The Valpo soccer team will make the short trip east along the Indiana Toll Road to start off the NCAA Tournament, as the Beacons learned Monday afternoon they will play at #9 Notre Dame in first-round action. The match at Notre Dame’s Alumni Stadium will kick off at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT Saturday, Nov. 11.

Valpo earned its spot in the NCAA Tournament by virtue of its dramatic run through the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, as the Beacons won each of their four tournament matches by identical 1-0 scores. The semifinal win over Missouri State went to extra time scoreless before junior Abby White (Commerce Township, Mich./Walled Lake Central) scored the decisive goal, while the title match win over Drake turned on a goal from fifth-year Allie Anderson (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South [Xavier]) with less than nine minutes to play.

Notre Dame, which was ranked ninth nationally in last week’s United Soccer Coaches top-25 poll, enters the NCAA Tournament with an 11-3-4 overall record. The Fighting Irish posted a 7-1-2 record in ACC regular season action and fell in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament to Clemson.

Notre Dame is a familiar foe for Valpo when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, as this will be the third time in as many trips that the two sides have met in first-round action. Notably, when the two programs last met in the NCAA Tournament in 2014, Valpo held the Fighting Irish without a goal until the 90^th minute of a 1-0 loss. The two squads last faced off in a regular season match to open the 2015 season.

Keep an eye on ValpoAthletics.com and Valpo Athletics social media for more details on ticket information and streaming of the match.