Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 10, 2020 41 ND SPORTS BY TODD D. BURLAGE O ne of the perks for student-ath- letes at Notre Dame is the chance to soak in the sights, sounds and cul- ture from cities and other schools all around the country while competing in the sports they love. Unfortunately, those moments and memories are on hold this year after COVID-19 crashed the party. Complications aside and after months of worrying if it would even have a season, the Irish women's soc- cer team was finally able to build an abbreviated eight-game schedule and opened it with two games in Florida — first against No. 2 Florida State in Tallahassee Sept. 17 and then at Mi- ami in Coral Gables three days later. Irish head coach Nate Norman's team dropped the first game 5-0 to the powerful Seminoles, but bounced back and dumped the Hurricanes 6-0. Norman celebrated this terrific two-game turnaround, especially given the detailed precautions and grueling travel itinerary the team faced in pulling it off. "Everything is so new in the way we are trying to do all of it in this CO- VID world now," Norman said. "I was happy with their resiliency and that they were able to overcome all the ad- versity that was thrown their way." Instead of flying out of South Bend per usual, the team bussed to Mid- way Airport in Chicago on a Wednes- day and flew direct into Orlando, Fla. — a strategy designed to eliminate time and potential exposure navigat- ing a second terminal for a connect- ing flight. From Orlando, the team bussed four hours north to Tallahassee for its Thursday game, only to receive a shutout loss as a parting gift. The following Friday brought an- other bus ride, this time eight hours south to Miami, where the Irish re- bounded with the shutout win to sal- vage a 1-1 road trip. Back on a jet from Miami to Chi- cago O'Hare after the game, the team returned and bussed back to South Bend, arriving to campus at about 2:30 a.m. early Monday morning for a little sleep and a lot of coursework that same day. "To say it was a grind would be an understatement," recalled Irish senior midfielder and team captain Sammi Fisher, who tallied two goals and four shots in the Miami game. What made the road trip most dif- ficult for Norman and his players was being sheltered for the five days with meals at the hotel as their lone furlough. "We were gone for five days and we're essentially locking them in their rooms, we're only letting them out to eat. We're not going out and doing anything," Norman explained. "It's just, 'Come out, eat your food and go back to your room.' It's a lot of mental wear and tear." Fisher, also a team captain last sea- son as a junior, started in all 21 games in 2019 and led the Irish in goals (six), assists (five) and points (17). Notre Dame's shrunken eight- game regular-season schedule in 2020 won't allow Fisher to match her 2019 production, but she remains thankful to actually be back playing, and for everything Notre Dame has provided her so far. "My time here has been amazing," she said. "And during quarantine, I was able to reflect a little more on just how much it really has meant to me. "I've met so many amazing people here and I think that is what I value most." ✦ Women's Soccer Opens The Season With Grueling Road Trip After Notre Dame lost 5-0 at No. 2 Florida State Sept. 17, senior midfielder Sammi Fisher scored two goals to help the Fighting Irish salvage a 1-1 road trip with a 6-0 win at Miami three days later. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER/COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS Irish Roundup MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY Notre Dame opened the season by winning the Irish Classic, a dual meet with Louisville, Sept. 19 in South Bend … The Irish swept the top five spots in the race to total 15 points and went on to claim the top seven spots … Senior Yared Nuguse won the race with a time of 24:06.92. WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY The Fighting Irish captured the Irish Classic, a dual meet with Louisville, Sept. 19 in South Bend … Notre Dame produced the top five finishers in the race, led by sophomore Jessica Schneider's winning time of 16:59.21 … The next four Irish runners finished within 14 seconds of Schneider. MEN'S SOCCER (1-1-0 OVERALL, 0-0-0 ACC) Notre Dame opened the season with a 1-0 home win over Kentucky Sept. 17, but then fell 3-1 to No. 4 Pittsburgh at home in a non-conference match … The Irish were ranked No. 5 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 released Sept. 22. VOLLEYBALL (1-0 OVERALL, 1-0 ACC) The Fighting Irish opened the season with a 3-0 sweep (27-25, 25-22 and 26-24) at Louisville Sept. 25. — Steve Downey