NC State women’s soccer suffered a 3-0 loss to No. 17 Notre Dame in an important ACC battle on Thursday, Oct. 6 in South Bend, Indiana.
After defeating the Clemson Tigers 1-0 in its last outing, the Wolfpack (7-4-3, 2-3-0 ACC) took a step back against the Fighting Irish (10-2-0, 3-2-0 ACC) as it progressed into the final third of the 2022 regular season. With each game becoming more and more important, NC State couldn’t penetrate the Notre Dame defense, while the Irish offense seemed to be firing on all cylinders.
In nearly all of its losses on the season, NC State has been dramatically outshot by its opponents, and tonight was no different. Notre Dame fired 16 shots, six of which were on target, while the Pack only tallied four shots total. With only one shot on goal throughout the entire night, it’s safe to say that the NC State offense was shut down by the Irish.
Notre Dame got out to a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute after senior forward Leyah Hall-Robinson was called for a handball inside the box. After its opponent capitalized on the penalty kick opportunity, NC State held off the Fighting Irish for the rest of the first half. However, Notre Dame would seal the deal with two more goals in the final 45 minutes.
After doubling the lead in the 65th minute and tripling it in the 72nd minute, Notre Dame all but iced the match with its two second half goals. NC State attempted to get back into it but had very few opportunities to do so. Its best shot to get on the scoreboard came from graduate defender Lulu Guttenberger in the second half off of a free kick shot that went just wide of the right goal post.
Three more defenders got in on the offensive action for the Pack. Freshman Brooklyn Holt and sophomores Brianna Weber and Fernanda Soto recorded NC State’s other three shots on goal.
On the other side of the field, junior goalkeeper Maria Echezarreta made three saves but had to contend with Notre Dame’s unrelenting offensive effort. While the Wolfpack defense allowed three goals, the lack of offensive pressure by NC State against a ranked Notre Dame team allowed the Irish to run away with the uncontested 3-0 victory.
NC State will finish its three-game road stretch with its toughest test yet as the Wolfpack is set to face off against No. 5 UNC-Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are perennially one of the best teams in the nation and will give the red-and-white more than a challenge in Chapel Hill.
Kickoff for the rivalry showdown is set for Sunday, Oct. 9 at 1 p.m.
