SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The No. 20 Fighting Irish men’s soccer team shared the points with No. 18 Duke on Senior Night at Alumni Stadium on Friday, battling to a 1-1 draw after 110 minutes of action.
The draw moves Notre Dame’s record to 9-4-2 on the season and 4-1-2 in ACC play. With Friday’s result, the Irish will win the ACC Coastal Division in the season finale if they can produce a victory in Chapel Hill against UNC at 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 29. The match will air on ESPNU.
Notre Dame’s Tyler Shea scored the lone goal for the Irish, leveling the score in the second half. The Irish had chances late in regulation and both overtimes but were unable to come up with the winner against the Blue Devils.
Sophomore Bryan Dowd finished the evening with two saves in goal, one coming on a diving stop late in regulation off a free kick.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish uncharacteristically allowed an early goal on Friday evening, as Duke managed to score in the eighth minute to take a 1-0 lead off a shot from Thorleifur Ulfarsson.
Notre Dame dug in and fought back, creating the better chances the rest of the half but were unable to draw level in the opening 45 minutes of play.
The Irish came out of the break focused and found the equalizer less than three minutes into the second stanza. Kyle Genenbacher blocked a clearance from the Duke keeper and Matthew Roou took possession in the Blue Devils’ box. The freshman slid the ball to Shea who placed his shot between the legs of a Duke defender and the Duke keeper to level the match at 1-1.
Notre Dame pushed for the winner in the late stages of the contest, creating multiple scoring opportunities late but were unable to find the back of the net. The best chance came in the 88th minute as Dawson McCartney headed a Jack Lynn cross back across the face of goal and Michael Pellegrino’s touch bounced off the far post.
The Irish created the better scoring looks in the two overtime sessions but couldn’t come up with the final ball to score the golden goal, resulting in the 1-1 draw.
McFARLAND FAMILY MEN’S HEAD SOCCER COACH CHAD RILEY’S TAKE
On the performance…
“Obviously disappointed no to get the win. We were a little unfortunate with the first goal we gave up because both teams were playing well but I thought we were playing quite well in the first half so it was a tough one to give up early. I loved the response and in the second half we really took it up to another level and we were unlucky not to get the winner after we got the equalizer. In overtime I thought it was the same, I thought we created the better chances.”
On the scoring early in the second half…
“Scoring the early goal to open the second half was everything. If they get the second one it gets really difficult. I love the way the team came out and was really hungry and smart in the way we came out and got the tying goal.”
On Philip Quinton’s play…
“I think he’s doing a great job. He makes a lot of things look easy back there right now which means he’s doing his job. He is getting to places early and using his composure which shows how well he is playing.”
ND STAT OF THE MATCH
Notre Dame is unbeaten in its last seven matches (6-0-1), marking the longest stretch for the Irish since closing out the 2013 season with 10 straight unbeaten matches (9-0-1) on the way to winning the College Cup.
ND NOTES
- Notre Dame has lost just once over its last 10 matches (8-1-1)
- The Irish are now 9-4-2 against Duke in the all-time series and have never lost to the Blue Devils when playing at home
- Shea’s goal is his second of the season and third of his career
- Roou now has three assists to go along with his six goals
UP NEXT
The Irish wrap up the regular season on the road, as they travel to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina at 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 29. The game will air on ESPNU.
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