Senior midfielder Danny O'Leary and the Fighting Irish are in pursuit of the program's third BIG EAST Tournament title.

#5 Irish Travel To Syracuse For BIG EAST Quarterfinals

Nov. 2, 2012

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#5 NOTRE DAME
vs.
SYRACUSE

BIG EAST Championship Quarterfinal
Saturday, Nov. 3 – 7 p.m. (ET)
SU Soccer Stadium – Syracuse, N.Y.

Notre Dame leads series 9-2-2

INTERNET BROADCAST: SUathletics.com (membership required)
LIVE STATS: SUathletics.com
UPDATES: Irish Alert! text messaging (sign up on UND.com)

#5 IRISH AT SYRACUSE FOR BIG EAST QUARTERFINALS
– No. 5 Notre Dame (13-3-1) will face Syracuse (12-5-0) on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Championship. The match is slated for 7 p.m. (ET) at the SU Soccer Stadium.
– The Fighting Irish are the No. 3 seed from the BIG EAST Blue Division, while the Orange are the No. 2 seed from the Red Division.
– This will be the first meeting between the Irish and the Orange since the 2008 campaign.
– The winner of Saturday’s match will play either Connecticut or Villanova Friday in the BIG EAST semifinals at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
– A video broadcast (membership required) and live stats for Saturday’s match can be found at SUathletics.com.

NOTRE DAME IN THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP
– The Fighting Irish are making their 12th straight appearance in the BIG EAST Championship and the 16th trip overall in program history. The Irish own a 13-11-5 record in the league playoffs.
– Notre Dame won the BIG EAST Championship in 1996 and 2003.
– Notre Dame is 7-2-3 at home in the conference tournament, 1-6-0 in true road games and 5-3-2 at neutral sites.
– Head coach Bobby Clark boasts a 9-8-5 record in BIG EAST Championship games with the Fighting Irish. Clark guided Notre Dame to the 2003 BIG EAST title.
– Last season, the Irish fell to Villanova, 1-0, in the first round.

CONFERENCE CROWNS
– Notre Dame is in pursuit of its sixth conference tournament title. The Fighting Irish captured three Midwestern Collegiate Conference tournament championships (1988, 1993, 1994) and Notre Dame has won the BIG EAST Championship twice (1996, 2003).

IRISH AGAINST THE ORANGE
– Notre Dame is 9-2-2 all-time against Syracuse. The Fighting Irish currently have a nine-game unbeaten streak against the Orange.
– Saturday will be the first meeting between the Irish and the Orange since 2008, a 3-0 home victory for Notre Dame.
– Notre Dame has not played at Syracuse since the 2005 season. The Irish won that contest, 1-0. Notre Dame is 4-0-1 all-time at Syracuse.
– This will be the second time that Notre Dame and Syracuse have met in the BIG EAST Championship. The Irish and Orange played to a scoreless draw in the first round of the 2005 tournament. Notre Dame won the penalty kick shootout, 4-2.
– Head coach Bobby Clark is 4-0-2 versus Syracuse during his Notre Dame tenure.

SCOUTING SYRACUSE
– Syracuse will bring a 12-5-0 record into Saturday’s match against the Irish. The Orange went 5-3-0 in BIG EAST play. Syracuse is 5-2-0 at home this season.
– The Orange offense is averaging 1.88 goals per game, while the defense boasts a 0.59 goals-against average.
– Freshman midfielder Jordan Vale leads the Orange in goals (8) and points (17), while sophomore defender Jordan Murrell has a team-best six assists.
– Freshman Alex Bono has an 11-5-0 record in goal with nine shutouts. He has a 0.64 goals-against average and a .841 save percentage.
– Syracuse went 3-12-1 last season, which included a 1-7-1 mark in BIG EAST play.
– Head coach Ian McIntyre is in his third season at Syracuse.

IRISH #1 IN RPI
– Notre Dame is No. 1 in this week’s RPI rankings. Five Fighting Irish opponents appear in the top eight of the RPI. Those squads are Akron (4), Georgetown (5), Connecticut (6), Indiana (7) and Louisville (8).
– Six BIG EAST squads are in the top 20 of the RPI, including four Blue Division teams in the top 13 (Connecticut, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Marquette).

ACCOLADES ABUNDANT FOR FINLEY
Ryan Finley (Sr./F) on Monday was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season in addition to being tapped as the national player of the week by both College Soccer News and TopDrawerSoccer.com.
– TopDrawerSoccer.com and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) have named Finley the national player of the week twice this season, while he has received the honor once from both College Soccer News and Soccer News Net.

FINLEY ON FIRE
– Senior forward Ryan Finley ranks second nationally in goals (17) and third in points (37). He has tallied 11 goals in the last seven matches.
– Finley led the BIG EAST with 12 goals in league play.
– He has five multiple-goal games this season, including one hat trick.
– Finley’s 17 goals are the most for an Irish player in a single season since Joseph Lapira had 22 in 2006.

COMING BACK
– Notre Dame fell behind 1-0 in both matches with Marquette last week, yet came back to win the first game (3-1) and tie the second (1-1).
– The Irish are 2-3-1 this season when their opponent scores first.

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
– Notre Dame ranks fourth nationally in goals scored (40) and sixth nationally in goals per game (2.35).
– The Fighting Irish led the BIG EAST with 25 goals (3.12 gpg) in conference play.
– Notre Dame has scored three or more goals seven times this season, including five times in the last seven games.
– Notre Dame’s seven-goal output against Pittsburgh was the largest for the Irish since a 7-1 win over Western Michigan on Oct. 14, 1997. The seven goals were the most ever scored by the Irish against a BIG EAST opponent.
– The six goals in the 6-1 win at Seton Hall were the most ever tallied by the Irish in a BIG EAST road match.

SCORING IN A HURRY
– The Fighting Irish are coming off a recent three-game stretch that saw them score goals in a rapid pace.
– Notre Dame tallied its final three goals in the 6-1 win at Seton Hall (Oct. 13) in a span of 8:16.
– Senior forward Ryan Finley scored three goals in a span of 9:13 in the 3-0 win over Providence (Oct. 20).
– The Irish overcame a 1-0 deficit against Marquette (Oct. 24) by tallying three goals in just 6:26

GETTING GOALS
– The Irish have not been shutout this season. It is the first time since the 1987 campaign that Notre Dame has not been blanked in the first 17 matches of a season.
– This is just the third time in the 36-year history of the Notre Dame program that the Irish have not been shutout in the first 17 contests of a season.
– Notre Dame is 11-0 this season when scoring first.
– Ten different Fighting Irish players have scored at least one goal this season.

HAT TRICKS
– Senior forward Ryan Finley notched a hat trick in the 3-0 win over Providence on Oct. 20. All three goals came in a span of 9:13 in the second half. It was the fourth career hat trick for Finley and his first since joining the Irish last season after transferring from Duke.
– It was the second straight game that an Irish player produced a hat trick. Junior forward Harrison Shipp tallied three goals in the 6-1 victory at Seton Hall.

SECOND HALF SUCCESS
– Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 29-3 in the second half and overtime this season.

OWNING THE STAT SHEET
– The Fighting Irish have outshot their competition 328-185 this season, which includes a 139-63 advantage in shots on goal. The Irish also have earned 30 more corner kicks (106-76) than their opponents.

HOME SWEET HOME
– Notre Dame is 8-0 at home this season.
– The Irish are 20-4-5 (.776) at Alumni Stadium over the past three seasons.

TAKING DOWN THE TOP 10
– Notre Dame is 4-1-1 this season against top-10 competition. The wins have come against No. 3 Georgetown (3-0), No. 3 Marquette (3-1), No. 4 Akron (3-1) and No. 10 Indiana (1-0). The Irish tied No. 3 Marquette (1-1) and fell at No. 2 Connecticut (2-1).

WINNING WAYS
– Notre Dame’s 13 victories are tied for the most regular-season wins for the Irish under head coach Bobby Clark (12 seasons). The Irish also notched 13 regular-season victories in 2004.
– This season’s 13 wins are the most for the Irish since the 2007 campaign when Notre Dame finished 14-5-5.
– Notre Dame has reached the 13-win mark in five of head coach Bobby Clark’s 12 seasons with the Irish. The most wins for the Irish under Clark are 16 in 2003 (16-3-4).

Bobby Clark NOTCHES 300TH CAREER WIN
– Notre Dame’s 6-1 win at Seton Hall on Oct. 13 was the 300th career victory for Bobby Clark as a college head coach. Clark, who is in his 12th season with the Irish, has a 149-67-35 record at Notre Dame. He was 71-21-12 at Stanford (1996-2001) and 82-42-13 at Dartmouth (1985-93).
– Clark is the 14th active Division I men’s soccer head coach to reach the 300-win milestone.

POWERS PERFORMING
– Senior midfielder Dillon Powers has a team-high six assists this season. His 14 points are tied for second on the team, while his four goals are tied for third among all Irish players.

ROOKIE ON THE RISE
– Freshman midfielder Patrick Hodan has 12 points on four goals and four assists this season. It’s the most goals and points for an Irish freshman since Kevin Goldthwaite tallied four goals and 13 points as a rookie in 2001.
– Hodan was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Oct. 15 after he tallied five points on two goals and one assist in two matches.
– He has played in every match this season, including one start.

GUARDING THE GOAL
– Notre Dame has posted seven shutouts this season. The Irish are allowing just 0.82 goals per game, which ranks 30th nationally.
– Fifth-year senior Will Walsh and junior Patrick Wall have split time in goal. Walsh has a 6-2-1 record with four shutouts, a 0.87 goals-against average and a .750 save percentage. Wall is 7-1-0 with three shutouts, a 0.71 goals-against average and a .806 save percentage.
– Wall made a career-high eight saves in last Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Marquette and Walsh had a career-high eight saves in Saturday’s 1-1 tie at Marquette

IRONMEN
– Senior midfielder Dillon Powers has played in a team-best 68 straight games, including 55 consecutive starts. The only five games he has missed during his Fighting Irish career were during his freshman season when he played for the U.S. at the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt.
– Senior central defender Grant Van De Casteele has started 55 straight matches. He did not play during the 2009 campaign, but has not missed a game since.
– Junior forward Harrison Shipp has appeared in all 55 matches during his Irish career.

NOTRE DAME IN BIG EAST PLAY
– Notre Dame owns an overall record of 107-60-20 (.626) in BIG EAST regular-season play since joining the conference in 1995. The Irish have posted 12 straight winning campaigns within the league, including this season’s 5-2-1 mark.
– The most wins for Notre Dame in BIG EAST play is eight, which occurred in 2004 (8-1-1), 2006 (8-3) and 2009 (8-3).
– The Irish have three regular-season BIG EAST titles. Notre Dame won the championship outright in 2004 and 2008 (Blue Division) and shared the Blue Division trophy with Connecticut in 2007. The Fighting Irish captured BIG EAST tournament crowns in 1996 and 2003.

POWERS A SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST
– Midfielder Dillon Powers has been named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award in the men’s soccer division. The Fighting Irish standout is among 10 student-athletes up for the prestigious honor.
– To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
– An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
– The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 candidates that were announced in September. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through November 19 (once daily per computer). Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches’ votes to determine the winner.
– The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2012 NCAA Men’s College Cup, which will take place December 7 and 9 in Hoover, Ala.

Harrison Shipp NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
– Junior forward Harrison Shipp has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District V first team for men’s soccer. He is one of 11 student-athletes on the squad.
– First-team Academic All-District ® honorees advance to the Capital One Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.
– Shipp has 14 points on five goals and four assists this season. He boasts a 3.846 cumulative grade-point average as a finance major in the Mendoza College of Business.

CLOSE CALLS
– Each of Notre Dame’s three losses this season have been one-goal decisions. The Fighting Irish are 6-3 in one-goal contests this season.

DEJA VU
– Prior to the double-overtime victory at Michigan, Notre Dame’s last overtime triumph was a 2-1 decision over Michigan last season at Alumni Stadium. Both games took place on Sept. 16.

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. It was Notre Dame’s fifth Berticelli tournament title (11 appearances). The Irish also won in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2010. It was the second time in 13 appearances that Notre Dame won the IU Classic. The Irish also captured the 1993 tournament.

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.