Aug 30, 2013
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Friday’s men’s soccer showdown between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 9 UCLA that kicked off the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic ended in a scoreless draw at a hot and humid Bill Armstrong Stadium. The match was the season opener for both squads.
The stat sheet clearly belonged to the Fighting Irish as Notre Dame outshot UCLA 18-9, including 10-4 in the opening half. Both teams had five shots on goal. The Irish had 12 corner kicks compared to five for the Bruins.
“We really controlled the game and had some good scoring opportunities,” Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark said. “I was very happy with how we controlled possession, but it was disappointing that we couldn’t finish. Finishing was our Achilles heel in the preseason. Hopefully we can rectify that going forward.”
Senior goalkeeper Patrick Wall made five saves for the Fighting Irish to collect his fourth career shutout. His career record now stands at 9-1-1. UCLA’s Earl Edwards, Jr. also had five stops for the Bruins.
Including the preseason, the Fighting Irish defense has not surrendered a goal in over 292 minutes.
“Our back four didn’t give up any chances and I was very happy with how they played,” Clark said. “Pat Wall was very, very solid for us tonight. He has been terrific this season.”
Sophomore midfielder Patrick Hodan led the Irish with two shots on goal, while Vince Cicciarelli, Connor Klekota and Leon Brown all put a shot on frame. Brian Iloski had a team-high two shots on goal for UCLA.
Tonight was the first time in the last 24 matches that Notre Dame has been held without a goal. The Irish were not blanked all of last season.
The Fighting Irish now are 22-10-5 all-time in season openers, including a 7-3-3 mark under Clark. Notre Dame is 1-4-1 against UCLA, including a 1-2-1 record in games played in Bloomington.
Indiana faced SMU in Friday’s second match at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. Notre Dame will square off against SMU Sunday in the final day of the tournament. The match is slated for 11:30 a.m. (ET) at Bill Armstrong Stadium and will be followed by the Indiana-UCLA tilt.
adidas/IU Credit Union Classic
Bill Armstrong Stadium – Bloomington, Ind.
August 30, 2013
#9 UCLA (0-0-1) 0 0 0 0 – 0
#7 Notre Dame (0-0-1) 0 0 0 0 – 0
Shots: UCLA 4-4-1-0 – 9, ND 10-8-0-0 – 18
Corner Kicks: UCLA 2-2-1-0 – 5, ND 5-4-0-3 – 12
Goalkeepers: UCLA: Earl Edwards, Jr. – 5 SV, 0 GA, 110:00, T
ND: Patrick Wall – 5 SV, 0 GA, 110:00, T
Offsides: UCLA 4, ND 8
–ND–