A golden goal from senior forward Bright Dike just 53 seconds into overtime helped the Notre Dame men’s soccer team wrap up its regular season in style with a 2-1 victory over fifth-ranked Connecticut on Oct. 31. Dike’s tally was his ninth of the year.
“It was a great pass by [junior forward] Jeb Brovsky,” said Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark. “He played a beautiful little feed pass into Dike. We needed that one.”
Senior midfielder Michael Thomas had tied the match for the Irish in the 28th minute with an unassisted rebound tally, his sixth of the season.
Irish went unbeaten while picking up three points after a weekend series against Ohio State.
Notre Dame (10-7-1, 8-3-0 Big East), which dropped a 2-1 non-conference match at Michigan State Oct. 28, will host a Big East Tournament quarterfinal on Saturday.
Women’s Soccer
Sophomore forward Melissa Henderson notched the second hat trick of her career, scoring three goals in the first 28:03 of the first half as the No. 5 Fighting Irish bulldozed South Florida, 5-0, in a Big East Tournament quarterfinal game at Alumni Stadium Nov. 1.
Henderson raised her team-high scoring total to 11 goals on the season.
Notre Dame also got a goal and an assist from junior forward Lauren Fowlkes in the rout, while sophomore midfielder Ellen Jantsch added her first career goal. Three goalkeepers split the shutout without facing a single shot on net.
The Irish (15-3-1), unbeaten in their last 13 matches, travel to Storrs, Conn. for a tourney semifinal Friday against St. John’s. The championship match will be held Sunday, also in Connecticut (West Virginia and Marquette are the other semifinalists).
Volleyball
Sophomore outside hitter Kristen Dealy christened the new Purcell Pavilion with a service ace, then collected 16 kills and 18 digs to help the Irish stay perfect in Big East play with a 3-1 victory (25-18, 25-19, 22-25, 25-18) over Seton Hall Oct. 31.
The Irish (16-4 overall, 10-0 conference) followed up with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-23) sweep of Rutgers Nov. 1. Dealy finished with a team-high 11 kills, while senior outside hitter Christina Kaelin added 10.
Notre Dame travels to play at Marquette Friday and at Syracuse Sunday.
Hockey
For the first time this season, the Irish managed more than two points in a week, earning a win and a tie against Ohio State Oct. 30-31 at the Joyce Center.
In the series opener, freshman goalie Mike Johnson earned his second victory in as many starts, turning away 27 shots in a 3-1 victory. Notre Dame got goals from junior left wing Calle Ridderwall, senior left wing Dan Kissel and sophomore right wing Billy Maday.
The following night, freshman center Riley Sheahan and senior defenseman Kyle Lawson each lit the lamp, but the Irish could only muster a 2-2 tie with the Buckeyes through overtime. OSU picked up an extra point in the CCHA standings by winning the shootout.
Notre Dame (4-3-1 overall, 1-0-1-0 CCHA) plays two games at Alaska-Fairbanks this weekend.
Cross Country
Both the men’s and women’s teams earned sixth-place finishes at the Big East Championships Oct. 31 in Kenosha, Wisc.
Senior Lindsey Ferguson led the way with a 10th-place finish individually in the women’s race, while senior Jake Walker paced the men by placing 28th.
The teams will compete in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Nov. 14 in Bloomington, Ind.
Fencing
Sophomore Courtney Hurley won the women’s epee gold medal at a Junior World Cup event in Montreal Nov. 1. Hurley had won gold in that same event last year.
Meanwhile, freshman Abigail Nichols took silver in the women’s sabre at the Temple University Open in Philadelphia.
The Irish will next compete at the Penn State Open Nov. 21 and 22.
Men’s Swimming
Notre Dame improved to 3-0 on the season with easy victories over Cleveland State (178-122) and Miami University (232.5-67.5) on Oct. 31 at the Rolfs Aquatic Center.
Senior John Lytle had two individual victories (100 and 200 freestyle) and keyed a relay win for the Irish men, who travel with the women’s team to Purdue for dual meets on Friday.
Men’s Golf
The Irish wrapped up the fall season with a second-place finish at The Match Play in Southern Pines, N.C. Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
Notre Dame had defeated Georgetown and Connecticut to reach the finals before falling to Louisville, 3.5 to 2.5.
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