Week One: South Florida
It was sunny at first, and then the rain came. And it came again. Then it got darker, and darker again, until everything was black.
It was sunny at first, and then the rain came. And it came again. Then it got darker, and darker again, until everything was black.
The Belles dominated in the Defiance Classic with two 4-0 shutout victories over Defiance College and Thiel College this weekend, snatching their first tournament win since 2008.
Two loses over the weekend at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., ended Notre Dame's undefeated season as the Irish fell to host Stanford and Saint Mary's (Calif.).
Both the women's and men's teams beat the heat and placed second this weekend at Valparaiso's Crusader Invitational in Valapraiso, Ind.
The quarterback controversy that has been brewing in South Bend since the beginning of last year's spring practice took yet another twist Saturday, leaving fans, players and even coaches apparently befuddled.
Saint Mary's traveled to the Mount Union Tournament in Alliance, Ohio, to open its season and left with a 1-3 record. The squad earned a win over Allegheny but suffered losses to Mount Union, Geneva and Mount St. Joseph.
The Saint Mary's cross country team braved the heat in their season opening race Saturday at the Hokum Karem meet at Wabash College. The team finished third with a group score of 29.
All-American senior forward Melissa Henderson capped a stunning weekend with a hat trick as she led Notre Dame to the Adidas Invitational title this weekend.
The Irish split their two games at the season's kickoff tournament, the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic, with a 4-1 win over Dayton Friday and a 2-1 double-overtime loss against Saint Louis on Sunday in Bloomington, Ind.
Turnovers and mistakes cost the Irish in a 23-20 loss to South Florida Saturday in the season opener for both teams.
After dropping two consecutive matchups for the first time in 45 games, No. 10 Notre Dame will come home and try to salvage its hopes for this season in the Adidas Invitational this weekend.
After three years of finishing just outside the top three in the MIAA standings, Saint Mary's finally broke through and finished the 2010 season in third place.
After starting its season with three straight victories, Notre Dame received 15 votes in the latest AVCA top-25 poll. Irish coach Debbie Brown, however, couldn't care less.
Notre Dame released the full schedules for its men's and women's basketball programs Thursday.
The Irish will have two opportunities to prove they deserve their No. 10 ranking this weekend at the Indiana University Credit Union Classic when they face Dayton and Saint Louis in Bloomington, Ind.
Over the course of last year's national championship season, one of the sure things for Notre Dame was goalkeeper Nikki Weiss. Weiss had the size and poise to lead the team from the back line, and started every game through the national championship run.
When Skip Holtz was hired as the head coach of South Florida in early January 2010, Irish fans immediately circled Sept. 3, 2011, on their calendars as the date on which a Holtz would once again be prowling the sidelines of Notre Dame Stadium. But if you ask Skip Holtz, his homecoming is just one of the many subplots in the season opener — and it's no more important than any of the others.
Notre Dame will open its season this weekend during the Crusader Invitational hosted by Valparaiso on Friday.
It is early September in South Bend, which can mean only one thing — the kool-aid is awfully strong.