SIUE (11-6) vs. [3]/RV Notre Dame (13-5-1) | 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship | First Round

Match Information
Date: Sunday, November 14, 2021
Location: Notre Dame, Ind.
Venue: Alumni Stadium
First Kick: 12 p.m., CT
All-Time Series: ND leads SIUE, 1-0-1
Last Meeting: SIUE 0, Notre Dame 0 (SIUE advanced 5-4 on penalties) | November 11, 2016 | Notre Dame, Ind.

WHERE WE'RE AT: Following the program's second consecutive OVC tournament crown, the SIUE women's soccer team will return to familiar confines on Sunday afternoon, as the Cougars will head to Notre Dame for a showdown against the third-seeded Fighting Irish. The last time these two storied programs faced off was in the 2016 NCAA tournament, when SIUE battled Notre Dame to a scoreless draw before taking down the then-number two ranked Irish in penalty kicks.

LAST TIME OUT: SIUE women's soccer put together one of its most complete performances of the season when it mattered most, as the Cougars claimed a 1-0 overtime victory over the UT Martin Skyhawks to claim their third OVC tournament crown. The Cougars held the first-seeded Skyhawks to just a handful of shots, only one of which found its target. However, the league's leading defense through the regular season proved why they earned that reputation and kept SIUE off the scoreboard through 90 minutes of regulation. It did not take long into the first overtime period for the Cougars to strike, as Myah Diekema sailed the ball over the UTM defenders right to the feet of MacKenzie Litzsinger, who booted it past the Skyhawk keeper to give SIUE the win and the championship.

SCOUTING THE IRISH: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish enter Sunday's contest at 13-5-1 and 7-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Irish started the season with strong non-conference performances, but have faltered in recent weeks - Notre Dame has dropped four of their last five matches, including a First Round exit in the ACC tournament to Clemson. The Irish are led by First Team All-ACC forward Sammi Fisher and a pair of Third Team All-ACC honorees in forward Olivia Wingate and midfielder Korbin Albert.

LOCAL FLAIR: Coach Burton has recruited and retained talented student-athletes from throughout the Metro East and Greater St. Louis regions. Of the 33 student-athletes on this season's roster, 21 hail from Greater St. Louis - this includes five who came to SIUE from a county in the Metro East region.

RETURNERS: The Cougars return all but two starters from last season's OVC champion squad, and bring back all three goalkeepers from Spring 2021. Highlighting the returning Cougars are OVC Forward of the Year MacKenzie Litzsinger, All-OVC and United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Second Team selection Lily Schnieders, and OVC All-Newcomer selection Matea Diekema.

NEW FACES: The Red & White welcome eight newcomers to the program, six of whom hail from the Greater St. Louis area. Included in this class are sisters Ashlyn and Kaitlyn Nichols (O'Fallon, Mo.), who join Matea and Myah Diekema as the only known pair of sisters playing in the same Division I soccer program.

POSTSEASON ACCOLADES: A league-high four SIUE student-athletes made appearances on the First Team All-OVC squad this season - MacKenzie Litzsinger, Maria Haro, Lily Schnieders, and Andrea Frerker. Litzsinger and Frerker were individually honored as the best in their positions, winning OVC Forward of the Year and Midfielder of the Year honors, respectively. The Cougars also placed a pair of true freshmen on the OVC All-Newcomer team - Grace Cobb and Kaitlyn Nichols.

SEASON 40: SIUE plays its 40th season of intercollegiate women's soccer in 2021. Hundreds of student-athletes have donned the Red & White on the pitch, helping the Cougars become the winningest Division I women's soccer program in the state of Illinois and leading SIUE to eight NCAA Tournament appearances.