Thursday, September 11
Raleigh, NC
7 PM
NC State
vs
Notre Dame
NC State Opens ACC Play Against No. 6 Notre Dame
9/10/2025 12:36:00 PM | Women's Soccer
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State women's soccer opens its 2025 ACC slate on Thursday, Sept. 11, welcoming No. 6 Notre Dame to Dail Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra, with Evan Budrovich and Brianna Pinto on the call.
The night will also serve as First Responders Night at Dail and a Red Out, with fans encouraged to pack the stands in their best Wolfpack red. As always, admission and parking are free.
Last Time Out
Mary Frances Symmes scored the first two goals of her college career with a brace as NC State erupted for a season-high four goals in a 4-0 shutout win over Campbell on Sunday, Sept. 7, at Dail Soccer Stadium, giving first-year head coach Gary Higgins his first victory at the helm of the Pack.
The Wolfpack wasted no time getting on the board. In the third minute, Daisy Duda sent in a corner that was attempted to be cleared by Campbell, but Jade Bordeleau rose to head the ball at the goal. Symmes provided the finishing touch and slot the ball past Campbell's goalkeeper and make it 1-0. NC State nearly doubled its lead in the 26th minute when Duda chipped in a ball from Mana Nakata, but the attempt was waved off for offside. The Pack continued to press throughout the half, generating several chances before taking the 1-0 advantage into halftime.
Bordeleau extended the advantage just 83 seconds into the second half, pouncing on a loose ball that bounced toward a Campbell midfielder and beating the Camels' back line to net her third goal of the season, putting the Wolfpack ahead 2-0. The scoring continued in the 58th minute when Duda, who has delivered consistent quality service all season, sent a ball from the left corner of the box to the right foot of Fien Leijdekker, who slotted it home and made it 3-0. Less than two minutes later, Symmes secured her brace with a shot from outside the box that curled into the bottom left corner of the net, extending the Pack's lead to 4-0, a scoreline that held the rest of the way.
A Win Would …
ACC Season is Here
Thursday's match signals the start of ACC play for the Wolfpack. Once again, the ACC has established itself as the premier conference in women's soccer.
A nation-best seven ACC teams appear in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, with five landing inside the top 10: Duke (No. 2), Stanford (No. 3), Virginia (No. 5), Notre Dame (No. 6), and Florida State (No. 7). Wake Forest (No. 18) and North Carolina (No. 19) round out the group, while Clemson, Louisville, and Virginia Tech are receiving votes. ACC programs have also combined for 76 nonconference victories this season, the most of any league in the country.
NC State's 10-game conference slate begins with Notre Dame and continues with matchups against SMU, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Boston College, Pitt, Louisville, Duke, and North Carolina.
Series History
Thursday's matchup will be the 14th all-time meeting between NC State and Notre Dame, with the Irish leading the series 9-3-1. The most recent meeting came in 2024, when the teams played to a 1-1 draw in South Bend, Ind.
Scouting the Fighting Irish
Notre Dame enters Thursday's matchup ranked No. 6 nationally and remains unbeaten with a 5-0-1 record, including a perfect 4-0 mark at home.
The Irish boast one of the most potent offenses in the country, averaging 3.67 goals per game. Izzy Engle and Annabelle Chukwu headline the attack with six and five goals, respectively. Chukwu is coming off a standout week in which she was named ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after recording her first career hat trick in a 3-0 win at Michigan State. She scored once in the first half and twice in the second while going a perfect 3-for-3 on shots, finishing with a career-high six points.
Head coach Nate Norman is in his eighth season leading the Irish and has compiled a 145-77-30 record. In 2024, he guided Notre Dame to an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearance.
Breakthrough Found
NC State had been on the cusp of its first win through multiple outings this season. Heading into the matchup with Campbell, the Pack had outshot its opponent in four of its first seven contests but struggled to turn those chances into goals. That changed in the nonconference finale, as everything clicked for the Wolfpack in a 4-0 victory, its first win of the year and its highest scoring output of the season.
As the Pack turns the page to ACC play, Higgins and his team know the challenges will only grow tougher. Still, they look to build on the breakthrough performance against the Camels as a foundation for success against league competition.
Welcome Home, Coach Higgins
NC State McMurray Family Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan named Higgins the sixth head coach in program history in December 2024. Higgins arrived in Raleigh after three seasons at East Carolina, where he guided the Pirates to a historic 2024 campaign that included a 10-4-7 record, an American Athletic Conference title, and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
Prior to his time at ECU, Higgins coached at his alma mater, Lenoir Rhyne, leading the Bears to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. The former standout player brings more than a decade of coaching experience and a proven track record of building winning programs.
Higgins' first year with the Wolfpack features an entirely new coaching staff. Associate head coach Joanna Fennema, a former North Carolina standout, led Lenoir Rhyne to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Assistants David Rodriguez (NC Courage Academy) and Juan Basabe (Lenoir Rhyne) also join the staff, each bringing valuable collegiate and club-level experience.
Up Next
NC State has a week off before traveling to Dallas, Texas, to take on SMU on Thursday, Sept. 18. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. on ACCNX.
The night will also serve as First Responders Night at Dail and a Red Out, with fans encouraged to pack the stands in their best Wolfpack red. As always, admission and parking are free.
Last Time Out
Mary Frances Symmes scored the first two goals of her college career with a brace as NC State erupted for a season-high four goals in a 4-0 shutout win over Campbell on Sunday, Sept. 7, at Dail Soccer Stadium, giving first-year head coach Gary Higgins his first victory at the helm of the Pack.
The Wolfpack wasted no time getting on the board. In the third minute, Daisy Duda sent in a corner that was attempted to be cleared by Campbell, but Jade Bordeleau rose to head the ball at the goal. Symmes provided the finishing touch and slot the ball past Campbell's goalkeeper and make it 1-0. NC State nearly doubled its lead in the 26th minute when Duda chipped in a ball from Mana Nakata, but the attempt was waved off for offside. The Pack continued to press throughout the half, generating several chances before taking the 1-0 advantage into halftime.
Bordeleau extended the advantage just 83 seconds into the second half, pouncing on a loose ball that bounced toward a Campbell midfielder and beating the Camels' back line to net her third goal of the season, putting the Wolfpack ahead 2-0. The scoring continued in the 58th minute when Duda, who has delivered consistent quality service all season, sent a ball from the left corner of the box to the right foot of Fien Leijdekker, who slotted it home and made it 3-0. Less than two minutes later, Symmes secured her brace with a shot from outside the box that curled into the bottom left corner of the net, extending the Pack's lead to 4-0, a scoreline that held the rest of the way.
A Win Would …
- Mark Higgins' second victory as head coach at NC State.
- Be the 404th win in program history.
- Be Higgins' 112th win in his coaching career.
- Mark the program's 4th all-time win over Notre Dame.
- Mark the first ACC win of the season for NC State.
ACC Season is Here
Thursday's match signals the start of ACC play for the Wolfpack. Once again, the ACC has established itself as the premier conference in women's soccer.
A nation-best seven ACC teams appear in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, with five landing inside the top 10: Duke (No. 2), Stanford (No. 3), Virginia (No. 5), Notre Dame (No. 6), and Florida State (No. 7). Wake Forest (No. 18) and North Carolina (No. 19) round out the group, while Clemson, Louisville, and Virginia Tech are receiving votes. ACC programs have also combined for 76 nonconference victories this season, the most of any league in the country.
NC State's 10-game conference slate begins with Notre Dame and continues with matchups against SMU, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Boston College, Pitt, Louisville, Duke, and North Carolina.
Series History
Thursday's matchup will be the 14th all-time meeting between NC State and Notre Dame, with the Irish leading the series 9-3-1. The most recent meeting came in 2024, when the teams played to a 1-1 draw in South Bend, Ind.
Scouting the Fighting Irish
Notre Dame enters Thursday's matchup ranked No. 6 nationally and remains unbeaten with a 5-0-1 record, including a perfect 4-0 mark at home.
The Irish boast one of the most potent offenses in the country, averaging 3.67 goals per game. Izzy Engle and Annabelle Chukwu headline the attack with six and five goals, respectively. Chukwu is coming off a standout week in which she was named ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after recording her first career hat trick in a 3-0 win at Michigan State. She scored once in the first half and twice in the second while going a perfect 3-for-3 on shots, finishing with a career-high six points.
Head coach Nate Norman is in his eighth season leading the Irish and has compiled a 145-77-30 record. In 2024, he guided Notre Dame to an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearance.
Breakthrough Found
NC State had been on the cusp of its first win through multiple outings this season. Heading into the matchup with Campbell, the Pack had outshot its opponent in four of its first seven contests but struggled to turn those chances into goals. That changed in the nonconference finale, as everything clicked for the Wolfpack in a 4-0 victory, its first win of the year and its highest scoring output of the season.
As the Pack turns the page to ACC play, Higgins and his team know the challenges will only grow tougher. Still, they look to build on the breakthrough performance against the Camels as a foundation for success against league competition.
Welcome Home, Coach Higgins
NC State McMurray Family Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan named Higgins the sixth head coach in program history in December 2024. Higgins arrived in Raleigh after three seasons at East Carolina, where he guided the Pirates to a historic 2024 campaign that included a 10-4-7 record, an American Athletic Conference title, and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
Prior to his time at ECU, Higgins coached at his alma mater, Lenoir Rhyne, leading the Bears to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. The former standout player brings more than a decade of coaching experience and a proven track record of building winning programs.
Higgins' first year with the Wolfpack features an entirely new coaching staff. Associate head coach Joanna Fennema, a former North Carolina standout, led Lenoir Rhyne to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Assistants David Rodriguez (NC Courage Academy) and Juan Basabe (Lenoir Rhyne) also join the staff, each bringing valuable collegiate and club-level experience.
Up Next
NC State has a week off before traveling to Dallas, Texas, to take on SMU on Thursday, Sept. 18. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. on ACCNX.
Players Mentioned
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