The Fighting Irish don’t just fight on the gridiron and we here at HerLoyalSons wanted to use the break from football to introduce you to the other Fall sports. There’re some great things happening on the fields, rivers and hills and dales of ‘merica as the Irish take on all comers around the country. So, without further ado, please, if you will, this:
Women’s Soccer: ND’s women’s soccer team brings a 7-3-1 record to Conntecticut this weekend as they square off against the Huskies (7-4-1) in Big East (R.I.P.) action. The Irish will play tomorrow, September 30, and you can watch the action via the internets (www.uconnhuskies.com) or you can listen to the radio broadcast on WHUS.org.
Coaching the Irish, as he has lo these fourteen (14!) years, is Coach Randy Waldrum, who ranks fourth on the list of NCAA Division I coaches with a 377-97-27 record. Coach Waldrum’s winning percentage is .779, or almost seven times higher than Denard Robinson’s INT percentage against ND last weekend, .167.
The Lady Irish struggled a bit, early doors, this season. Coach Waldrum, though is optimistic that the team’s current form is a harbinger of things to come. “The team seems to be confident about their play now,” Waldrum said. “There’s a difference of stepping on the field and hoping to win and stepping on the field expecting to win. I think we’re getting closer to getting to that ‘expecting to win’ mentality. That’s what we want them to have. I think we’re gaining some confidence. This will be a big weekend moving forward with that.”
Here’s hoping he’s right. I’d like to thank Coach Waldrum (@NDCoachWaldrum) for the quote and Chris Masters for getting it for me.
Follow the women’s soccer team on Twitter @NDSoccer
Men’s Soccer: Where the women are looking to climb the standings, the men are solidly there. Ranked eighth in the nation, ND (8-1-0) take on the second ranked UConn Huskies (8-0-1) TONIGHT at 7:00 p.m. EST. Again, you can watch all the action via www.uconnhuskies.com. The Huskies are 5-0-1 at home, so this will be a real test for the Irish.
The men are no strangers this season to playing, and defeating, ranked opponents. Thus far, they have vanquished number four Akron, number ten Indiana, and number twenty-one Duke. I am sure that all of you SEC-nerds out there recognized these teams as LSU’s first three opponents in football, so I don’t need to say anything more about it. In another interesting soccer/football confluence, Denard Robinson did not throw any interceptions during Notre Dame’s thrilling 1-0 win over Michigan on September 16 in double OT.
Follow them on Twitter @NDMenSoccer
Cross Country: The Irish overland runners are tearing it up in 2012, having turned in winning performances yesterday in the Notre Dame Invitational. Notre Dame’s women finished second and the men third against a field littered with top quality opponents. I confess to being as confused and overwhelmed by running stats as I am by cricket scoring, but I’ll tell you the Irish appear to be a strong team of late, especially as their performance in the ND Invitational comes on the heels of their 1st place performances in the National Catholic Championships earlier this month. No word from Father Sorin if the Jesuits are invited to such a thing.
You cannot follow the Irish Cross Country Team on Twitter. They must be too fast. Zing!
Rowing: This is a sport. I say this for my compadres down da bayou, who see their pirogues as mere transportation to the next gator bait or the best way to get around downtown sometimes. Actually, your author rowed in his freshman year, when rowing at ND was a club sport and the glaciers had yet to fully carve the mighty St. Joe. Times have changed and Notre Dame are the 9 time (“9 times?”) defending Big East champs. They take on about 417 other teams on October 21 in one of this international sports’ premier events, The Head of the Charles, in Bahhhhstahn.
Follow the Irish on Twitter @NotreDameRowing
Hockey: speaking of the cold, the pre-season rankings are out, and your Fighting Irish hockey team is in at Number Ten. Again, if you look at the Top Nine, you’d be forgiven for thinking these are SEC opening week opponents.
Volleyball: The 9-5 Fighting Irish host Marquette today at 2:00 p.m. EST and look to extend their three game win streak. Follow them on Twitter @NDvolleyball
Golf: The men are the defending Big East champs. The women play in the Windy City Classic in Chicago on October 1.
So there you have, it, folks. Whatever your sporting fancy, there’s something to offer this time of year. Get out, check it out and Go Irish!
- Finding Flaws in a Diamond: Clemson’s Rushing Offense - December 17, 2018
- Why Nobody Will Cotton to Notre Dame - December 3, 2018
- Irish Finish Regular Season Perfect 12-0 - November 26, 2018