Sept. 25, 2012
#8 NOTRE DAME
vs.
#10 INDIANA
Wednesday, Sept. 26 – 7 p.m. (ET)
Armstrong Stadium – Bloomington, Ind.
Indiana leads series 6-24-2
TV/INTERNET
BTN.com (live stream)
(re-aired 3 p.m. ET Thursday on the Big Ten Network)
LIVE STATS
Gametracker on UND.com
UPDATES
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#8 IRISH HEAD DOWN STATE TO FACE #10 HOOSIERS
– A top-10 intrastate clash will take place Wednesday when No. 8 Notre Dame (7-1-0) visits No. 10 Indiana (6-1-1) in a non-conference match. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. (ET) at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
– A live broadcast will be available on BTN.com. The match will be re-aired at 3 p.m. (ET) Thursday on the Big Ten Network. Live stats via Gametracker can be found on UND.com.
– Notre Dame dropped its BIG EAST opener at Louisville, 2-1, on Saturday. That was the first loss of the season for the Fighting Irish. The setback also snapped Notre Dame’s five-game win streak in BIG EAST openers. Senior forward Ryan Finley scored his team-high sixth goal of the season in the match.
SOLID START
– Notre Dame has seven wins in its first eight matches of a season for the first time since the 1988 campaign.
– Notre Dame’s recent seven-game win streak was tied for the second-longest streak under head coach Bobby Clark, who took over the Fighting Irish program in 2001.
HISTORY WITH THE HOOSIERS
– Wednesday will be the 33rd meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Indiana. The Hoosiers hold a 24-6-2 advantage in the series. The Irish are 5-6-1 against Indiana during the Bobby Clark era.
– The two teams played to a scoreless draw last season at Notre Dame. That contest was the 2011 season opener for both the Irish and Hoosiers.
– Notre Dame is 4-12-1 against the Hoosiers in Bloomington. The last meeting in Bloomington was a 2-1 Irish win during the 2010 campaign.
A LOOK AT INDIANA
– Indiana will bring a 6-1-1 record into Wednesday’s match with the Irish. The Hoosiers opened Big Ten Conference play with a 2-0 win at Ohio State on Sunday. Indiana is 2-0-1 at home this season.
– The Hoosiers are averaging 1.88 goals per game, while allowing 0.50 per contest. Sophomore forward Eriq Zavaleta has a team-high seven goals. Senior Luis Soffner has played every possible minute in goal and has a 0.49 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage. He also has five shutouts.
– Indiana went 17-5-6 in 2011 and finished fourth in the Big Ten with a 3-1-2 league record. The Hoosiers fell at North Carolina, 1-0 in overtime, in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16.
– Head coach Todd Yeagley is in his third season at the helm of the Indiana program.
BACK TO BLOOMINGTON
– The Fighting Irish will be making their second trip to Bloomington this season. Notre Dame captured the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic earlier this month with wins over San Diego State (3-2) and Clemson (2-1).
BATTLING THE BIG TEN
– Notre Dame is 48-46-16 against teams currently in the Big Ten Conference.
– The Fighting Irish have four Big Ten foes on their 2012 schedule. The Irish already have defeated Michigan State (2-0) and Michigan (1-0 in double-overtime) this season. Notre Dame will have a road match against Northwestern on 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).
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
– Six of Notre Dame’s eight matches this season have been decided by one goal. The Irish are 5-1 in those contests.
RIGID ROAD SWING
– Notre Dame is in the middle of four straight road matches. The Irish began the stretch Sept. 16 with a 1-0 double-overtime victory at Michigan. Notre Dame fell at Louisville, 2-1, on Saturday. Following Wednesday’s match at Indiana, the Fighting Irish will conclude the stretch Saturday at No. 2 Connecticut.
FANTASTIC FORWARDS
– Senior forward Ryan Finley and junior forward Harrison Shipp have combined for 20 points this season. Finley leads the Irish in goals (6) and points (13), while Shipp has seven points on two goals and a team-best three assists.
GETTING GOALS
– Notre Dame has scored 14 goals in its first eight games of the season. The Irish have not been shut out in the first eight games of a season for the first time since 1995. Seven different Fighting Irish players have scored a goal this season.
SECOND HALF SUCCESS
– Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 10-2 in the second half and overtime this season. Indiana has a 12-0 scoring advantage in the second half.
SOLID ON THE STAT SHEET
– The Fighting Irish have outshot their opponents 148-75 this season, which includes a 55-22 advantage in shots on goal. The Irish also have earned 16 more corner kicks (49-33) than their opponents.
SENIOR CLASS CANDIDATES
– Dillon Powers (M) and Grant Van De Casteele (D) have been named candidates for the Senior CLASS Award in the men’s soccer division. The Fighting Irish duo is among 30 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 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.
– The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
IRONMEN
– Senior midfielder Dillon Powers has played in 59 straight games, including 46 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 46 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 46 matches during his Irish career.
TOUGH SLATE
– The Irish have another challenging schedule this season as seven of their opponents appear in the latest Soccer America top-25 poll. Included in that group are four top-10 teams (#2 Connecticut, #3 Akron, #7 Marquette, #10 Indiana). The Irish will face Marquette twice during the regular season. Notre Dame foes Georgetown (#11), Northwestern (#18) and Louisville (#24) also appear in the rankings. Notre Dame is ranked 9th in the poll.
– The Irish defeated Akron (3-1) and fell at Louisville (2-1).
IRISH SWEEP WOLVERINE STATE WEEKEND
– Notre Dame posted wins over Michigan State (2-0) and Michigan (1-0 in 2ot) on Sept. 14 and 16, respectively.
– Junior forward Harrison Shipp (28′) and freshman midfielder Patrick Hodan (54′) netted goals against the Spartans, while senior forward Ryan Finley deposited the golden goal in the 104th minute against the Wolverines.
– Senior Will Walsh was in goal against Michigan State and made two saves to notch his third shutout of the season. Junior goalkeeper Patrick Wall had two saves versus Michigan to record his first career clean sheet.
DEJA VU
– Prior to the overtime victory at Michigan (Sept. 16), Notre Dame’s last overtime triumph was a 2-1 decision over Michigan last season at Alumni Stadium. Adam Mena scored that golden goal in the first overtime period. Both games took place on Sept. 16.
BIG EAST BEST
– The Irish have produced four BIG EAST player-of-the-week honorees this season. Juniors Andrew O’Malley (Aug. 27) and Luke Mishu (Sept. 17) along with sophomore Max Lachowecki (Sept. 10) have been named the league’s defensive player of the week, while senior Ryan Finley (Sept. 3) was tapped as the offensive player of the week.
– Notre Dame is the only BIG EAST school to have four men’s soccer player-of-the-week honorees this season.
NOTRE DAME IN BIG EAST PLAY
– Notre Dame owns an overall record of 102-59-19 (.619) in BIG EAST regular-season play since joining the conference in 1995. The Irish have posted 11 straight winning campaigns within the league, including last season’s 5-3-1 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.
BEST IN THE BERT
– The Fighting Irish captured the 11th annual Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament by besting Oregon State (1-0) and Akron (3-1). It was the fifth time (`03, `05, `08, `10) that the Irish won the event, which is named after the former Notre Dame coach. Akron was the runner up, while 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.
CLASSIC CHAMPS
– Notre Dame won the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic (Aug. 31-Sept. 2) by posting a 2-0 record. The Irish defeated San Diego State (3-2) and Clemson (2-1).
– Ryan Finley (Sr./F), Dillon Powers (Sr./M), Harrison Shipp (Jr./F) and Nick Besler (So./M) were named to the IU Classic all-tournament team.
– It was the second time in 13 appearances that Notre Dame won the IU Classic. The Irish also won the 1993 tournament.
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.
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.