Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 OCT. 26, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS tended period, junior Dylan St. Cyr provides more than adequate relief. In five starts last season, St. Cyr went 4-1 with a .935 save percentage. "We know we're going to have goal- tending," Jackson said matter-of-factly. Interestingly, Notre Dame has four goalies on scholarship this season, not the ideal situation, Jackson admitted, because it thins his roster of skaters. But in a college sport where many of the top players leave for the NHL after their junior years, it's a roster hiccup the coach has to deal with for now. "It's the nature of our game," Jackson said. "You're gambling every year try- ing to figure out what juniors might leave. If you guess the right way, you're in great shape, and if you guess the wrong way, you've got four goalies." Notre Dame's Big Ten schedule will once again be loaded with plenty of heavyweights, most notably Ohio State, Penn State and Minnesota. But Jackson also wanted to test his team during non-conference play, and the highlight of these matchups is a home- and-home series in early December with USA Today preseason No. 7 Bos- ton College. "I think they're one of the best teams in the country," said Jackson, whose Irish are a unanimous top-10 pick in the various preseason hockey polls. Jackson also singled out double- headers against Bowling Green, Lake Superior State and Western Michigan as six other challenging non-confer- ence tests for his team. "Our non-conference schedule is re- ally sneaky and we're going to have to be really prepared," he said. "And college hockey is so close right now, it doesn't matter who you are playing." "I don't think anybody underesti- mates us anymore, and that's good," Burke added of the tough schedule. "Our guys know that they are part of the best team so that plays into their own confidence." As with the start of any season, the immediate and long-term goal of Jackson and his players remains the same — improve incrementally with the small stuff so the big picture falls into place. "The only name that we need to look at on our jerseys is ours," Jackson said, "and make sure that we are working toward getting better." ✦ CROSS COUNTRY The Irish welcomed a stacked field for the 64th annual Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational Oct. 4 in South Bend, but both teams fared well. The No. 9-ranked men placed fifth out of 22 teams, while the No. 12 women posted an eighth-place showing among 24 squads. Notre Dame has a weekend off before taking part in the Wisconsin Nut- tycombe Invitational Oct. 18 in Madison, Wis. MEN'S GOLF No. 17 Notre Dame took home its third tournament title of the fall, edging No. 10 North Carolina by one stroke to win the Fighting Irish Classic Oct. 7-8 in South Bend. The Irish shot a 16-under-par 836 to become the first squad in program history with three victories in their first four tournaments. They have also already tied the 1999-2000 team for most tournament titles during a full academic year. The Irish are back in action at the Quail Valley Intercollegiate Oct. 20-21 in Vero Beach, Fla. WOMEN'S GOLF The Irish finished 14th out of 15 teams at the Illini Women's Invitational Oct. 7-8 in Chicago. Freshman Madelyn Jones shot an even-par 72 to pace the Irish and finish in a tie for 28th. Notre Dame will take part in the Texas State Jim West Challenge Oct. 20-21 in San Marcos, Texas. VOLLEYBALL (11-3 OVERALL, 4-0 ACC) Notre Dame improved to 4-0 in ACC action with a pair of 3-1 triumphs against Clemson Oct. 4 and Georgia Tech Oct. 6. It marks the program's best start in league play since opening the 2016 campaign with six consecutive victories. Up next for the Irish are road dates versus Wake Forest Oct. 11 and Duke Oct. 13. MEN'S SOCCER (6-4-1 OVERALL, 0-4-0 ACC) Notre Dame suffered a 2-0 setback at North Carolina State Oct. 4, falling to 0-4 in ACC play. However, the Irish bounced back to crush Purdue Fort Wayne 8-0 at home Oct. 8. The last time the Irish tallied eight goals in a single contest came in an 8-0 rout of DePaul in 1995. Senior forward John Rea and sophomore forward Jack Lynn each found the back of the net twice to lead the offensive onslaught. The Irish will look to earn their first league victory when Duke comes to South Bend Oct. 11. WOMEN'S SOCCER (9-4-0 OVERALL, 3-2-0 ACC) The Irish blanked Syracuse 3-0 Oct. 4 and then Miami by the same score Oct. 10. They were the seventh and eighth Irish shutouts this season, and junior Sammi Fisher had a hat trick in the latter. Notre Dame completes a three-game home stand versus Louisville Oct. 13. MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (1-2 OVERALL, 1-0 ACC) No. 12 Notre Dame opened the season by topping Florida State 171-129 Oct. 4 in South Bend, but fell to both Kentucky (176-124) and reigning Big Ten champ Indiana (219-81) in a tri-meet Oct. 9 at Lexington, Ky. The Irish get a couple weeks off before squaring off against Purdue in a dual meet Oct. 25 in West Lafayette, Ind. WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (1-2 OVERALL, 1-0 ACC) The No. 16 Irish started their season with a convincing 183.5-116.5 victory versus Florida State Oct. 4 in South Bend, but were defeated by both Kentucky (184.5-115.5) and Indiana (172-128) in a tri-meet Oct. 9 at Lexington, Ky. The Notre Dame women will also travel to West Lafayette to face the Boilermakers Oct. 25. — Steve Downey Irish Roundup All-American Cale Morris returns for his senior season in goal with a career .938 save percent- age. Two years ago, he earned the Mike Richter Award as the nation's top goaltender. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS