The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10-3-3, 4-2-2 ACC) return to action this afternoon at Spry, taking on the #1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-0-1, 8-0 ACC). The Deacs are still chasing a top 6 spot in the ACC and
a berth in the ACC tournament, sitting 1 point behind Duke in the final tournament spot. Wake ended a 3 game winless streak on Thursday, defeating Pitt by a 2-1 score at Spry. The Irish, meanwhile, are on an incredible hot streak, having won 12 straight games after a 2-2 draw #6 Arkansas in Fayetteville on 8/17. Most recently the Irish dispatched of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg by a 5-0 score to keep their perfect ACC record intact. For the Deacs, this is the first of two nationally ranked opponents to close out the regular season, as they will travel to Tallahassee for a matchup with #11 FSU next Thursday. This game gives the Deacs an opportunity to add another marquee win to their resume and likely reenter the national rankings, while the Irish have a chance to extend their undefeated streak by another game in their bid for a first national title since 2010.
Opponent History
There is no doubt about it: in a sport where there are very few blue blood programs, Notre Dame is one, sitting tied for 3rd all time with 3 national titles. The Irish played their first season of women’s soccer in 1988, led by Dennis Grace. In 1990, the Irish appointed Chris Petrucelli. Petrucelli almost immediately made the Irish into one of the nation’s top teams, as, after missing the NCAA tournament in his first three seasons and a first round exit in their first ever tournament appearance in 1993, the Irish went to the College Cup in 4 consecutive seasons, a run that included the 1995 national championship. Petrucelli would leave the Notre Dame program for Texas ahead of the 1999 season after 4 MCC titles, 4 Big East titles, 4 College Cup appearances, and a national title during his 9 year tenure. Randy Waldrum would take the big seat in 1999, and he would not skip a beat, immediately leading the Irish back to the national title game in 1999, and making the College Cup again the following year. He finally broke through for a national championship in the 2004 season, and, after falling in the Elite Eight in 2005, he took the Irish to 4 straight College Cups from 2006-2010, culminating in the 2010 national championship. All told, Waldrum posted a 292-58-17 record in South Bend from 1999-2013, earning 8 Big East titles, 8 College Cup appearances, and 2 national titles.
Since then, though, the Irish have fallen a couple steps behind the top teams in the nation. Theresa Romagnolo took over in the 2014 season after Notre Dame’s maiden season in the ACC, but her 4 year tenure proved not to be as successful as those of the previous two coaches. Romagnolo never advanced past the third round of the NCAA Tournament in her tenure, and, despite an ACC regular season title in 2016, she led the Irish to their second worst season by record in 2017, going 10-7-5 in what proved to be her final year in charge. In total, she posted a 51-21-13 record during her time with Notre Dame, but she would resign after that 2017 season. One of her assistants, Nate Norman, would then take the head coaching role, which he still holds. Norman had been an assistant under Romagnolo for the 2017 season, and had previously served as the head coach at Liberty and Western Michigan. His tenure got off to an inauspicious start, as the Irish posted an 8-10 record in 2018, the first losing season in their history, and missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years. After a second round NCAA tournament exit in 2019 and a second ever losing record in the split 2020/21 Covid season, Norman has stabilized the program, bringing it back towards its former glory. The Irish are currently on a 4 year tournament streak that will certainly extend to 5 in a few weeks, and Norman led them back to the Elite Eight in 2022, their first appearance since 2012, repeating the feat last season. This season has been Norman’s masterpiece, though, as the Irish look to be poised for silverware, whether that be the ACC regular season title, tournament championship, or a national championship. Norman has also had the edge against Wake Forest during his Notre Dame tenure, holding a 5-1 record against Tony da Luz and the Deacs. This has been par for the course for this series, as the Irish hold an all-time record of 11-2-1 versus the Deacs, including a 4-0 record at Spry.
Tactics and Breakdown
The Irish typically set up in a 3-5-2 formation, and, against the ball, they are a hard-running, high pressing side, looking to win the possession high up the field and counter quickly. When their press is broken, they are still hard working and organized, with their midfield and wingbacks dropping deep to assist the backline and their forwards tracking back into their own end to try to win the ball. In the attack, they are very direct, looking to get the ball up the field quickly, either to the feet of striker Izzy Engle with her back to goal, in behind with a through ball, or into the area with a cross from deep. This Notre Dame team has attacking talent all over the field, so, even though they tend to play more direct, they are not averse to carrying the ball through the middle or passing it up the field. They are a team that really thrives in transition moments, which has been a real issue for the Deacs defensively this season. Their two strikers can really take advantage of the space that a stretched defense affords them, and, with their two very attacking wingbacks and their extremely talented midfielders, they can create significant numerical advantages in the opposing end when they can catch them up the field. The only fault you can really find with the Irish, and it is hard to find a fault with a team that hasn’t lost a game in this conference, is that they can be susceptible to giving up opportunities in transition the other way, as their extremely attacking style can leave them shorthanded on the back end. For a Wake team that lives off of those transition opportunities offensively, that is something they will have to take advantage of.
Statistically, as you might expect, Notre Dame is one of the best teams in the country. They are the 2nd best scoring offense in the country by goals per game, averaging 3.46 goals per contest, also ranking 8th in the nation in shots per game and 7th in shots on target per game. They have scored 3 0r more goals in each of their last 7 games after a 2-1 victory against NC State on September 11th. The Deacs, meanwhile, have scored 3 goals in a game thrice this season, so keeping pace with the Irish offensively will be a challenge. Defensively, they are more of an average unit, sitting 8th in the ACC and 74th in the nation in goals allowed per game. With that said, they have kept clean sheets in each of their previous 2 games, and they have not given up more than one goal in a game to an unranked opponent this season. It is a Wake attack that has struggled a bit in recent games, but they should have opportunities today. All in all, this is a Notre Dame game that expects to dominate proceedings and outscore teams every game. For a Wake team that prides itself on its defensive mettle, they will need to have a big game in their own half today to secure a result.
Players to Watch
For the Irish, their attack rides on the back of their striker partnership: #3 Izzy Engle and #7 Annabelle Chukwu. They have been two of the very best players in the country this season, with Engle having registered 16 goals and 6 assists and Chukwu having posted 11 goals and 2 assists. Chukwu is an ultra talented player with the ball at her feet that always seems to be able to create space for herself, making shooting opportunities out of nothing, and taking advantage of a fair few of them. Engle, on the other hand, is a forward’s forward. She has great instincts in the area and finishing ability, and she has enough physicality, pace, and talent on the ball to challenge any center back in this country. The pair has accounted for 27 of the 51 goals the Irish have scored this season, so the Deacs will have to try to limit them as much as possible to get a result against this Notre Dame side.
For the Deacs, #21 center back Sammi Wiemann will have a critical goal in this game. Wiemann slotted into the Wake lineup on 10/9 against Louisville after having only made 2 appearances all season to that point, but, since then, she has not left. She has started each of the last 3 games, providing a calming presence on the ball when the Deacs are in possession and some serious defensive mettle when they are against the ball. With that said, she will have her hands forward with this Notre Dame attack and their press, so she will need to step up in a huge way for the Deacs to find a result in this game. Another player to keep an eye on is winger/forward Allie Flanagan. Flanagan has been in good form of late, delivering the assist for the game’s opening goal against Pitt, and, two games ago, scoring the Deacs’ lone goal in a 1-1 draw with Louisville. She has taken a bigger role in the Deacs’ attack in recent games and excels in transition opportunities. Against an aggressive Notre Dame team that plays a transition heavy game, Flanagan will likely be a central piece in any attacking moves the Deacs can put together.
Kickoff is set for 2:00 PM EDT. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX/ESPN+.
