Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer team represents the University of Notre Dame in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I women's soccer. The team competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference and is currently coached by Nate Norman, following the resignation of Theresa Romagnolo. The Fighting Irish have won three of the 29 NCAA national championships. History Notre Dame's women's soccer team won the National Championship in 1995, 2004 and 2010 and were the runner-up in 1994, 1996, 1999, 2006, and 2008. Notre Dame also ranks second in all-time title game appearances (8) behind North Carolina (24). Notre Dame's women's soccer program started in 1988 under coach Chris Petrucelli. Their 1995 Big East title was the university's first in any sport. That same year, Petrucelli's squad, under the leadership of Cindy Daws, won the program's first national title, defeating Portland 1–0. Randy Waldrum, took over the program in 1999 and maintained the Fighting Irish's success, winning the national title in 2004 by beating UCLA 4–3 as well as capturing six Big East titles. Waldrum's 2010 squad won the school's third national title, going 21-2-2 and posting 15 shutouts and became the lowest ranked team to do so, beating undefeated Stanford in a 1–0 decision. In doing so, they outscored their postseason opponents 15–1. They also reached the College Cup for the fifth straight year, a school record. Their senior class won 87 matches in their 4 years, the most in that span. Three Notre Dame players have won the Hermann Trophy, given to the United States' best male and female collegiate soccer players. They are Cindy Daws (1996), Anne Makinen (2000) and Kerri Hanks (2006, 2008). Hanks is one of only four players to win the award twice. Notre Dame is also one of only two schools with three or more different Hermann Trophy recipients. On October 19, 2014, Elizabeth Tucker received the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Elizabeth Tucker is also the first student-athlete in Notre Dame history to sweep all four of the university's major athletics honors in the same year. On January 3, 2014, Waldrum resigned after 15 seasons with the Fighting Irish to become the head coach of newly established NWSL team Houston Dash. On March 19, 2014, Theresa Romagnolo was appointed as his successor.