Oct. 5, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – No. 11 Notre Dame drew with Northwestern, 1-1, in non-conference men’s soccer action on Wednesday night at Alumni Stadium. The tie moved the Fighting Irish record to 5-2-3 on the season.
Junior forward Ryan Finley put the Irish on top in the 38th minute with his team-leading fourth goal of the season. The shot, which was Notre Dame’s first of the match, came from 10 yards out with the assist going to senior midfielder Adam Mena, who has a team-high four assists this season.
The Fighting Irish led 1-0 at halftime.
The Irish threatened in the early stages of the second half as sophomore forward Harrison Shipp blasted a shot from 18 yards out that sailed just high of the frame.
Northwestern (4-4-3) deposited the equalizer in the 79th minute as Lepe Seetane fed Oliver Kupe, who scored from nine yards away.
Finley nearly put the Irish back on top with just over five minutes left in regulation, but his shot was saved by a diving Tyler Miller, who had two saves on the night for the Wildcats.
Notre Dame senior goalkeeper Will Walsh returned the favor on the other end of the pitch as he stopped a shot from Kupe in the 87th minute. Walsh had two saves in the match.
Finley and Kupe were heard from again in the first overtime period. Finley had a shot saved by Miller in the 94th minute, while Kupe sent a shot just wide to the left from 18 yards away in the 100th minute.
Both teams had 11 shots on the night, while Notre Dame held a 4-2 edge in overtime. Northwestern had a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks for the game.
“I was disappointed because I thought we were a little flat today,” said Irish head coach Bobby Clark. “We got a goal in the first half, but we weren’t playing particularly well even though we were winning. I felt we started to connect better as the game went along. I felt we started to play better in the second half and controlled the overtime. Overall it’s disappointing because we were hoping for a better result tonight.”
Tonight was Notre Dame’s sixth overtime match of the season. The Irish are 1-2-3 in those contests.
The Fighting Irish will play host to No. 1 Connecticut on Saturday. The BIG EAST clash will kickoff at noon (ET) at Alumni Stadium. Admission to the match is free for all fans.
Alumni Stadium – Notre Dame, Ind.
October 5, 2011
Northwestern (4-4-3) 0 1 0 0 – 1
#11 Notre Dame (5-2-3) 1 0 0 0 – 1
Scoring: ND: Ryan Finley (Adam Mena) 37:52; NU: Oliver Kupe (Lepe Seetane) 78:50
Shots: NU 6-3-1-1 – 11, ND 2-5-2-2 – 11
Corner Kicks: NU 2-3-0-0 – 5, ND 0-1-1-0 – 2
Goalkeepers: NU: Tyler Miller – 2 SV, 1 GA, 108:16, T; Tommy Tombridge 0 SV, 0 GA, 1:44
ND: Will Walsh – 2 SV, 1 GA, 110:00, T
Fouls: NU 18, ND 15
Offsides: NU 1, ND 4
–ND–