Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 NOV. 14, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS O n Oct. 27, for the first time in pro- gram history, the Notre Dame women's soccer team captured the regular-season ACC title. After notching a 2-0 win over Miami, the Irish received the help they needed when Duke and Florida State both dropped their games. The Irish finished the regular season with an overall record of 12-2-4 and a 7-1-2 mark in conference play. For the season, the Irish allowed just eight goals while scoring 22 of their own. Different players played the role of hero throughout the season, and head coach Theresa Romagnolo said she was happy to see so many ath- letes make plays when called upon. "It's phenomenal to watch us, over the course of the year, continue to step up and have different players to be ready for their moment and play out of their minds," Romagnolo said. "It's been such an accomplishment, and something I'm so proud of with this group." Coming into the season, the Irish were fairly young, but Romagnolo said her team realized they needed to grow up quickly, and did so progres- sively as the season went on. "We knew we were going to be on the more inexperienced side this year," Romagnolo said. "You have new faces out there. Just to see the growth that we've had since August, it's been incredible." With the regular-season title un- der their belt, the Irish will now turn their attention to the postseason, where they'll try to capture an ACC Tournament title before moving on to the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame got its postseason off on the right foot by beating North Caro- lina State 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the league tournament Oct. 30. The Irish face North Carolina in the ACC semi- finals Nov. 4 in Charleston, S.C. The ACC final was slated for Nov. 6 at the same venue, and then NCAA Tourna- ment action gets underway Nov. 11. Romagnolo said that to keep up the success they've seen in the regular sea- son and the first part of the postseason, the Irish must focus on the little things. "We need to focus on improving every day," Romagnolo said. "Just pieces of our game. Just getting a little bit sharper, a little more composed." Mentally, Romagnolo said her team needs to approach every game with a heightened sense of aggression. "Never backing off of our mentality [is important]," Romagnolo said. "We need to have that strong, competitive mentality that whoever we line up against is going to have a hell of a day." Riding a considerable amount of momentum, this Irish team has the potential to do big things and Rom- agnolo said she's looking forward to seeing how things finish. "I'm so proud of what we've done," Romagnolo said. "And I'm excited to see what we can still achieve." ✦ MEN'S GOLF Notre Dame finished its fall schedule with a 13th-place finish out of 15 teams at the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational Oct. 24-25 in Vero Beach, Fla. The Irish carded a 14-over-par 878 in the 54-hole event. Sophomore Michael Delgado was the top finisher for the Irish, firing 2-under par 214 to tie for 21st. The Irish will return to action Feb. 13-14 at the Yestingmeiser Match Play in Dade City, Fla. WOMEN'S GOLF The Irish wrapped up their fall schedule Oct. 28-30 at the Landfall Tradition in Wilmington, N.C., with a 12th-place finish out of 18 squads. Notre Dame registered a 34-over 898 as a team and was led by senior Jordan Ferreira, who tied for 33rd with an 8-over 224. Notre Dame will resume competition at the Florida State Match-Up Feb. 10-12 in Tallahassee, Fla. HOCKEY (4-3-1, 1-1-0 HOCKEY EAST) The No. 9 Irish snapped a three-game winless streak with a dominant 6-2 win over visiting Connecticut Oct. 28. Junior forward Anders Bjork led the way for a balanced attack, tallying two goals and two assists. After a weekend off, Notre Dame looked to continue its winning ways Nov. 12-13 at Northeastern. MEN'S SOCCER (10-5-2, 3-3-2 ACC) No. 16 Notre Dame closed out the regular season with a two-overtime scoreless draw against visiting North Carolina Oct. 28. The Irish were the No. 7 seed in the ACC Tournament and drew No. 10 seed Duke in a first- round matchup. Inclement weather in South Bend bumped back the game from Nov. 2 to Nov. 3, and the Irish used the extra day of rest to post a 3-2 overtime victory over the Blue Devils. Junior forward Jon Gallagher, the ACC's leading goal scorer, tallied his 12th marker of the season with less than a minute remain- ing in the extra session to give Notre Dame the win. The Irish advanced to take on No. 2 seed Wake Forest in the quarterfinals Nov. 6 in Winston-Salem, N.C. VOLLEYBALL (18-6, 9-3 ACC) The Irish dropped back-to-back matches for the first time this season, fall- ing at home to Miami (3-2) Oct. 28 and No. 11 Florida State (3-1) Oct. 30. Notre Dame traveled to the state of North Carolina to play matches at Wake Forest Nov. 4 and at Duke Nov. 6. — David McKinney Irish Roundup Head coach Theresa Romagnolo said Notre Dame's first ACC crown was a true team effort. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS Women's Soccer Captures First Regular-Season ACC Title