Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ND SPORTS by the graduation of All-American guard Kayla McBride and forwards Natalie Achonwa and Ariel Braker. The third pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft, McBride led the San Antonio Stars in scoring (13.0 points per game) and was a unanimous selection on the league's All-Rookie team this season. Complementing the veteran group is a three-player freshman class ranked as high as third in the nation by multiple outlets and featuring the nation's No. 1 prospect, 2013-14 Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year and McDonald's High School All-America 6-3 forward Brianna Turner. ✦ Irish Roundup CROSS COUNTRY Both the men's and women's cross country squads opened their seasons at the Crusader Open on Sept. 5. Despite their race being shortened to four kilometers due to weather, the men took first, led by sophomores Chris Marco and Jacob Dumford, who came in first and second, respectively. The women did not race a full team, but freshmen Sydney Foreman and Kaitlin Frei led the way for those who did run, finishing 12 seconds apart at fourth and seventh overall, respectively. MEN'S GOLF Notre Dame shot consistent golf at the Gopher Invitational Sept. 7-8 in Independence, Minn., tying for 10th with a 54-hole team score of 911. The Irish opened with a round of 302 before adding a 305 on day two and closing with a 304. WOMEN'S SOCCER (3-2-1) Notre Dame's up-and-down beginning swung back up after two home losses with a historic draw fol- lowing an upset road victory. The Irish traveled to California to face No. 16 Santa Clara and No. 4 Stanford. Notre Dame's youth shined against the Broncos, with goals from sophomore Morgan Andrews and freshman Karin Muya in the 2-0 victory Sept. 5. The Irish never found the net against the Cardinal Sept. 7, but neither did the hosts. The scoreless draw marked the first time that Notre Dame did not lose at Stanford. MEN'S SOCCER (2-1-1) The defending national champions' struggles continued in the annual Mike Berticelli Memorial Tourna- ment. The Irish opened the weekend with a convincing 4-1 victory over Dartmouth Sept. 6, before falling to Kentucky 1-0 Sept. 8. The Wildcats scored in the 90th minute on their only shot attempt in the second half. The Irish are ranked No. 1 nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.com. VOLLEYBALL (0-5) The Irish played the part of amiable hosts perfectly during the Golden Dome Invitational Sept. 5-7, gifting their guests three match victories. If not for snagging a set against Washington State in its opener, Notre Dame would have been swept in all five of its matches so far this season. — Douglas Farmer