Sept. 13, 2012
MICHIGAN STATE
vs.
#3 NOTRE DAME
Friday, Sept. 14 – 7 p.m. (ET)
Alumni Stadium – Notre Dame, Ind.
Notre Dame leads series 11-5-5
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#3 NOTRE DAME
vs.
MICHIGAN
Sunday, Sept. 16 – 2 p.m. (ET)
U-M Soccer Stadium – Ann Arbor, Mich.
Notre Dame leads series 8-1-2
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A WOLVERINE STATE WEEKEND ON TAP FOR #3 IRISH
– No. 3 Notre Dame will have a pair of games this weekend against teams from the Wolverine State. The Fighting Irish will play host to Michigan State at 7 p.m. (ET) on Friday at Alumni Stadium. The Irish will then head north to face Michigan at 2 p.m. (ET) on Sunday at the U-M Soccer Stadium.
– Friday’s match versus Michigan State will feature a free live video broadcast on UND.com. Sunday’s game at Michigan will be streamed live online by Big Ten Student U on BTN.com. Live stats via Gametracker on UND.com will be available for both games.
– Friday will be a double-header evening at Alumni Stadium as the Irish women’s team will face Louisville at 4 p.m. (ET). Fans only need one ticket to attend both matches. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth (21 and under)/senior (55 and older). There is free admission for all Notre Dame/Saint Mary’s/Holy Cross students with a valid student ID.
A SOLID START
– Notre Dame’s 5-0 start is tied for the third best in program history. It’s the best start since the Irish strung together nine straight victories to open the 1987 season.
– Here are the top starts to a season for the Fighting Irish …
10-0 (1978)
9-0 (1987)
5-0 (2012)
5-0 (1981)
– Notre Dame is ranked third in this week’s Soccer America poll. That is the highest ranking for the Irish since the 2008 season when they also were ranked third nationally.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
– Michigan State will bring a 2-3-1 record into Friday’s match with the Irish. The Spartans have notched wins over Bowling Green (2-1) and Providence (3-2). Michigan State fell to New Hampshire (1-0 in 2ot), Connecticut (1-0) and Harvard (1-0). The Spartans tied Valparaiso (0-0).
– The Spartans are averaging 0.83 goals per game, while allowing 1.00 per contest.
– Senior Domenic Barone and junior Cody Henderson share the team lead in points with three apiece. They both have notched one goal and one assist. Junior Bryce Dobbins has played every minute in goal and has a 0.94 goals-against average and a .739 save percentage.
– Michigan State went 7-8-4 last season, which included a 2-2-2 mark in Big Ten play.
– Head coach Damon Rensing is in his fourth season at the helm of the Spartan program.
THE SPARTAN SERIES
– Friday will be the 22nd meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Michigan State. The Fighting Irish lead the series 11-5-5. This is the eighth straight season the two schools have met.
– The Irish produced a 1-0 victory at Michigan State last season. Harrison Shipp scored the game winner in the 54th minute. Adam Mena and Dillon Powers assisted on the tally.
-The Spartans are 1-8-1 all-time at Notre Dame. Their lone victory came in the last visit, a 2-0 decision in 2010.
– Irish head coach Bobby Clark is 5-3-1 all-time against Michigan State.
MEET MICHIGAN
– Michigan will carry a 2-2 record into Friday’s showdown at Marquette. The Wolverines have notched wins over Vermont (3-0) and Northeastern (4-1). Michigan fell to South Florida (2-1) and Cleveland State (3-0).
– The Wolverines are averaging 2.0 goals per game, while allowing 1.75 per contest.
– Seniors Latif Alashe and Kofi Opare both have a team-best two goals. Sophomore Adam Grinwis has logged every minute in goal, posting a 1.50 goals-against average with a .684 save percentage.
– Michigan posted a 5-14-1 record during the 2011 campaign. The Wolverines were 1-5-1 in Big Ten play.
– Head coach Chaka Daley is in his first season at Michigan. He spent the last 12 seasons as head coach at Providence, where he met Notre Dame several times in BIG EAST play. Daley went 1-10-1 against the Irish during his time with the Friars.
– Irish head coach Bobby Clark is 5-1-2 all-time against Michigan and 10-0-1 against Daley.
IRISH HISTORY AGAINST THE WOLVERINES
– Sunday will be the 12th meeting between Notre Dame and Michigan. The Fighting Irish hold an 8-1-2 advantage in the series. This is the seventh straight season the two teams have met.
– The Irish captured a 2-1 overtime victory against the Wolverines last season at Alumni Stadium. Adam Mena netted both goals, including the golden goal in the 91st minute. Greg Klazura assisted on both tallies.
– Notre Dame is 1-1-1 all-time at Michigan. The two teams played to a scoreless draw in Ann Arbor during the 2010 season. The lone Irish victory at Michigan was a 2-0 decision during the 2006 campaign.
BATTLING THE BIG TEN
– Notre Dame is 46-46-16 against teams currently in the Big Ten Conference.
– The Irish have four Big Ten foes on their 2012 schedule. Along with Michigan State and Michigan, Notre Dame will have road matches against Indiana (Sept. 26) and Northwestern (Oct. 9).
– Notre Dame went 2-0-2 against Big Ten foes last season. The Irish defeated Michigan (2-1 in ot) and Michigan State (1-0) and tied Indiana (0-0) and Northwestern (1-1).
BEST IN THE BERT
– The Fighting Irish captured the 11th annual Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament last weekend by besting Oregon State (1-0) and No. 4 Akron (3-1). It was the fifth time that the Irish won the event (2003, 2005, 2008, 2010). Akron was the runner up, while No. 7 Indiana and Oregon State finished third and fourth, respectively.
– Leon Brown (Jr./F), Max Lachowecki (So./D), Dillon Powers (Sr./M) and Grant Van De Casteele (Sr./D) represented Notre Dame on the all-tournament team. Brown was the tournament’s offensive MVP, while Van De Casteele was the defensive MVP. Junior Patrick Wall and senior Will Walsh were the goalkeeping co-MVP honorees.
HAULING IN THE HARDWARE
– Notre Dame has played in both the Indiana Classic and the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament in each of the last 10 seasons and this year marks the first time the Irish have won both events in the same season.
LACHOWECKI DELIVERS LATE
– Sophomore left back Max Lachowecki delivered the game winner in the 81st minute in Notre Dame’s 1-0 win over Oregon State on the first night of the Berticelli Tournament. It was the first career goal for Lachowecki.
– Lachowecki was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Monday in addition to being tapped as the defensive MVP of the Berticelli Tournament.
BIG WEEKEND FOR BROWN
– Junior forward Leon Brown tallied three points on one goal and one assist during last weekend’s Berticelli Tournament. He netted the equalizer in the 49th minute in the 3-1 victory over Akron. Brown assisted on Max Lachowecki’s game winner versus Oregon State.
– The junior was named the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament Offensive MVP. He also was selected to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
GRANT GREAT IN IRISH DEFENSE
– Senior central defender Grant Van De Casteele was an anchor in the Irish defense that allowed just one goal in 180 minutes of action against two high-powered offenses last weekend. Notre Dame blanked an Oregon State offense that entered the match averaging 4.0 goals per game. The Irish allowed just one goal to No. 4 Akron.
– Van De Casteele was named the defensive MVP of the Berticelli Tournament and also was selected to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week.
BIG EAST BEST
– The Irish have produced a BIG EAST player-of-the-week honoree during each of the first three weeks of the 2012 season. Junior Andrew O’Malley and sophomore Max Lachowecki were named the league’s defensive player of the week on Aug. 27 and Sept. 10, respectively. Senior Ryan Finley was selected as the offensive player of the week Sept. 3.
– Notre Dame is the only BIG EAST school to have a player-of-the-week honoree in each of the first three weeks of the 2012 campaign.
GETTING GOALS
– Notre Dame has scored 10 goals in its first five games of the season. That is the most goals for the Irish through the first five matches of a season since they also deposited 10 in through five contests in 2009.
– Six different Fighting Irish players have scored a goal this season.
SECOND HALF SUCCESS
– Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 7-1 in the second half of play this season. The Irish and their foes both have three first-half goals.
SOLID ON THE STAT SHEET
– The Fighting Irish have out shot their opponents 95-38 this season, which includes a 37-14 advantage in shots on goal. The Irish also have earned 17 more corner kicks (33-16) than their opponents.
STAYING IN THE LEAD
– Notre Dame has trailed for just 44:36 out of 450 minutes played this season. When Akron grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute last Sunday, it marked Notre Dame’s first deficit of the season. The Fighting Irish produced the equalizer in the 49th minute in the eventual 3-1 victory.
HODAN HELPS IN FIRST START
– Freshman midfielder Patrick Hodan made his first career start in the Akron match and delivered in the 49th minute when he assisted on Leon Brown’s equalizer. It was the first career point for Hodan.
FANTASTIC FORWARDS
– Senior forward Ryan Finley and junior forward Harrison Shipp have combined for 14 points this season. Finley leads the Irish in goals (4) and points (9), while Shipp has five points on one goal and a team-best three assists.
– The duo combined for nine points during the two matches at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. Finley netted two goals in the 3-2 win over San Diego State and assisted on the game winner in the 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.
LOSE THE SHOES
– At halftime of Friday’s Michigan State match, the championship game of Notre Dame’s Lose the Shoes soccer tournament will be held. The proceeds from the 3-on-3 barefoot soccer tournament will benefit Grassroot Soccer, a South Africa-based non-governmental organization that integrates the cross-cultural appeal of soccer with evidence-based HIV prevention and life skills programs that arm African youth with the knowledge, skills, and support to live HIV free. Tommy Clark, the eldest son of Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark, is a cofounder of Grassroot Soccer.
– In the fall of 2006, Dartmouth College held the first-ever Lose the Shoes tournament. Since the first event in 2006, high school and college students around the world have been organizing Lose The Shoes 3v3 Tournaments to benefit Grassroot Soccer. More than 15,000 students from 100 schools have risen over $200,000 in support of effective, meaningful Grassroot Soccer programming in Africa. Lose The Shoes has become a movement, mobilizing the next generation of students, advocates, and soccer players to unite and actively seek a solution to the AIDS and health pandemic affecting youth across the globe.
– The semifinals will be held at halftime of Friday’s Notre Dame women’s game versus Louisville. The preliminary games of the tournament took place on the Notre Dame campus.
TOUGH SLATE
– The Irish have another challenging schedule this season as six of their opponents appear in the latest Soccer America top-25 poll. Included in that group are two top-10 teams (#4 Connecticut, #9 Akron). Notre Dame foes Marquette (#13), Indiana (#16), Georgetown (#18) and Northwestern (#22) also appear in the rankings. The Fighting Irish will face Marquette twice during the regular season. Notre Dame is ranked 3rd in the poll.
– The Irish defeated Akron, 3-1, when the Zips were ranked fourth.
SHIPP SIBLINGS
– Freshman midfielder/defender Michael Shipp has joined his older brother, Harrison, this season on the Irish roster. Harrison is a junior forward.
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.