Sept. 1, 2016
by Tony Jones
2016 NOTRE DAME MEN’S SOCCER — Matches 3 and 4adidas/IU Credit Union Classic, Matches 1 and 3#4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0-0) vs. #15 Stanford Cardinal (0-0-2) and #22 California Golden Bears (1-0-1)
DATE: Sept. 2-4, 2016
TIME: 5:30 p.m. (ET) (Stanford); 12:30 p.m. (ET) (California)
LOCATION: Bloomington, Indiana (Armstrong Stadium — cap. 6,500)
BROADCAST: BTN2Go (Stanford)
LIVE STATS: Sidearm Sports
TWITTER: @NDMenSoccer
TICKETS: IUHoosiers.com
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — What has become an annual trip for the University of Notre Dame men’s soccer team down the road to Bloomington is set to commence. The Irish will head to the Indiana campus for two top 25 clashes this weekend, taking on No. 15 Stanford at 5:30 p.m. (ET) on Friday before closing with No. 22 California at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic.
Notre Dame’s Friday match against Stanford will be streamed via Big Ten Network 2Go, with no video stream for the tournament finale against Cal. Live stats will be available throughout the weekend at IUHoosiers.com.
No. 4 Notre Dame (2-0-0) has made regular trips to the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic each season dating back to 2003, and is in search of at least a share of the tournament championship for the fifth straight season after claiming two results in 2015. The Irish have earned results in each of their last eight starts (5-0-3) in the tournament dating back to 2012, with five decisions coming against top 25 foes.
“It’s the first time I’ll have played against Stanford since I left, which is quite amazing,” Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark, who led Stanford to a 71-21-12 (.740) record from 1996-2000, said. “They’re a good side and we know that, they wouldn’t have won the national championship last year if they weren’t a good team. I’ve been away long enough that I don’t know any of the guys playing or any of the direct soccer staff, so I’ll have no great sentimental ties now.
“It’ll be nice to play two really good teams because Cal is very good also,” Clark added. “We played Cal down at Indiana’s tournament (in 2003) and beat them (2-1 in OT), and then they came back again (in 2005) and we tied (0-0). Friday night they play Indiana down there and then come back and play us on Sunday. They’ll be a handful, they’re very technical and a good team. It will be two great games against Pac-12 teams, and it will test us. Both Cal and Stanford have the potential to be final four teams, so that’s a good experience for our team.”
Season and single game tickets for the 2016 Notre Dame men’s soccer season remain on sale. Visit und.com/tickets or call the Murnane Family Ticket Office at 574-631-7356 for more information or to purchase tickets.
Irish Emerge With Another Bert Title
A 41st minute penalty kick converted by senior defender Brandon Aubrey proved to be the difference, as the University of Notre Dame men’s soccer team outlasted a lengthy weather delay and talented New Mexico side to prevail with a 1-0 victory on Aug. 28 at Alumni Stadium.
Notre Dame won the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament for the seventh time in the event’s 14-year history, successfully defending its crown from 2015. The Irish earned the tournament championship with a +5 goal differential during the event thanks to the New Mexico win and a 4-0 shutout of UC Irvine on Aug. 26, edging six-time champion Indiana who also finished with two wins (+3 goal differential).
Notre Dame has now allowed a goal during the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament in over 360 minutes of game play, dating back to 2014. The Irish led all entrants with four selections to the all-tournament team, with Jon Gallagher, Brandon Aubrey, Matt Habrowski and Chris Hubbard each being recognized. Gallagher was also chosen as the Most Outstanding Offensive Player, Aubrey the Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Hubbard the Most Outstanding Goalkeeper.
Gallagher Again Delivers Early Offense
For the second straight year, Notre Dame striker Jon Gallagher was selected as the Most Outstanding Offensive Player at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament to open the 2016 regular season. Gallagher scored two goals in the opening game against UC Irvine, adding an assist on the game-winning tally and drawing a penalty kick for the fourth Irish goal. All six of Gallagher’s official shot attempts from the opening weekend were credited as shots on goal.
Gallagher has accounted for five total goals in his last four starts in the tournament, including a pair of two-goal outings dating back to the 2015 edition of the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament. Gallagher notched the game-winning goal against No. 24 USF before knocking in two goals against UAB during last season’s run by Notre Dame to the tournament championship.
Aubrey’s Impact On Both Sides
Center back Brandon Aubrey turned in a stellar all-around performance during the first two Notre Dame games of 2016 at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament. Aubrey made his offensive presence felt with penalty kick goals against both UC Irvine (Aug. 26) and New Mexico (Aug. 28), with the successful conversion against the Lobos representing the ultimate game-winner. Aubrey improved to a perfect 4-for-4 in penalty attempts in his Irish career.
With equal precision in the defensive third of the field, Aubrey and the Notre Dame back line turned in a stellar season debut in blanking Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament opponents for the second straight season. The Irish held UC Irvine to a single shot attempt on goal during a 4-0 clean sheet, and managed to limit New Mexico’s Sunday scoring opportunities in a 1-0 victory that clinched the tournament.
Aubrey was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week for the second time in his career in recognition of his efforts. Aubrey also found himself in the first TopDrawerSoccer weekly top 11 of the 2015 season.
Hubbard Remains Perfect In Aug.
Notre Dame goalkeeper Chris Hubbard has now made four career August starts without surrendering a single goal. Hubbard has logged 13 total saves during his clean sheet streak in the month.
Scouting Stanford
Stanford opened the 2016 season as the No. 1 team in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) rankings after winning the 2015 NCAA Championship. The Cardinal finished with two draws during the opening weekend, tying Penn State 0-0 before clawing back from a two-goal deficit to level Saint Mary’s (Calif.) 2-2 on Sunday in Stanford. Foster Langsdorf and Drew Skundrich scored the first two Stanford goals of 2016 to square the contest with Saint Mary’s. Tanner Beason and Bryce Marion earned assists on the Cardinal goals.
Head coach Jeremy Gunn is 50-20-13 (.681) in his fifth season at Stanford, and has been named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year each of the last two years.
Scouting California
California began the 2016 regular season 1-0-1 at Stanford, drawing Saint Mary’s 2-2 before downing Penn State 2-1 in overtime. Nick Lima was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week after leading the Golden Bears with two goals on the weekend, including the game-winner in the 92nd minute against Penn State. Christian Thierjung and Jose Carerra-Garcia also added goals for Cal during the unbeaten week.
Head coach Kevin Grimes is 174-105-39 (.608) in his 17th season at Cal, earning Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors on five different occasions (2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010).
Next Stop: ACC Play Opens Against Virginia Tech
Notre Dame officially begins its 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) schedule with a 7 pm. (ET) match against Virginia Tech on Sept. 9 at Alumni Stadium. The contest will be streamed live via ACC Network Extra.
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Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball and men’s soccer programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.