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The observer | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

WOMEN’S SOCCER

squad takes down syracuse 4-0 at home

Observer Sports Staff

The notre dame women’s soccer team (7-1-1) shined on saturday night in their Acc opener, beating the syracuse orange (4-3-1) by a demanding 4-0 score at Alumni stadium.

The Irish dominated the game from start to finish and outshot the orange 27-1 in the game. The Irish also did a great job of keeping possession throughout the game and putting pressure on the orange in their defending (Irish attacking) third of the field.

The Irish drew first blood early in the one with graduate student midfielder sammi Fisher scoring for the Irish in the seventh minute. Fisher was assisted on a cross by defender Katie coyle, who sent the ball in near the penalty marker. Fisher scored off of a volley that went off the post and in. Fisher is the leading scorer for the Irish on the season.

The Irish would strike again in the 37th minute of the game to double their lead. This goal was created with junior defender Waniya hudson sending a perfect ball into the box to junior forward Audrey Weiss. Weiss then headed the ball to junior forward Kiki van Zanten who sent the ball past the keeper. That goal was good for van Zanten’s second of the season. The Irish would take a 2-0 lead into halftime.

Katie coyle added another goal for the Irish in the 60th minute to make the lead that much more comfortable for the Irish. coyle’s goal came after winning a 50-50 ball against an orange defender. she then sprinted past another defender and pushed it past syracuse’s keeper to take a 3-0 lead.

The Irish would tack on another goal later in the game with freshman sophia Fisher taking advantage of a failed syracuse clearance. Fisher was on the edge of the box and struck the ball beautifully, sending the ball past a diving keeper.

The Irish will be in search of Acc win number two next Thursday with the team

see W soccer PAGE 10

FOOTBAll MEN’S SOCCER

Irish beat NC 1-0, prep for Michigan showdown

RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer

Irish senior forward Jack Lynn pushes through two Spartan defenders during Notre Dame’s home loss to Michigan State 3-4. Observer Sports Staff

Friday night notre dame men’s soccer picked up their first conference victory, taking down the north carolina state Wolfpack 1-0 at Alumni stadium.

It was a tense match, with both teams splitting possession and each getting a fair share of chances to take the lead. but it was the Irish who buried their last chance when it mattered most, with graduate student forward dawson mccartney receiving sophomore forward daniel russo’s pass across the face of the net and firing into the back of the net with a clinical finish. mccartney is now second on the Irish roster with seven points, with two goals and an assist on the year. notre dame’s sophomore goalkeeper bryan dowd was only forced into one save on the day, but the Irish net and defense were kept plenty busy by north carolina state’s attack squad. Led by junior forward Kuda muskwe, who took a team-high three shots and ncstate’s only shot on goal, the Wolfpack made sure the general

see m soccer PAGE 10

FOOTBAll

Hamilton shines out but gives credit to teammates

By JIMMY WARD

Associate sports editor

on a day that saw few offensive fireworks, a notre dame defense that spent most of the day bending but not breaking deserves a large share of the credit for the Irish win over Purdue. That defense had a vast array of contributors, but junior safety Kyle hamilton sealed the win for the Irish on saturday.

The free safety played like a free safety, allowing the defense in front of him to play freely and cleaning up any of their mistakes. hamilton combined with junior linebacker Jd bertrand for 22 total tackles accounting for a quarter of the 86 Irish tackles on the day. The

nd improves in win over Purdue

By EMILY DeFAZIO

Associate sports editor

The Irish were in for a battle against Purdue from the very beginning of the game on saturday. The matchup went on to be one filled with statement plays rather than steady progression on either side.

The Irish didn’t have a scoring drive for the entirety of the first quarter. Graduate student quarterback Jack coan was sacked immediately on the first play of the game, and the loss of nine yards set the tone for the quarter that lay ahead. Though there were some good throws from coan, a decent amount of his passes were incomplete. running back Kyren Williams had a few carries, but the attempts ultimately proved futile until quarter two.

Instead, it was the Irish defense that made an impact. Unlike during the game against Toledo — which was full of longer runs by the rockets — there were always defenders on hand after a Purdue pass to shut down the play at the earliest opportunity. The combination of junior linebacker Jd bertrand, graduate student defensive end myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, and graduate student mike linebacker drew White proved effective for the Irish, with all three posting tackles to halt the boilermakers advance. Junior safety Kyle hamilton was also a force to be reckoned with; in his first drive on the field, he nearly caught the opening interception of the day. Though the ball slipped through his fingers, he still broke up the play, and Purdue was forced to make a field goal attempt to put them ahead 3-0.

Graduate student wide receiver Avery davis had a career day, proving himself to be a consistent option for coan. With usual targets like senior Kevin Austin, Jr. tied down, davis became instrumental in the offensive play. In the first