Aug. 26, 2011
#15 INDIANA (0-0-0) at
#9 NOTRE DAME (0-0-0)
Saturday, Aug. 27 – 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Alumni Stadium – Notre Dame, Ind.
Indiana Leads Series 24-6-1
Video Broadcast: UND.com (free)
Live Stats: Gametracker on UND.com
Live Blog: UND.com/blogs
SETTING THE STAGE
– Notre Dame will open its 35th season of varsity soccer when the Fighting Irish play host to instate rival Indiana on Saturday at Alumni Stadium. Kickoff between the ninth-ranked Irish and the No. 15 Hoosiers is slated for 7:30 p.m. (ET). – The Hoosiers hold a 24-6-1 advantage in the series. Notre Dame is 5-6-0 against Indiana in the Bobby Clark era, which includes a 2-1 victory at Indiana last season. – A free live video broadcast of Saturday’s match will be available on UND.com. Live stats via Gametracker and an in-game blog will be available on UND.com. Fans can also sign up for `Irish Alert’ on UND.com to receive text message score updates. Updates and results can also be found on Twitter at UND_com.
FOR STARTERS
– Notre Dame is 21-10-3 all-time in season openers, including 6-3-1 during the Bobby Clark era. The Irish fell to UCLA, 1-0, during the 2010 opener. – This marks just the third time in the past eight seasons that Notre Dame will open the season with a home match.
IRISH ITEMS
– Notre Dame went 1-0-2 in exhibition play. The Irish defeated Butler (2-1) and drew with Xavier (1-1) and Creighton (2-2). – Notre Dame is coming off a 10-6-4 season in 2010. The Irish finished second in the BIG EAST Blue Division with a 6-2-1 league record before advancing to the semifinals of the league tournament. The Fighting Irish qualified for the NCAA Championship for the 10th straight season as they garnered the tournament’s No. 9 seed. Notre Dame fell to Dartmouth, 2-1, in overtime in the second round. – The Fighting Irish returned seven starters and 12 letterwinners from last season. Notre Dame welcomes back three of its four starters in the defense along with four starting midfielders. – Notre Dame’s leading returning goal scorer is junior midfielder Dillon Powers, who ranked second among all Irish players last season in goals (4) and points (12).
CLARK ON THE CUSP
– Head coach Bobby Clark is entering his 11th season on the Irish sidelines. He is one win away from tying Rich Hunter for the most victories in program history. Clark is 127-59-30 during his Notre Dame tenure. Hunter, who was Notre Dame’s first varsity head coach, posted a 128-32-8 record from 1977-83.
Last Meeting
| Notre Dame | 2 |
| Indiana | 1 |
October 6, 2010
Bloomington, Ind.
 |
Mena Nets Game Winner As No. 22 Notre Dame Tops No. 20 Indiana 2-1Junior midfielder Adam Mena (Holland, Mich./West Ottawa) scored the game winner in the 80th minute as the No. 22 Notre Dame men’s soccer team defeated No. 20 Indiana 2-1 on Wednesday night at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The win upped the Fighting Irish unbeaten streak to four games. |
THE INDIANA SERIES
– The Hoosiers hold a 24-6-1 advantage in the series. Notre Dame is 5-6-0 against Indiana in the Bobby Clark era, which includes a 2-1 victory at Indiana last season. Indiana is 12-2-0 all-time at Notre Dame. The Hoosiers claimed a 3-0 victory in the last meeting at Notre Dame, which occurred during the 2009 campaign. – Saturday will mark the 32nd meeting all-time between the Fighting Irish and Hoosiers, but it will be the first time Notre Dame has opened a season against Indiana.
A LOOK AT THE HOOSIERS
– Indiana posted a 10-8-2 record during the 2010 season. The Hoosiers fell to Akron, 2-1, in the third round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. – The Hoosiers were picked to win the 2011 Big Ten title in a vote by the league’s head coaches. – Head coach Todd Yeagley is in his second season at the helm of the Indiana program.
THE LAST TIME
– Notre Dame topped Indiana, 2-1, last season in Bloomington, Ind. Jeb Brovsky gave the Irish a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute, while Will Bruin evened the match in the 24th minute. Adam Mena deposited the game winner in the 80th minute.
NOTRE DAME VS. THE BIG TEN
– Saturday is Notre Dame’s first of four regular-season matches against Big Ten Conference foes. The Irish also have Michigan (Sept. 16), Michigan State (Sept. 18) and Northwestern (Oct. 5) on their 2011 slate. – The Fighting Irish went 1-1-2 last season against Big Ten competition. Notre Dame defeated Indiana (2-1) and tied both Michigan (0-0) and Northwestern (1-1). The Irish suffered a 2-0 setback to Michigan State.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS
– Since Bobby Clark took over the reins of the Notre Dame program in 2001, the Irish have won at least 10 matches during all 10 seasons of the Bobby Clark era. The Fighting Irish have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the past 10 seasons. That streak ranks in a tie for fifth nationally. – Notre Dame is the only team in the BIG EAST to finish in the top two of either division standings in each of the past four seasons. The Fighting Irish are the only BIG EAST squad to qualify for the semifinals in each of the past four league tournaments.
QUOTING CLARK
– Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark shares his thoughts on the season opener against Indiana … “I don’t think you can open the season in any bigger fashion than having Indiana come up here. Any time Notre Dame and Indiana play in soccer it’s a big deal. We are certainly excited for it and I’m sure (Indiana head coach) Todd Yeagley and his squad is as well. It should be a good game and a good challenge for us.”
UP NEXT
– Notre Dame will head to Bloomington, Ind. to take part in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic during Labor Day Weekend. The Irish will face Dayton at 5:00 p.m. (ET) on Sept. 2 and then they will meet Saint Louis at 11:30 a.m. (ET) on Sept. 4. This will mark the eighth straight season that Notre Dame has taken part in the event, which is hosted by Indiana.
FAMILIAR FACES
– The Notre Dame and Indiana teams will probably have seen enough of each other after the end of these next three weeks. The Fighting Irish and Hoosiers will open the season against one another on Saturday and then Notre Dame will take part in Indiana’s adidas/IU Credit Union Classic (Sept. 2 & 4) before the Hoosiers travel back to South Bend for the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament (Sept. 9 & 11), which is hosted by the Fighting Irish. The Irish and Hoosiers will not face each other in either tournament.
TRIO OF IRISH PLAYERS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
– Ryan Finley (Jr./F), Aaron Maund (Sr./D) and Dillon Powers (Jr./M) all have received preseason All-America honors. Finley and Maund copped the accolades from College Soccer News, while Maund and Powers were tabbed by Soccer America. – Finley, who is entering his first season with the Fighting Irish after transferring from Duke, was named the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Offensive Player of the Year as he led the league in goals (17) and points (37). He also was named to the 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America third team. Finley tallied 64 points on 28 goals and eight assists during his two seasons with the Blue Devils. – Maund has been a mainstay in the Irish lineup, starting all 59 matches in which he has played during his Notre Dame career. He notched one goal and two assists last season. For his career, Maund has seven points on two goals and three assists. Along with earning second-team all-BIG EAST honors last season, he copped third-team all-league accolades as a sophomore. Maund also was named to the All-Great Lakes Region third team in 2009 and 2010. – Powers has played in 38 matches, including 24 starts, during his first two seasons with the Irish. He started every contest last season and ranked second on the team in goals (4) and points (12) en route to earning second-team all-conference honors. The midfielder has 17 career points on four goals and nine assists.
BIG EAST ELITE
– Notre Dame senior defender Aaron Maund along with junior midfielder Dillon Powers were named to the 2011 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team for men’s soccer in a vote by the league’s head coaches. The Irish duo was among 12 players named to the squad.
IRISH PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN DIVISION
– Notre Dame was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Blue Division, while Connecticut was tabbed to win the division. The Huskies received 10 first-place votes among the eight Blue Division squads, while the Irish garnered two. Louisville was picked to win the Red Division. The league’s 16 head coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
KLAZURA A LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
– Greg Klazura is one of 30 candidates up for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in the men’s soccer division. – 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 Lowe’s 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. – Klazura returned to the Irish for a fifth season after turning down a chance to take part in the 2011 Major League Soccer draft combine. Klazura, one of three captains for the Irish this season, started all 20 games at left back during the 2010 campaign and tallied three points on one goal and one assist. He helped the Fighting Irish defense post six shutouts in 2010. – Klazura graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in pre-professional studies (pre-med). He finished his undergraduate career with a 3.583 cumulative grade-point average. He currently is taking courses that emphasize service and or medicine to boost his resume for medical school. Klazura was named to the 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Scholar All-Region first team. He also is a two-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star (2009 & 2010).
CAPTAINS
– Greg Klazura (Sr./D), Aaron Maund (Sr./D) and Dillon Powers (Jr./M) will serve as first-time team captains for the Fighting Irish during the 2011 campaign.
ROOKIE RANKINGS
– Notre Dame’s 2011 freshman class was selected as the 14th best rookie class in the nation according to College Soccer News. The five-man class features four high school All-Americans. Comprising the class are: midfielder/defender Nick Besler (Overland Park, Kan.), forward Vince Cicciarelli (Peoria, Ill.), midfielder Robby Gallegos (Aptos, Calif.), midfielder/forward Max Lachowecki (Evansville, Ind.) and midfielder Brendan Lesch (Westport, Conn.).
A GREAT NIGHT FOR GRASSROOT
– Notre Dame held its annual exhibition game to benefit Grassroot Soccer on Aug. 22. A total of 2,444 fans packed into Alumni Stadium to watch the Irish play Creighton to a 2-2 draw. All of the proceeds from the match went to Grassroot Soccer, an international AIDS awareness and education organization that reaches youth in Africa through soccer clinics. Dr. Tommy Clark, the eldest son of Irish head coach Bobby Clark, is the founder and CEO of Grassroot Soccer. Notre Dame has held a match to benefit Grassroot Soccer in each of the past eight seasons.
TOUGH SLATE
– The Irish will face another challenging schedule this season as seven of their opponents appear in the College Soccer News preseason top-30 poll. Louisville (#1), Connecticut (#7), Indiana (#15), Michigan State (#18), Michigan (#21), West Virginia (#22) and Denver (#29) all appear in the rankings. Notre Dame is ranked 11th in the poll.
FOLLOW THE IRISH ON UND.COM
– All 2011 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 2011 campaign.
PURCHASE YOUR IRISH SOCCER TICKETS
– To purchase a season pass or single-game tickets for Fighting Irish soccer, call the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office at (574) 631-7356, visit the tickets page at the official Notre Dame athletics web site, UND.com (UND.com/tickets) or stop by the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office windows inside the new Rosenthal Atrium at Purcell Pavilion (entrance via Gate 9). Tickets also can be purchased at Alumni Stadium on gamedays. For group discount pricing information call Rita Baxter in the Notre Dame Ticket Office at (574) 631-4165.