, but our goal is definitely a national championship,” says Mackenzie Wood, Irish goalkeeper. “We haven’t had that here in a long time and we definitely have the potential and motivation to do that this year.”
“The ceiling, I think it’s… there is none,” says Olivia Wingate, Irish forward. “Hopefully, our goal is to go out and win the national championship, so that’s what we’re striving for. Right now, we have our small goals in mind: we want to win the ACC regular season title, then we want to win the ACC tournament, then we want to win the national title. So yeah, our goals are big, and I think they’re super achievable.”
“The culture of our team is really strong,” says Nate Norman, head women’s soccer coach. “I feel like the whole team feels really behind (each other), whether they’re a 90-minute player, playing 10 minutes, or none at all. Everybody on this team feels like they have a huge part of what’s going on here, and I think that’s given a lot of momentum for us down the stretch.”
Seeding in the ACC Tournament is still up for grabs, with three teams tied atop the conference – including the Irish. With a win and some help across the conference, the Irish could move up into one of the top two spots.
Kickoff for Thursday night’s matchup at Alumni Stadium is set for 8 pm
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