Oct. 8, 2012
#9 NOTRE DAME
vs.
#24 NORTHWESTERN
Tuesday, Oct. 9 – 7 p.m. (CT)
Lakeside Field – Evanston, Ill.
Notre Dame leads series 12-3-3
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#9 IRISH AT #24 NORTHWESTERN FOR MIDWEEK MATCH
– No. 9 Notre Dame (10-2-0) will step away from BIG EAST play to face No. 24 Northwestern (7-2-2) on Tuesday in Evanston, Ill. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. (CT) at Lakeside Field.
– The game will be streamed on NUsports.com (membership required). Live stats via Gametracker can be found on UND.com.
– Notre Dame posted league wins last week against Pittsburgh (7-1) and Georgetown (3-0).
– Tuesday will be the first of two road matches this week for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish will travel to South Orange, N.J., to face BIG EAST Blue Division foe Seton Hall on Saturday (7 p.m. ET).
SERIES HISTORY
– Tuesday will be the 19th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Northwestern. The Irish hold a 12-3-3 advantage in the series. The last two matches have been 1-1 draws. This is the fifth straight season that the Fighting and Wildcats have met.
– Notre Dame is 0-2-2 in its last four showdowns with Northwestern. The two setbacks occurred in the second round of the 2008 and 2009 NCAA tournaments. Notre Dame’s last win over the Wildcats was a 2-1 decision at home during the 2000 campaign.
– Head coach Bobby Clark is 0-2-2 against Northwestern during his Fighting Irish tenure.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
– Northwestern is 7-2-2 overall this season and 2-0-0 in Big Ten play. The Wildcats are coming off a 3-1 setback at Bradley.
– The Wildcat offense is averaging 1.55 goals per game, while the defense is surrendering 1.0 goal per contest. Senior midfielder Chris Ritter and freshman forward Joey Calistri share the team lead in goals with four apiece. Sophomore Tyler Miller has played every minute in goal and has a 0.94 goals-against average and a .725 save percentage to go along with four shutouts.
– Northwestern went 11-5-5 last season and fell at Akron, 3-1, in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
– Head coach Tim Lenahan is in his 12th season at the helm of the Wildcat program.
COMMON OPPONENTS
– Notre Dame and Northwestern have two common opponents so far this season (Michigan & Michigan State). The Irish topped both the Wolverines (1-0 in double OT) and the Spartans (2-0). The Wildcats also defeated Michigan (2-0) and Michigan State (2-1 in double OT).
THE LAST TIME
– Notre Dame and Northwestern played to a 1-1 draw last season at Alumni Stadium. Ryan Finley gave the Irish a 1-0 lead in the 38th minute. Northwestern’s Oliver Kupe netted the equalizer in the 79th minute. Will Walsh made two saves in goal for the Fighting Irish, who were ranked 11th at the time of the match. The Wildcats were not ranked.
BATTLING THE BIG TEN
– Notre Dame is 49-46-16 all-time against teams currently in the Big Ten Conference.
– Northwestern is Notre Dame’s fourth Big Ten opponent this season. The Irish are 3-0 against Big Ten competition this season with the wins coming against Michigan State (2-0), Michigan (1-0 in double OT) and Indiana (1-0). The Michigan and Indiana contests were on the road.
– The Irish currently have a nine-game unbeaten streak (6-0-3) against Big Ten teams.
SCORING IN BUNCHES
– Notre Dame has combined to score 10 goals in its last two matches. It’s the first time the Irish have combined for 10 goals in two games since 1995. That season, the Irish scored 10 goals in consecutive matches against Valparaiso (7-0) and Syracuse (3-0).
– The 10 combined goals versus Pittsburgh and Georgetown are the most ever for the Fighting Irish in consecutive BIG EAST games.
TAKING DOWN TOP-10 FOES
– The Fighting Irish are 3-1 against top-10 competition this season. The wins have come against No. 3 Georgetown (3-0), No. 4 Akron (3-1) and No. 10 Indiana (1-0). The Irish fell at No. 2 Connecticut (2-1).
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
– The seven-goal output in Wednesday’s 7-1 victory over 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 scored by the Irish against a BIG EAST opponent.
– Notre Dame’s 36 shots in the match were the most for the program in the BIG EAST era (since 1995). The previous high was 32 against Drake in 2010.
– Danny O’Leary (Sr./M) and Ryan Finley (Sr./F) both tallied two goals against Pittsburgh, while Patrick Hodan (Fr./M), Dillon Powers (Sr./M) and Alex Priede (Jr./F) also registered goals for the Irish. The five goal scorers are tied for the third-most for the Irish in the BIG EAST era and the most-ever for the program in a BIG EAST match.
FINLEY HAS FIREPOWER
– Senior forward Ryan Finley netted two goals in both the Pittsburgh and Georgetown games last week. He has 11 career multiple-goal games, including three hat tricks. He has three two-goal games this season.
– Finley is the first Notre Dame player to record back-to-back multiple-goal games since Joseph Lapira in 2007. Lapira scored twice against both Connecticut (Oct. 13) and Indiana (Oct. 17) that season.
– Finley leads the Irish in goals (10) and points (21) this season. Last season, his first with the Irish after transferring from Duke, he had team-high totals in goals (7) and points (16).
FINLEY COPS WEEKLY ACCOLADES
– Ryan Finley was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week for his two-goal performances against Pittsburgh and Georgetown last week. It marks the second time this season that he has garnered the honor.
– The senior forward also was selected as the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week and was named to the College Soccer News national team of the week.
WALL ON BIG EAST HONOR ROLL
– Junior goalkeeper Patrick Wall was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for his efforts in last week’s victories over Pittsburgh (7-1) and Georgetown (3-0).
– Wall allowed just one goal in 169:05 of play (0.53 GAA). He registered his third shutout of the season by making a career-high four saves in the win over the Hoyas. Georgetown entered the match averaging 1.67 goals per game this season. The junior made three saves in 79:05 of action in the win over Pittsburgh.
– Wall is 6-0 this season with a 0.50 goals-against average and a .833 save percentage.
SECOND HALF SUCCESS
– Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 18-3 in the second half and overtime this season.
OWNING THE STAT SHEET
– The Fighting Irish have outshot their competition 232-123 this season, which includes a 96-37 advantage in shots on goal. The Irish also have earned 23 more corner kicks (76-53) than their opponents.
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 12 matches of a season.
– Notre Dame is 9-0 this season when scoring first.
– Nine different Fighting Irish players have scored at least one goal this season.
SOLID START
– Notre Dame has 10 wins in its first 12 matches of a season for the first time since the 1988 campaign.
– Notre Dame’s season-opening seven-game win streak was tied for the second-longest win streak under head coach Bobby Clark (since 2001).
CLARK ON CUSP OF 300TH CAREER WIN
– Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark boasts a career record of 299-129-59 (.675) during his 25-plus seasons as a college head coach. He is 146-66-34 during his Fighting Irish tenure. Clark posted marks of 71-21-12 at Stanford (1996-2001) and 82-42-13 at Dartmouth (1985-1993).
WINNING WAYS
– Notre Dame has reached the 10-win mark in 11 of head coach Bobby Clark’s 12 seasons with the Irish. The Fighting Irish have already surpassed their win total (9) from last season.
POWERS PERFORMING
– Senior midfielder Dillon Powers ranks second among all Irish players in goals (4) and points (12), while his four assists are tied for the team-high total.
KEEPING IT CLEAN
– Notre Dame has posted six shutouts this season. The Irish are allowing just 0.75 goals per game.
– Fifth-year senior Will Walsh and junior Patrick Wall have split time in goal. Walsh has a 4-2 record with three shutouts, a 1.00 goals-against and a .684 save percentage. Wall is 6-0 with three shutouts, a 0.50 goals-against average and a .833 save percentage.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
– Eight of Notre Dame’s 12 matches this season have been decided by one goal. The Irish are 6-2 in those contests.
IRONMEN
– Senior midfielder Dillon Powers has played in a team-best 63 straight games, including 50 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 50 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 50 matches during his Irish career.
NOTRE DAME IN BIG EAST PLAY
– Notre Dame owns an overall record of 104-60-19 (.620) 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.
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.
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.
BEST IN THE BERT
– The Fighting Irish won 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 captured 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.
BEASTS IN BLOOMINGTON
– The Irish have a 3-0 record in Bloomington, Ind., this season. Notre Dame won the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic (Aug. 31-Sept. 2) by posting wins over San Diego State (3-2) and Clemson (2-1).
– It was the second time in 13 appearances that Notre Dame won the IU Classic. The Irish also captured the 1993 tournament.
– The win over Indiana on Sept. 26 gave the Irish their first-ever three-game unbeaten streak against the Hoosiers. Notre Dame is 2-0-1 in its last three matches against Indiana, including two straight victories in Bloomington.
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.