No. 6 Notre Dame women’s soccer has cruised through the beginning of the season, as five straight wins have propelled them to 6-0-1 on the season. After opening conference play with a 2-1 victory over NC State, the Irish turn their sights to a matchup with one of the most talented teams in the nation. No. 3 Duke will head to South Bend Thursday as Notre Dame hosts a top-10 matchup with postseason implications on the line.
The Duke Blue Devils currently hold a 6-1-1 record, with two ranked wins. Their only loss came against now-No. 1 Virginia. Offensively, redshirt junior forward Kat Rader leads Duke with 17 points on the season. Rader has been an elite playmaker this season, her seven assists tying for fourth-most in the nation.
Notre Dame has also been electric on the attack through the beginning of the season, scoring 3.43 goals per game, placing them within the top five offenses in the nation. Sophomore forward Izzy Engle currently leads the team with seven goals, including three game-winning goals. Fellow sophomore forward Annabelle Chukwu has been equally as impressive, scoring six goals of her own. Chukwu recently earned Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors and was instrumental in the win against NC State.
Last year, Notre Dame and Duke finished in a high-scoring 3-3 tie. Engle led all players in the match with two goals scored on her 10 shots. Chukwu was also a key performer with an assist and a goal on her sole shot. The previous season’s match was the 22nd time the two teams have met since 1989. Historically, the Irish lead the series 10-8-4, but they have a losing record over the last 10 matchups.
Anticipation is high for Thursday’s match. A win for either squad would cement them as one of the top teams in the nation and shoot them even higher in the rankings. The Irish are looking to avoid their first loss and acquire their most impressive win of the season. On the other hand, the Blue Devils are searching for a quality win to jumpstart themselves in ACC play after going 1-1-1 in their last three matches.
In addition to the implications in national rankings, the game will also have great consequences within the conference. The ACC is extremely competitive this year, with five teams currently ranked within the top 10 of the United Soccer Coaches national poll, including the entirety of the top 3. Last year, Duke ended the regular season at the top of the standings with no losses within the conference. Nonetheless, if this match slips away from them, it would mark their second conference loss this season. A 1-2-1 conference record at this point in the season could kill the Blue Devils’ hopes of attaining a high seed in the ACC Tournament. On the other hand, Notre Dame is currently 1-0 within the conference and is looking to improve on last season’s sixth-place finish. Moving to 2-0 would tie the Irish with Florida State, which currently holds the top record.
The match with Duke will continue Notre Dame’s “Cheer Her Name” initiative. The program is a celebration throughout the 2025-26 academic year that honors 50 years of women’s varsity athletics at the University. The match will kick off “Cheer Her Name” weekend, which will celebrate former student-athletes and others who have made an impact on Irish women’s athletic programs across multiple social and athletic events, including Friday’s volleyball match against Michigan and as Notre Dame football's matchup against Purdue.
