Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ND Sports Midway through October, Notre Dame remained in a tie for the conference lead because it couldn't pull away in close games. "It's been a recurring theme that we have dominated all the ties we've had here. They've all been very similar. We've had the lion's share of possession but we haven't finished," head coach Bobby Clark said. "It's obviously a concern. We've got to start winning games that we're dominating." Clark said going from a team that produces chances to one that produces points is the hardest jump to make. Opponents play more conservatively against Notre Dame's attack, which gives them more obstacles to weave through on the way to the goal. A few key injuries have also slowed the Irish offensively. Of the team's top three scorers this season, only Shipp is at full health at the moment. Sophomore midfielder Patrick Hodan (three goals and two assists) has missed the last two games. Senior forward Leon Brown (four goals and one assist) is playing with a broken bone in his forehead, which limits his ability to use his head from close range. Shipp said playing with a slightly altered lineup has left the Irish lacking a bit of chemistry recently. It also leaves them a little tentative when a scoring opportunity lands at their feet. "I think it's just staying calm," he said. "We get the ball in the box and just that final touch to get open or that shot, people panic and kind of look up to see where the ball is going to go before they worry about striking it." Notre Dame can set a program record for the longest unbeaten streak if it doesn't lose in its last four games of the regular season, but it may be more important to prove to themselves they have what it takes to finish some of those games with a win. ✦ Irish Roundup Women's Soccer (9-4-1, 5-3-1 ACC) The No. 9 Fighting Irish rode a three-game losing streak into the final two weeks of the regular season. Late goals surrendered against Virginia Tech (1-0) and Virginia (3-2 in double overtime) dropped the Irish to fifth in the ACC standings. Volleyball (7-10, 1-5 ACC) The Irish notched their first-ever ACC win Oct. 12 with a 3-0 sweep over Georgia Tech. Junior Toni Alugbue led the way to a victory with 10 kills, 10 digs and four blocks. The victory snapped a seven-game losing streak for Notre Dame. Hockey (2-0) The No. 4 Irish opened their season with a pair of shutout victories over No. 18 Western Michigan. Steven Summerhays made 22 saves in each win, and seven different players scored for Notre Dame, including freshman Vince Hinostroza's first career tally.