Abigail Bartels, staff writer

Notre Dame’s fall sports teams are off to impressive starts in 2013.

As midterm exams continue, sleep debts increase and flex points disappear, the many successes of autumn sports at Notre Dame help keep the student body lively.  From men’s and women’s soccer to football, the Irish have delivered on varying levels throughout the first few weeks of the season.  Records are on the upswing for fall varsity sports, like golf, cross-country and soccer, and upcoming matches look promising.

The Notre Dame club rugby team is 1-2 after a recent win against Indiana University.  The Irish’s next game is against Davenport at the new field behind the Stepan Center.  The Irish look to right the ship against Davenport’s 1-1 team after losing both matchups against the team last year.

The men’s golf team has consistently been competitive, placing 7th at three matches and 6th in the fourth so far this year.  The Irish have placed players in the top 10 at tournaments, but they have also struggled with different courses more than expected this year.  The freshmen are making a strong addition to the team, so the future is hopeful for men’s golf.  The team’s next match will take place at the Crooked Stick Intercollegiate in Carmel, Indiana, on October 14 and 15.

The women’s golf team has placed across the board with finishes of 12th, 7th, and third.  At the opening tournament of the year, four of the five players placed in the top 20 at the meet.  This impressive start has become a trend, with Notre Dame placing players in the top 10 or placing in the top 10 as a team in each match so far.  With the Tar Heel Invitational coming up this weekend in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the Irish certainly hope this trend continues.

Both of Notre Dame’s cross country teams started the season strong at the Crusader Open in Valparaiso, Indiana.  The men’s team took second while the women’s team took first.  When the Irish came home for the National Catholic Championships, both the men’s and women’s teams took first.  Just two weeks later, at the Notre Dame Invitational, the women’s team took 6th while the men’s team took 7th.  The cross country teams hit the course again on October 19 in Madison, Wisconsin.

The men’s soccer team remains undefeated with 6 wins and three ties.  Notre Dame started the season ranked 7th but held the number one ranking for two weeks before slipping to a current second ranking.  The Irish have endured 7 total overtimes in the past 6 weeks, but they have also successfully shut down three different teams.

The women’s soccer team holds an impressive season so far as well with 9 wins, two losses and a tie.  Perhaps most impressively, the Irish have held their opponents to five total points in the last 6 weeks, with 6 shutouts.  Notre Dame currently stands at third in the ACC, while its next opponent, Virginia, owns the top spot in the country with an 11-0 record.  The Notre Dame-Virginia game will take place today at 7:00 p.m in Charlottesville.

The Notre Dame Football team stands at 4-2 with this past weekend’s win over the Arizona State Sun Devils.  (The team also has an all-time record of 5-0 in the Shamrock Series.)  The October 19 home game will feature the Fighting Irish and the USC Trojans, who hold a 3-2 record so far this season; while Notre Dame is ranked second out of the Independents, USC is low in the Pac 12 standings.

Overall, life is looking lucky for the Fighting Irish fall sports.  With the achievements of the teams so far and high expectations for the rest of the season, Notre Dame sports are looking as busy as a student’s planner and as exciting as fall break.

Abigail Bartels is a sophomore Political Science major from Minnesota who enjoys movies, ice cream and long walks in the snow. Contact her at abartel2@nd.edu.

stats for side bar:

15-Number of points recorded by senior soccer forward Harry Shipp, which leads all Irish players.

69- 18-hole score for Ashley Armstrong in the Mary Fossum Invitational.  Armstrong’s round is the lowest recorded by an Irish golfer this year.

4-Receiving touchdowns scored by senior TJ Jones this year.  This mark ties his career high.