Aug. 25, 2016
by Tony Jones
2016 NOTRE DAME MEN’S SOCCER – Matches 1 and 2
#9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-5-6 in 2015) vs. UC Irvine Anteaters (5-11-4 in 2015) and New Mexico Lobos (8-6-4 in 2015)
DATE: Aug. 26-28, 2016
TIME: 7:30 p.m. (ET) (UC Irvine); 2 p.m. (ET) (New Mexico)
LOCATION: Notre Dame, Indiana (Alumni Stadium – cap. 2,500)
BROADCAST: ACC Network Extra (UC Irvine) (New Mexico)
LIVE STATS: Gametracker () ()
TWITTER: @NDMenSoccer
TICKETS: UND.com/tickets; (574) 631-7356
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Following three scrimmage matches that supplemented training during its recent fall camp, the University of Notre Dame men’s soccer team officially ushers in the 2016 season this weekend with the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament. The Irish welcome UC Irvine for a 7:30 p.m. (ET) match on Friday, with the tournament’s final match pitting Notre Dame against New Mexico on Sunday at 2 p.m. inside Alumni Stadium. Both Notre Dame matches will be streamed live via ACC Network Extra.
Indiana represents the field’s fourth team and will face both UC Irvine and New Mexico in neutral site matchups. The Hoosiers return to Alumni Stadium to clash with Notre Dame in nonconference play on Oct. 4.
No. 9 Notre Dame looks to defend its Mike Berticelli Tournament crown after reclaiming the event’s top spot with a pair of victories in 2015. The Irish and Indiana have each won six of the first 13 editions of the tournament, with inaugural year champion Bradley (2002) the only non-Indiana winner to separate the in-state soccer powers.
“The Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament is tradition and history,” Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark said. “That’s certainly one of the pillars of the athletic department here. Mike was our immediate predecessor here, and the tournament really was starting as I arrived. It was important that we continue what was really put in place by (former Notre Dame coach) Chris Apple, and it’s a great way to honor Mike.”
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.
Berticelli Memorial Tournament History
This weekend’s four matches at Alumni Stadium comprise the 14th Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament, which has been held in every season except for 2013 dating back to the 2002 campaign. The tournament is held in honor of the former Irish head coach who compiled a 104-80-19 record during his 10-year stint at Notre Dame.
Berticelli led the Irish to three NCAA tournament appearances (1993, 1994, 1996), including the program’s first NCAA win in 1996. He guided Notre Dame to one Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC) regular-season title (1993) and two MCC tournament crowns (1993 & 1994). Berticelli also steered Notre Dame to its first BIG EAST tournament title in 1996.
Notre Dame is 18-3-5 (.788) all-time in the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament. The Irish have claimed the tournament championship six times: 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015.
Indiana and New Mexico have each made previous tournament appearances entering this weekend’s event. Indiana has won the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament on six occasions (2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014), while New Mexico (second place, 2009) is a tournament entrant for the second time this weekend at Alumni Stadium.
Scouting UC Irvine
UC Irvine returns 14 regular contributors from its 2015 roster that posted a 5-11-4 mark, including a 3-5-2 record in the Big West. Ivan Canales is the top returning scorer for the Anteaters after tallying five goals and five assists (15 points) in 2015, while Luis Leon added three goals and one assist for seven points. Goalkeeper Elliot Farmer notched a 0.42 goals against average and logged two shutouts in six appearances for UC Irvine last season.
Head coach Chris Volk is 21-17-1 (.551) entering his third season at UC Irvine, and led the Anteaters to the NCAA Round of 16 in his first campaign in 2014. Volk was the lead assistant at UC Irvine for 17 seasons, and is a brother-in-law of Notre Dame softball coach Deanna Gumpf (married to her sister, Amy).
Scouting New Mexico
New Mexico returns 18 players, including eight starters, from its 2015 roster that notched an 8-6-4 overall record and finished sixth in Conference USA. Chris Wehan led all returning players with 10 goals and two assists (22 points) in 2015, while Niko Hansen added three goals and three assists for nine points. Jason Beaulieu recorded five total shutouts (four solo) in 18 starts as the Lobos goalkeeper last season.
Head coach Jeremy Fishbein is 187-66-33 (.712) in his 15th season at New Mexico, leading the Lobos to 10 NCAA Championship appearances over 14 years.
Meet The 2016 Irish
Notre Dame was ranked ninth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) preseason poll that was released on Aug. 2. The Irish closed 2015 as the No. 11 team in the final NSCAA rankings. Notre Dame is one of five Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams included among the initial NSCAA top 10, joining No. 3 Clemson, No. 5 Wake Forest, No. 6 Syracuse and No. 8 North Carolina.
A total of 12 monogram winners, including eight players who were regular starters, return for Notre Dame following an 11-5-6 campaign that saw the Irish finish as ACC Championship runner-up and NCAA Championship Round of 16 qualifier in 2015.
Senior goalkeeper Chris Hubbard did not surrender a goal over the first 530 minutes of his Notre Dame career to open 2015, posting five shutouts against No. 13 Maryland, No. 14 Indiana, No. 24 South Florida, UAB and No. 9 Clemson. Hubbard’s five straight clean sheets were the second-most by a goalkeeper in program history.
Notre Dame welcomes seven freshmen to its roster in 2016. Forwards Spencer Farina and John Rea, midfielders Jack Casey, Nick Cullen and Tommy McCabe, defender Senan Farrelly and goalkeeper Duncan Turnbull are all new additions to the Irish for the upcoming season.
Next Stop: adidas/IU Credit Union Classic
Notre Dame next returns to action at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic from Sept. 2-4 in Bloomington. The marquee matchup of the weekend will be the Irish facing off with defending NCAA champion Stanford at 5 p.m. (ET) on Sept. 2 on BTN2Go.
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.