Thursday evening saw Miami soccer take the road to South Bend, Ind. to close out their regular season against No. 6 Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish’s 7-1-1 record and goal tally of 18 positioned the Canes as considerable underdogs coming into the game. Additionally, the absence of joint-top scorer, Maddie Sadusky, following her red card versus FSU, further dampened Miami’s chances of success.
Suspicions of a Notre Dame win were affirmed as they secured a 1-0 victory through a 57th minute strike by Grace Restovich, but this slim of a goal margin does not justify the disparity of the performances on the day.
As kickoff commenced, The Fighting Irish’s No. 3, Izzy Engle, and No. 27, Lily Joseph, repeatedly made their way through Miami’s defensive lines through spectacular ball-carrying. As a result, Miami rarely made their way out of their own half, thus being unable to create any chances in the first 45 minutes.
By the end of the first half, Notre Dame had recorded 12 shots. Yet, the Fighting Irish had still not found a breakthrough thanks to Atlee Olofson’s five saves.
The second half did not see a change in Miami’s attacking proficiency, as the Hurricanes did not record their first shot until the 90th minute of the game. Meanwhile, Notre Dame created 14 more shots, with 11 of them being on target.
Despite Olofson’s best efforts to keep a clean sheet, achieving 11 saves in the ninety, the onslaught of Fighting Irish attacks eventually gave way to a 57th minute goal from Grace Restovich.
The blue-and-gold ended the game with 26 shots to Miami’s two, including a 14-0 difference in shots-on-target. Notre Dame also recorded eight corner kicks, while the Hurricanes attained zero.
Miami have closed out their ACC season as a firmly-midtable side, finishing ninth and potentially having a place in the ACC postseason tournament.
Although the Hurricanes’ regular season ended in a whimper, Ken Masuhr’s Canes demonstrated an otherwise-impressive ACC showing, particularly considering the step-up they have made from their 2025 campaign.