# 2024 Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer team

The 2024 Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 2024 NCAA Division I women's soccer season. It was the 37th season of the university fielding a program. The Fighting Irish were led by seventh year head coach Nate Norman and played their home games at Alumni Stadium.
The Fighting Irish started the season ranked fifteenth and had a marquee match-up with thirteenth ranked Michigan State to start the season. Notre Dame lost 2–1, but later defeated thirteenth ranked TCU 4–0 to move up to ninth in the rankings. They then traveled to Michigan, where they won 2–0 to round out their matchups with Power 4 opponents in the non-conference season. They won their remaining four non-conference games to finish 6–1–0 during the non-conference season. Their ACC campaign consisted of alternating draws and wins to start the season. They drew with Boston College, NC State, and Louisville, 2–2, 1–1, and 0–0 respectively. They defeated fourteenth ranked Virginia, Syracuse and twenty-fifth ranked California. Their next three games would be against ranked opponents. The stretch started well with a 3–0 victory over sixth ranked Stanford, which boosted the Fighting Irish's rank to seventh. They drew 3–3 with top-ranked Duke before losing 2–0 to ninteenth ranked Virginia Tech. They finished the regular season ranked thirteenth, with a defeat of Pittsburgh.
The Fighting Irish finished 12–4–4 overall and 7–1–2 in ACC play to finish in second place. As the second seed in the ACC Tournament, they lost to third seed Florida State, in the First Round. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they were the fourth-seed in the Mississippi State Bracket. They defeated Milwaukee in the First Round, fifth seed Kentucky in the Second Round, and first seed Mississippi State in the Round of 16. Their quarterfinal opponent was Stanford, who they defeated in the regular season. Ultimately, Stanford prevailed in the tournament 2–0. Their ACC Tournament appearance extended their streak of qualification to six straight years, and this was the fourth straight NCAA Tournament for the Fighting Irish.

## Previous season

The Fighting Irish finished 14–4–4 overall and 5–1–4 in ACC play to finish in sixth place. As the sixth seed in the ACC Tournament, they lost to Clemson, who avenged their final regular season game defeat. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they were the third-seed in the Florida State Bracket. They defeated Valparaiso in the First Round, before falling to Memphis in the Second Round. Memphis was the sixth seed in the bracket, but was ranked number 8 at the time and Notre Dame was ranked number 9. Their ACC Tournament appearance extended their streak of qualification to five straight years, and this was the third straight NCAA Tournament for the Fighting Irish.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Maddie Mercado | 3 | FW | 5'8" | Graduate Student | San Diego, California | Graduated; drafted 27th overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft |
| Kiki Van Zanten | 7 | MF | 5'6" | Graduate Student | Buffalo Grove, Illinois | Graduated; drafted 21st overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft |
| Audrey Weiss | 17 | MF | 5'3" | Graduate Student | Greenwood Village, Colorado | Graduated |
| Eva Gaetino | 19 | DF | 5'11" | Senior | Dexter, Michigan | Graduated; signed professional contract with Paris Saint-Germain |
| Paige Peltier | 24 | FW | 5'11" | Senior | Hastings, Minnesota | Graduated |
| Waniya Hudson | 25 | DF | 5'6" | Graduate Student | Greece, New York | Graduated |
| Caroline Gray | 27 | DF | 5'9" | Senior | Johns Creek, Georgia | Graduated |
| Eva Wirtz | 28 | DF | 5'10" | Senior | Atlanta, Georgia | Graduated |
| Ashley Naylor | 31 | GK | 5'11" | Senior | Manhattan Beach, California | Graduated |
| Kaylin Slattery | 33 | GK | 5'6" | Senior | Cornelius, North Carolina | Graduated |
| Kristina Lynch | 34 | MF | 5'7" | Graduate Student | Granger, Indiana | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Reagan Pauwels | 25 | MF | 5'6" | Graduate Student | Wall, New Jersey | Cornell |
| Hannah Lemieux | 30 | MF | 5'7" | Junior | Fleming Island, Florida | Holy Cross |
| Katherine Montgomery | 31 | GK | 5'7" | Graduate Student | Geneva, Illinois | Missouri State |
| Source: |||||||

### Recruiting class

Source:
| Name | Hometown | Club | TDS Rating |
| Annabelle Chukwu FW | Ottawa, Canada | NDC Ontario | N/A |
| Riley DeMartino MF | Potomac, Maryland | Bethesda SC Academy | |
| Izzy Engle MF | Edina, Minnesota | Minnesota Thunder Academy | |
| Randie Foor DF | Fenton, Michigan | Michigan Hawks | |
| Abigail Gemma DF | Flemington, New Jersey | IMG Academy | |
| Melinda Hathaway DF | Birmingham, Michigan | Nationals | |
| Eleanor Hodsden FW | Dripping Springs, Texas | Lonestar SC | |
| Lily Joseph MF | Hamden, Connecticut | Connecticut Rush | |
| Sonoma Kasica GK | St. Petersburg, Florida | Florida Premier FC | |
| Abigail Mills DF | Southlake, Texas | Solar Soccer Club | |
| Rowan Pearl DF | Indianapolis, Indiana | Indiana Fire Academy | |
| Ally Pinto FW | Flower Mound, Texas | Sting Dallas SC | |
| Grace Restovich MF | St. Louis, Missouri | St. Louis Scott Gallagher | |

## Squad
### Roster

    As of January 28, 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 0 | GK | USA | Jackie Hollomon |
| 1 | GK | USA | Atlee Olofson |
| 2 | DF | CAN | Clare Logan |
| 3 | MF | USA | Izzy Engle |
| 4 | DF | USA | Leah Klenke |
| 5 | FW | USA | Ellie Ospeck |
| 6 | FW | USA | Paige Buchner |
| 7 | FW | CAN | Annabelle Chukwu |
| 8 | DF | USA | KJ Ronan |
| 9 | FW | USA | Charlie Codd |
| 10 | MF | USA | Ellie Hodsden |
| 11 | MF | USA | Sophia Fisher |
| 12 | MF | USA | Kiki Turner |
| 13 | MF | USA | Laney Matriano |
| 14 | DF | USA | Abby Gemma |
| 16 | FW | USA | Meg Mrowicki |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 17 | MF | USA | Riley DeMartino |
| 18 | MF | USA | Berkley Mensik |
| 19 | MF | USA | Ally Pinto |
| 20 | MF | USA | Abby Mills |
| 21 | MF | USA | Chayse Ying |
| 22 | DF | CAN | Tatiana Tagne |
| 23 | MF | USA | Morgan Roy |
| 24 | MF | USA | Grace Restovich |
| 25 | MF | USA | Reagan Pauwels |
| 26 | DF | USA | Melinda Hathaway |
| 27 | MF | USA | Lily Joseph |
| 28 | GK | USA | Sonoma Kasica |
| 29 | DF | USA | Rowan Pearl |
| 30 | MF | USA | Hannah Lemieux |
| 31 | GK | USA | Katherine Montgomery |
| 34 | FW | USA | Randie Foor |

## Team management

| Position | Staff |
| Head Coach | Nate Norman |
| Assistant Coach | Dawn Siergiej |
| Assistant Coach | Martin Rennie |
| Assistant Coach/Operations | Emily Voltz |
Source:

## Schedule

Source
| Date Time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site City, State |
| Exhibition ||||||
| August 6* 6:00 p.m. | No. 15 | at Western Michigan | None Reported | – | WMU Soccer Complex Kalamazoo, MI |
| August 10* 4:00 p.m. | No. 15 | Indiana | None Reported | – | Alumni Stadium Notre Dame, IN |
| Non-Conference Regular Season ||||||
| August 15* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 15 | No. 13 Michigan State | L 1–2 | 0–1–0 | Alumni Stadium (361) Notre Dame, IN |
| August 18* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 15 | at Samford | W 6–0 | 1–1–0 | Samford Soccer Complex (476) Homewood, AL |
| August 25* 1:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 14 | No. 13 TCU | W 4–0 | 2–1–0 | Alumni Stadium (705) Notre Dame, IN |
| August 29* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | No. 9 | at Michigan | W 2–0 | 3–1–0 | U-M Soccer Stadium (1,563) Ann Arbor, MI |
| September 1* 7:00 p.m., FloFC | No. 9 | at Butler | W 1–0 | 4–1–0 | Butler Bowl (649) Indianapolis, IN |
| September 5* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 9т | Northern Illinois | W 4–0 | 5–1–0 | Alumni Stadium (593) Notre Dame, IN |
| September 8* 1:30 p.m., ACCN | No. 9т | Marquette | W 5–0 | 6–1–0 | Alumni Stadium (784) Notre Dame, IN |
| ACC Regular Season ||||||
| September 12 7:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 13 | at Boston College | T 2–2 | 6–1–1 (0–0–1) | Newton Campus Soccer Field (796) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| September 22 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 16 | at No. 14 Virginia | W 1–0 | 7–1–1 (1–0–1) | Klöckner Stadium (1,311) Charlottesville, VA |
| September 26 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 13 | NC State | T 1–1 | 7–1–2 (1–0–2) | Alumni Stadium (721) Notre Dame, IN |
| October 5 1:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 17 | at Syracuse | W 3–0 | 8–1–2 (2–0–2) | SU Soccer Stadium (365) Syracuse, NY |
| October 12 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 13 | at Louisville | T 0–0 | 8–1–3 (2–0–3) | Lynn Stadium (375) Louisville, KY |
| October 17 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 12 | No. 25 California | W 5–2 | 9–1–3 (3–0–3) | Alumni Stadium (415) Notre Dame, IN |
| October 20 2:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 12 | No. 6 Stanford | W 3–0 | 10–1–3 (4–0–3) | Alumni Stadium (901) Notre Dame, IN |
| October 24 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 7 | at No. 1 Duke | T 3–3 | 10–1–4 (4–0–4) | Koskinen Stadium (1,049) Durham, NC |
| October 27 1:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 7 | No. 19 Virginia Tech | L 0–2 | 10–2–4 (4–1–4) | Alumni Stadium (394) Notre Dame, IN |
| October 31 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 13 | Pittsburgh | W 3–2 | 11–2–4 (5–1–4) | Alumni Stadium (277) Notre Dame, IN |
| ACC Tournament ||||||
| November 3 8:00 p.m., ACCN | (6) No. 13 | vs. (3) No. 6 Florida State First Round | L 1–2 | 11–3–4 | Seminole Soccer Complex (1,166) Tallahassee, FL |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| November 15 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (4) No. 13 | Milwaukee First Round | W 5–1 | 12–3–4 | Alumni Stadium (1,030) Notre Dame, IN |
| November 22 3:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (4) No. 13 | vs. (5) Kentucky Second Round | W 3–1 | 13–3–4 | MSU Soccer Field (290) Starkville, MS |
| November 24 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (4) No. 13 | at (1) No. 2 Mississippi State Round of 16 | W 2–0 | 14–3–4 | MSU Soccer Field (3,772) Starkville, MS |
| November 29 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (4) No. 13 | at (3) No. 14т Stanford Quarterfinals | L 0–2 | 14–4–4 | Cagan Stadium (2,042) Stanford, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. ||||||

## Awards and honors

| Recipient | Award | Date |
| Leah Klenke | Pre-season All-ACC Team | August 8, 2024 |
| Malia McMahon | ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week – Week 7 | October 1, 2024 |
| Ellie Hodsden | ACC Offensive Player of the Week – Week 10 | October 22, 2024 |
| Leah Klenke | ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week – Week 10 | October 22, 2024 |
| Izzy Engle | ACC Freshman of the Year | November 6, 2024 |
| Leah Klenke | All-ACC First Team | November 6, 2024 |
| Izzy Engle | All-ACC First Team | November 6, 2024 |
| Annabelle Chukwu | All-ACC Third Team | November 6, 2024 |
| Lily Joseph | All-ACC Third Team | November 6, 2024 |
| Annabelle Chukwu | ACC All-Freshman Team | November 6, 2024 |
| Izzy Engle | ACC All-Freshman Team | November 6, 2024 |
| Ellie Hodsden | ACC All-Freshman Team | November 6, 2024 |
| Lily Joseph | ACC All-Freshman Team | November 6, 2024 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
| United Soccer | 15 | 14 | 9 | 9т | 13 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 13 | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 6 |
| TopDrawer Soccer | 12 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 7 |