Teams hopeful for acc tourney
By JOE EVERETT sports Writer
notre dame will compete in the acc championships for the fifth time in program history this Friday, although the men’s and women’s teams are competing under much different circumstances than last year.
For the men’s team, the return of senior co-captain Kevin p ulliam from injury, in addition to the infusion of talented freshman and graduate student runners alike, have all contributed to a notably improved irish squad, one year removed from season chock-full of growing pains, frustration and a 10th place finish at the acc championships. irish assistant coach sean carlson talked about the current progression of the men’s team, their strengths and how they can be successful at accs this year.
“at p re-nationals, we ended up running as a group well — we had a 20 second [gap between our first and fifth runners] — we did a good job of running as a
team,” carlson said. “one of the big keys will be to keep a really tight split between our 1-5 and 1-7. We’re a team right now that doesn’t have any low sticks — guys that are scoring really low at meets — but we have a really solid pack of guys … so i think our team looks pretty good.
“Last year we finished tenth [at accs], and we’re significantly better last year, so it’d be cool to see a really bit improvement from the men’s team, and to see [a bit of the potential for next year].”
The men’s squad will also enjoy the luxury of being familiar with the course, as the acc championships are being hosted this year by the University of Louisville at the e p. Tom sawyer park — the exact same course the irish competed on two weeks ago at p re-nationals. That day, the men’s team finished second out of acc schools and 15th overall, and so carlson believes the team will enter the race with a great deal of
nd women’s soccer | nd 1, norTh caroLina 1 (2oT)
ND fails to overcome early goals in loss to Omaha
By JAck cOnc A nnOn sports Writer
on Thursday night, the no. 8 irish opened up their series against nebraska– omaha in compton ice a rena, and ultimately fell 6-4 after going down 5-1 to start the game.
it was the first time since 2012 that the irish (3-3-1) had played omaha (3-1-1), as the two programs are former conference foes in the ccha
The mavericks got off to a hot start in the first period and opened up the scoring 15 seconds in on their first shift, as mavericks senior forward david pope had a shot in that went in off a defenseman’s shin pad in front. That goal set the tone for rest of the period, as the irish played most of the opening frame in their own end. Just over five minutes in, mavericks senior forward Jake randolph beat irish freshman goaltender dylan st. cyr between his arm and his chest protector on a puck
see Xc PaGe 14 interhall
Last-second goal dashes Irish hopes of upset win
The no. 24 irish traveled to north carolina on Thursday night to take on the fourth ranked Unc Tar heels in their final acc regular season match. north carolina (12-2-2, 8-0-2 acc ) came into the match second in the acc, and hasn’t lost a match since sept. 7. despite the tough opposition, the irish (9-5-4, 5-3-2) played strong soccer throughout the entirety of the game. notre dame controlled possession in the first 45 minutes, and senior goalkeeper Lexi nicholas showcased her experience by anchoring a stifling irish back line. The Tar heels found little room to work with offensively in the first half, and only managed four shots.
The irish looked to catch the Tar heels on the break, attacking the defense with a series of runs and through ball attempts and playing fast, counter-attacking
By PARIS SHIRLEY sports Writer
While the notre dame varsity football team gears up for a playoff push, members of the no. 9 seed duncan highlanders (2-1) and no. 8 seed Fisher Green Wave (2-1) will welcome the opportunity for glory this sunday as they open up the interhall football playoffs. implications loom large as well this weekend as duncan and Fisher are familiar foes. The two teams met before this season in the season opener, but due to a rain delay in the middle of the third quarter had to postpone the finish.
in that contest, Fisher held the temporary lead over duncan by a score of 12-7, but upon finishing the match a couple of weeks later, it was the highlanders that shut out Fisher while adding a touchdown of their own in the fourth quarter to win 15-12.
duncan’s sophomore captain, Kyle Tomshack, trusts in his team’s familiarity with its opponent and
believes that the changes the highlanders made in the weeks and games between their delayed matchup with Fisher were warranted in the come-from-behind victory.
Tomshack also cited the team’s experience as an advantage that could spark a deep playoff run similar to last year’s. he spoke of the extensive upperclassmen leadership that was a byproduct of duncan’s relative “newness” as a dorm when they were underclassmen.
“[The upperclassmen players] really bonded together to put duncan on the map,” Tomshack said.
after making their way to the championship only to lose to stanford in the previous year’s playoffs, this year’s highlanders will not only benefit from the experience that run provided, but the desire to get back and accomplish what the team fell just short in doing last season. pay attention to the war in the
ZACH YIM | The Observer
Irish sophomore forward Jennifer Westendorf moves the ball downfield during Notre Dame’s 3-0 loss to Duke on Sept. 21.
duncan v. f isher
ANN CURTIS | The Observer
Irish senior defenseman Jordan Gross skates during Notre Dame’s 6-4 loss to Omaha on Thursday at Compton Family Ice Arena.
Observer Sports Staff