Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 OCT. 15, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TODD D. BURLAGE N otre Dame graduate student Olivia Wingate had Sept 29, 2022, circled on her calendar at about the same time her Irish soccer career began in 2018. A native of Wilmington, Mass., that was the date when Notre Dame trav- eled east for a game at Boston College, providing Wingate a chance to play near home in front of family and friends. Staying on script, the talented at- tacker made good on her homecom- ing, tallying a goal and an assist in a 3-0 whitewash of the Eagles. This was the latest chapter to a fine career and a great start to Wingate's fifth and final season. Through 12 games and 10 wins, Wing- ate led the Irish with 17 points on 7 goals and 4 assists on a team that can score with any in the country. "Sometimes when you have a lot of good players it can be hard to get on the same page, and kind of click and mesh," Wingate explained. "This team does a really good job with that. Our together- ness is definitely something that stands out to me." A starter since her freshman year in 2018, and a steady contributor ever since, Wingate has appeared in 85 career games with 64 starts. She tied for third on the team in both goals (7) and points (19) as a senior last season. She also posted a .640 shot ac- curacy percentage, which led the ACC and ranked 17th in the nation. And while her stats were impres- sive on a 2021 team that went 14-6-2 overall and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, Wingate said there is a greater confidence and camaraderie with this year's squad. Both of which she said grew exponentially after a 1-0 upset win over No. 2 Virginia Sept. 22. "It was a perfect example of when we're all on the same page and every- body is doing it for one another, that we can beat anybody," said Wingate, whose Irish climbed to No. 17 nationally after that victory. A world traveler, Wingate has already competed with the U.S. Under-18 and Under-16 Women's National teams, two opportunities that took her to train- ing camps and tournaments in England (2017), the Netherlands (2016) and Italy (2016). She was already receiving scholar- ship offers from colleges as an eighth- grader, including one from Notre Dame, which — at first — wasn't cause for much celebration. "I knew it was a great school," she said, "but I didn't know if I wanted to move to Indiana!" Ah, but one campus visit sold her. And both the student and the university are the better for it. "I can't even put it into words," she said, "It's such a special place." Wingate's hope after this season is to play professionally for as long as pos- sible, and then not stray too far from athletics and start a career in physical therapy or athletic training. But for now … "I don't want to leave," Wingate said. "I get super upset thinking about not coming back. My time at Notre Dame has been so special." ✦ Soccer Standout Olivia Wingate Maximizing Her Final Season Wingate tallied a team-high 18 points (7 goals and 4 assists) during the Fighting Irish's 10-2 start. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS ND SPORTS Irish Roundup Through Oct. 6 CROSS COUNTRY Notre Dame's No. 13 nationally men's team notched a first-place finish and the No. 10 women's squad logged a fourth-place showing on their home course in the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invite Sept. 30 … The Irish are back in action Oct. 14 at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in Madison, Wis. MEN'S GOLF The Fighting Irish shot a 21-over-par 873 to tie for fifth at the Inverness Intercollegiate Sept. 26-27 in Toledo, Ohio … Next up for Notre Dame is the Stephens Cup Oct. 10-12 in Juno Beach, Fla. WOMEN'S GOLF Notre Dame tied for fifth at the Barbara Nicklaus Cup Oct. 3-4 in Dublin, Ohio … The Irish will take part in the Ivy Intercollegiate Oct. 10-11 in Springfield, N.J. HOCKEY (0-0-0 OVERALL, 0-0-0 BIG TEN) The Fighting Irish lost 5-3 to the USNTDP in an exhibition Oct. 2 … Notre Dame will open the regular season at Denver Oct. 7 and at Air Force Oct. 8 in the 2022 Ice Breaker. MEN'S SOCCER (5-4-1 OVERALL, 2-2-0 ACC) Notre Dame was edged 1-0 by North Carolina Sept. 24 in South Bend … The Irish rebounded with home wins vs. Kalamazoo (8-0) Sept. 27 and Boston Col- lege (2-1) Sept. 30 … Notre Dame lost 1-0 at Indiana Oct. 5 … The Irish have a home match vs. Louisville Oct. 8 before traveling to Duke Oct. 14. WOMEN'S SOCCER (10-2-0 OVERALL, 3-2-0 ACC) The No. 17 Fighting Irish suffered a 3-1 home loss vs. Pittsburgh Sept. 25, but bounced back with a 3-0 win at Boston College Sept. 29 and a 3-0 home victory vs. NC State Oct. 6 … Notre Dame hosted Florida State Oct. 9. VOLLEYBALL (5-9 OVERALL, 0-4 ACC) Notre Dame opened ACC play with road defeats at the hands of Florida State (2-0) Sept. 23 and Miami (3-2) Sept. 25 … The Irish also dropped a pair of league matches at home, falling 3-0 to Georgia Tech Sept. 30 and 3-2 to Clemson Oct. 2 … The Irish hit the road again to play Syracuse Oct. 7 and Boston College Oct. 9. — Steve Downey