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#22 Irish Drop ACC Opener At #24 Syracuse, 1-0

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — No. 22 Notre Dame fell to No. 24 Syracuse in a 1-0 road defeat to open up ACC play for the 2022 season.

Goalkeeper Bryan Dowd made a career-high eight saves in the defeat at Syracuse.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The hosts controlled play in the opening stages of the match, forcing the Irish to defend for stretches of time. The Orange scored the opener in the 22nd minute, as Giona Leibold gave Syracuse a 1-0 lead.

Dowd made four saves in the opening 45 minutes of play to keep Syracuse’s lead to one goal at the half.

The Irish tried to push forward in the second half but the Syracuse defense stood strong and limited Notre Dame’s scoring chances.

Notre Dame had one final chance in the final minute from a corner, but the Fighting Irish shot was cleared by the Orange defense, securing the 1-0 win.

McFARLAND FAMILY MEN’S HEAD SOCCER COACH CHAD RILEY’S TAKE

On the performance…

“Credit to Syracuse they were excellent today. We were not at our best in the first half but managed to be down by one. I loved the team’s response in the second half and while we weren’t at our best they had to clear one off the line in the last minute. We will grow from it and be ready for UVA.”

UP NEXT

The Irish remain on the road with another ACC matchup, taking on Virginia in Charlottesville at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 16 and will be streamed on ACCNX via WatchESPN.

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