Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

ACC Championship Final Preview: #11 Duke

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Irish seek to capture their first ACC Championship title in program history on Sunday, Nov. 14, as they take on No. 3 seed Duke in the final at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. The match is set to start at 2 p.m. ET and will air on ESPNU.

#20 NOTRE DAME vs. #11 Duke
Location: Cary, North Carolina | WakeMed Soccer Park
TV: ESPNU
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer
Game Notes: vs. Duke

THE IRISH IN THE ACC TOURNEY

• Notre Dame has an overall ACC Tournament record of 12-6-3 and has reached at least the quarterfinal round in all nine seasons in the league.

• The Irish have made one appearance in the conference tournament finals prior to this season, hosting the title match in 2015 at Alumni Stadium against Syracuse.

• Notre Dame has reached the semifinal round or beyond in the ACC Championship in six of its nine seasons as a conference member.

• The Irish have won at least one match in all nine ACC Championship appearances.

• Notre Dame defeated NC State (first round), Louisville (quarterfinals) and No. 5 Pitt (semifinals) to reach the final, all coming in shutout fashion.

• Prior to joining the ACC, Notre Dame won three Big East Tournament titles and three MCC (Midwestern Collegiate Conference) titles.

THE DUKE SERIES

• The Irish and Blue Devils will meet on the pitch for the 16th time on Sunday afternoon.

• The Irish lead the series with a mark of 9-4-2.

• The most recent matchup in the series came towards the end of the regular season in South Bend, resulting in a 1-1 draw after 110 minutes of play. The Notre Dame goal was scored by Tyler Shea in the 48th minute off an assist from Matthew Roou.

KEEP IT CLEAN

• The Notre Dame defense has come into form in the second half of the season, posting seven clean sheets in its last nine matches.

• The Irish have totaled 10 shutouts on the season, with Bryan Dowd in goal for seven and Thomas Deslonchamps recording three.

• Notre Dame has six clean sheets against ACC opponents, the most by any team in the conference this season (Pitt x2, Clemson, Louisville, NC State x2)

• Opponents have scored multiple goals in just four of 19 matches this season.

• The Irish have not allowed a goal in the ACC Championships and are the only team to record multiple clean sheets in the league tournament.

FINISHING STRONG

• The Irish have made it a habit of dominating the second half of matches, outscoring the opposition 25-7 in the final 45 minutes of regulation.

• Notre Dame’s defense hasn’t allowed a goal in the second half in the last eight matches.

LYNN LEADS THE LINE

• Lynn was Notre Dame’s representative on the ACC Preseason Watch List and was recently ranked No. 33 in TopDrawerSoccer’s midseason top 100 players rankings.

• Lynn paces all active Irish players in career goals with 29.

• The senior leads the team in goals (8) and points (20) on the year.

• The forward has eight goals and four assists on the season.

• Lynn was named All-ACC First Team for the second straight year by the league coaches.

• The forward enjoyed a breakout 2019 campaign, scoring a career-high 10 goals to lead the Irish attack.

• Lynn has led the Irish in goals and points in each of the last two seasons.

BALANCED ATTACK

• Nineteen different Irish players have registered at least one point this season, as the team has totaled 125 on the season.

• Thirteen players have scored a goal through 19 matches, with 10 scoring multiple goals.

• The Irish have racked up 39 assists, which ranks 12th in the country.

• Dawson McCartney leads the Irish with five assists while Paddy Burns, Jack Lynn and Daniel Russo are tied for second with four each. Matthew Roou, Ethan O’Brien and Matthew McLaughlin each have three.

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

• The Irish have received significant contributions from the 2021 freshman class.

• Thirteen of Notre Dame’s 43 goals have been scored by freshmen.

• Matthew Roou ranks second on the team in goals scored with six while Eno Nto is tied for third on the squad with five goals to his name.

• Michael Rossi has scored two goals in his debut season.

• Josh Ramsey has played in all 19 games, including 18 starts for Notre Dame this season at the center back position.

• Nto and Roou both scored goals in their first career starts, coming in the 2-0 win over NIU.

• Kyle Genenbacher has also logged minutes in 17 matches this season.

2021 CAPTAINS

• Mohamed Omar and Philip Quinton will share the skipper role for the Fighting Irish for the 2021 season.

• Omar has been a staple as a central defensive midfielder over the past three seasons. His 2020-21 campaign was cut short due to an injury that sidelined him for almost all of the spring.

• Omar has racked up 63 appearances for the Irish over four seasons, scoring five goals and adding three assists in his career.

• Quinton has been a mainstay in Notre Dame’s defense four seasons at the center back position and was named All-ACC Third Team by the league coaches this season.

• The 6-foot-6 defender has anchored the Irish back line the last two seasons. Quinton has scored the first two goals in his Notre Dame career this season, coming against Virginia Tech and Purdue Fort Wayne.