OREGON STATE
vs.
#13 NOTRE DAME
Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament
Friday, Sept. 7 – 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Alumni Stadium – Notre Dame, Ind.
#4 AKRON
vs.
#13 NOTRE DAME
Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament
Sunday, Sept. 9 – 2:15 p.m. (ET)
Alumni Stadium – Notre Dame, Ind.
INTERNET BROADCAST (ND games only):
UND.com (free)
LIVE STATS (all games):
Gametracker on UND.com
UPDATES:
Irish Alert! text messaging
(sign up on UND.com)
IRISH HOST BERTICELLI MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
– No. 13 Notre Dame will play host to the 11th annual Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament this weekend at Alumni Stadium. No. 10 Indiana and No. 6 Akron will get things underway at 5 p.m. (ET) on Friday, while the Irish will face Oregon State in the nightcap (7:30 p.m.). Indiana and Oregon State will meet at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday and the Notre Dame-Akron match will square off at 2:15 p.m.
– Both Notre Dame matches will feature a free live video broadcast and on UND.com. Live stats via Gametracker on UND.com will be available for all four games.
A BIT ON MIKE BERTICELLI
– This is the 11th year in which the Fighting Irish have hosted a tournament in honor of their former head coach Mike Berticelli. Berticelli coached the Irish from 1990-99 before passing away suddenly in January of 2000.
– Berticelli posted a 104-80-19 record during his 10-year stint at Notre Dame. He led the Irish to three NCAA Tournament appearances (1993, 1994, 1996), including the program’s first NCAA win in 1996. Berticelli guided Notre Dame to one Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC) regular-season title (1993) and two MCC Tournament crowns (1993 & 1994). He also steered Notre Dame to its first BIG EAST Tournament title in 1996.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
– Notre Dame is 13-2-5 all-time in the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament. The Irish have won the event four times (2003, 2005, 2008, 2010).
– The Fighting Irish finished second in last season’s event after tying Denver (2-2) and defeating Bucknell (2-1). Indiana won the 2011 tournament with a 2-0 record. – This year marks the 10th time that Indiana has participated in the tournament. The Hoosiers have won the event five times (2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011).
– Bradley won the inaugural Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament in 2002.
– Oregon State is making its first appearance in the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament, while Akron finished second at the 2003 event.
AN OVERVIEW OF OREGON STATE
– This will be just the second meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Oregon State. The Irish topped the Beavers, 2-1, at the 2004 IU Classic in Bloomington, Ind.
– Oregon State has a 2-0-1 record this season. The Beavers are coming off a 6-0 win over Manhattan College. Oregon State opened the season with a 4-0 victory over Sacramento State and then played UC Santa Barbara to a 2-2 draw.
– The Beavers are averaging 4.0 goals per game, while allowing 0.67 per contest. Sophomore Khiry Shelton leads Oregon State in goals (3) and points (7). Redshirt freshman Matt Bersano has started all three matches in goal and carries a 0.69 goals-against average and a .833 save percentage.
– Oregon State went 5-11-2 last season and posted a 3-6-1 mark in Pac-12 play. The Beavers returned nine starters and 16 letter winners from their 2011 squad.
– Head coach Steve Simmons is in his fourth season at Oregon State.
PLAYING THE PAC-12
– Oregon State is Notre Dame’s second Pac-12 Conference opponent this season. The Irish bested San Diego State 3-2 last weekend at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic.
– Notre Dame is 4-5-1 all-time against teams currently in the Pac-12.
IRISH AND ZIPS HAVE A HISTORY
– Notre Dame and Akron will be squaring off for the 13th time, yet the two teams have only met four times since the 1989 season. The Zips lead the series 7-2-3.
– The last meeting occurred at the 2008 IU Classic in Bloomington, Ind., and Akron came away with a 3-0 victory. The last Irish victory in the series was a 3-1 decision in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament at Notre Dame. Akron is 2-1-3 at Notre Dame.
A LOOK AT AKRON
– Akron will bring a 2-0-1 mark into Friday’s game versus Indiana. The Zips opened the season at home with a 4-0 win over Florida Gulf Coast. Akron tied Creighton (1-1) and defeated SIU Edwardsville (2-1) at the Ameritas Classic in Omaha, Neb.
– The Zips are averaging 2.33 goals per game, while allowing 0.67 per match. Seven players share the team lead in goals with one apiece. Senior David Meves has played every minute in goal and boasts a 0.62 goals-against average and a .714 save percentage.
– Last season, Akron went 15-4-4, which included a 6-0-0 mark in Mid-American Conference play. The Zips fell at Charlotte, 1-0, in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16.
– Head coach Caleb Porter is in his seventh season at Akron. He led the Zips to the 2010 national title. Porter recently agreed to become the new head coach of the Portland Timbers in the MLS.
CLASSIC CHAMPS
– Notre Dame captured last weekend’s adidas/IU Credit Union Classic by posting a 2-0 record. The Irish defeated San Diego State (3-2) and Clemson (2-1).
– Ryan Finley (Sr./F), Dillon Powers (Sr./M), Harrison Shipp (Jr./F) and Nick Besler (So./M) represented the Irish on the IU Classic all-tournament team.
– It was the second time in 13 appearances that Notre Dame won the IU Classic. The Irish also won the 1993 tournament.
STRONG START
– Notre Dame is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since the 2004 campaign. The Irish also have not been shutout in any of their first three games for the first time since the ’04 season. Notre Dame is averaging 2.0 goals per game.
– The Fighting Irish have out shot their opponents 52-18 this season. That includes a 24-7 advantage in shots on goal. The Irish also have gained nine more corner kicks (20-11) than their foes.
FANTASTIC FORWARDS
– Senior forward Ryan Finley and junior forward Harrison Shipp combined for nine points during the two matches at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic.
– Finley netted two goals in Friday’s 3-2 win over San Diego State and assisted on the game winner in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Clemson.
– Shipp matched a career-high total with four points on one goal and two assists in the San Diego State match. He assisted on both of Finley’s goals.
– Finley received several honors for his performances at the IU Classic. He was named the national player of the week by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) along with being tapped as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week. He also was selected to the College Soccer News national team of the week and the Soccer America national team of the week.
– Shipp was named to the Top Drawer Soccer national team of the week.
FIRST TIMERS
– Junior forward Alex Priede put Notre Dame up 1-0 in the 15th minute against Clemson with his first career goal.
– Junior goalkeeper Patrick Wall made his first career start in the Clemson match. He made two saves to notch the victory.
MORROW HONORED
– Former Irish standout and current San Jose Earthquake Justin Morrow will be honored at halftime of Friday’s Notre Dame-Oregon State match. In July, he was named an MLS All-Star and was the starting left back for the MLS squad that defeated Chelsea from the English Premier League, 3-2. Justin has played every possible minute this season for the Earthquakes, who currently are in first place in the Western Conference.
– He appeared in 89 career matches, including 64 starts, at Notre Dame and notched 21 points on seven goals and seven assists. Justin helped the Irish to two BIG EAST regular-season titles and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including trips to the quarterfinals in 2006 and 2007. He served as a team captain during his senior campaign and started every match that season, tallying two goals and one assist en route to earning second-team all-BIG EAST honors. The Cleveland, Ohio, native also was a two-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star.
TOUGH SLATE
– The Irish will face another challenging schedule this season as six of their opponents appear in the latest Soccer America top-25 poll. Included in that group are three top-10 teams (#1 Connecticut, #4 Akron, #7 Indiana). Notre Dame foes Georgetown (#17), Marquette (#19) and Northwestern (#25t) also appear in the rankings. The Fighting Irish will face Marquette twice during the regular season. Notre Dame is ranked 13th in the poll.
CAPTAINS
– Midfielders Dillon Powers and Michael Rose will serve as Notre Dame team captains during the 2012 campaign. Powers, a senior, will be serving as captain for the second straight season, while Rose, a fifth-year senior, is a first-time captain.
FOLLOW THE IRISH ON UND.COM
– All 2012 Notre Dame home matches that are not televised can be seen live on UND.com. The streaming broadcasts are free of charge. Log on to UND.com to stay up to date on the Fighting Irish men’s soccer team throughout the 2012 campaign.