Men’s Hockey

The Notre Dame hockey team opened its 2024-25 campaign on the road at St. Lawrence University with a 4-1 win inside Appleton Arena. Currently ranked in the top-20 in the country, the Fighting Irish once again appear set to enjoy another solid year. While each of the previous two seasons has resulted in quarterfinal losses in the Big Ten Conference Tournament to Michigan and Michigan State in 2023 and 2024 respectively, the Irish will look to start a new winning trend this year. Sophomore forward Cole Knuble, the son of former NHL player Mike Knuble, has been electric on the ice to begin the season, leading the Irish in goals (3), points (4) and shots (12). In fact, after Notre Dame beat Clarkson 5-2 to improve early on to 2-0-0, Knuble was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week, having put up three goals and one assist through those two games. With this strong start, expect Knuble to take on a larger role on offense throughout the season during both 5-on-5 and on the powerplay. Looking ahead, Notre Dame has two huge two-game series against both Michigan (Nov. 8 and 9) and Michigan State (Nov. 15 and 16), who are both top-10 teams currently, before heading to the 2024 Friendship Four with Harvard, Merrimack and Boston University. With these games quickly approaching, it is critical that the Irish continue their strong start and maintain production from their younger players like Knuble, an important strength of this team.

Men’s Soccer

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Notre Dame men’s soccer team, as its winning percentage sits just above .600, but that’s not to say there haven’t been some impressive moments. In front of a packed Alumni Stadium on Sept. 27, sitting at a 3-1-3 record, the Fighting Irish completed a comeback, scoring the game-winning goal in the 86th minute and notching a 2-1 victory over the then-No. 12 Clemson Tigers. Senior forward Matthew Roou's tally helped the Irish get their revenge on the Tigers, who ended their season each of the last three years. This was a morale boosting win for the Irish, not only because of Clemson’s well-balanced team, but also due to their victory over Notre Dame in the College Cup Final in December of 2023. Since then, the team has had mixed results, but has recently come away with two strong victories: a 5-0 win against UIC and a 2-0 win against UC Berkeley. With one game to go in the season, the Irish hold a 7-3-5 record and look to keep their winning streak alive.

 

Women’s Soccer

Meanwhile, the Notre Dame women’s soccer team has experienced much more success this season. After starting the year with a disappointing home loss to Michigan State, the Irish proceeded to rattle off six-straight wins, including a 2-0 victory against Michigan and a 4-0 triumph over Northern Illinois. Since then, the team has had a variety of wins and ties, with just one other loss. Sitting well above a .500 winning percentage with a 10-2-4 record as of Oct. 29, championship aspirations have been building, though a recent loss against Virginia Tech broke a 14 game win streak for the Irish. The team now heads into the final game of the regular season against Pitt, where a win guarantees a spot in the ACC tournament.

 

Cross Country

Both the Notre Dame men’s and women’s cross country teams have had strong seasons, as evident by several impressive meet performances throughout the year. In the first meet of the season, the Winrow Valparaiso Open, the women’s team claimed victory and the men’s team took second, starting the season off on a high note. Several other successful meets have followed, including the 45th National Catholic Invitational hosted by the Irish, where both teams took first place, and the Joe Piane Invite, where the men took first and the women took third. Two of the mens’ runners have also been recognized for their strong performances this year: Graduate student Carter Solomon was named ACC Performer of the Week after the National Catholic Invitational and first year Griffith Tabbed was named ACC Freshman of the Week following the Joe Piane Invite. Spirits are high as the Irish head into the 2024 ACC Championships the first weekend of November, with the men’s team ranked No. 4 and the women’s team ranked No. 5.