Oct. 27, 2006
Saturday, Oct. 28
#8 Notre Dame at Rutgers
BIG EAST Championship Quarterfinals
5:00 p.m. • Piscataway, N.J.
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Notre Dame (13-4-2) will head to Piscataway, N.J. to take on Rutgers (9-6-1) in the quarterfinals of the 2006 BIG EAST Championship this Saturday (Oct. 28) at 5:00 p.m. The Fighting Irish advanced in the tournament by defeating DePaul 2-0 in the first round on Wednesday at Alumni Field. Rutgers is the No. 2 seed from the conference’s Red Division, while Notre Dame is the No. 3 seed from the Blue Division. This will be the first meeting between the Irish and Scarlet Knights since the 2004 season. Notre Dame is ranked 8th in both the NSCAA/adidas and Soccer America rankings.
ABOUT THE IRISH: The Fighting Irish have won nine of their last 10 games … they finished the regular season with a 12-4-2 mark and an 8-3-0 record in the BIG EAST to earn the No. 3 seed in the Blue Division for the conference tournament … Notre Dame is 9-6-2 all-time in the BIG EAST Tournament and 4-4-1 in the quarterfinals … junior forward Joseph Lapira has 45 points on 20 goals and 5 assists … he leads all NCAA Division I men’s soccer players in goals and points … the shutout of DePaul on Wednesday was the 11th of the season for the Irish … senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill has registered 10 of those shutouts en route to posting an 11-3-1 record and a 0.67 goals-against average … Bobby Clark is in his sixth season at the helm of the Fighting Irish program … he has a 78-31-15 (.690) mark overall at Notre Dame and has guided the Irish to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the round of 16 … the Irish made the tournament’s Sweet 16 last season.
IRISH IN THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP: This is Notre Dame’s 10th trip to the BIG EAST Championship … the Irish own an 9-6-2 mark overall in the league playoffs … the Irish tied Syracuse last season in the first round and advanced, 4-2, on penalty kicks … Notre Dame then fell at St. John’s, 1-0, in the quarterfinals … Notre Dame won the tournament in the school’s first trip in 1996 and again in 2003 … Notre Dame is 4-1-2 at home all-time in the conference tournament, 1-3-0 in true road games and 4-2-0 at neutral sites.
THE THIRD TIME: Saturday will be the third meeting between Notre Dame and Rutgers in the BIG EAST Conference Championship … the Fighting Irish won the program’s first-ever BIG EAST Tournament title in 1996 by defeating Rutgers, 1-0, in the championship game in Piscataway, N.J. … the Scarlet Knights topped the Irish three years later in the quarterfinals, 2-0, also in Piscataway.
NOTRE DAME-RUTGERS IN THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIPDate Round Site Score11/17/96 Final Piscataway, N.J. ND-1, RU-011/6/99 Quarterfinal Piscataway, N.J. RU-2, ND-0
QUARTERFINAL HISTORY: Notre Dame owns a 4-4-1 record in the BIG EAST Championship quarterfinals … the Fighting Irish fell at St. John’s 1-0 in last season’s quarterfinal round … Rutgers and Notre Dame have met one previous time in the conference quarterfinals with the Scarlet Knights winning a 2-0 decision in Piscataway, N.J. in 1999 … the Irish are 1-3-0 in BIG EAST quarterfinal matches on the road.
NOTRE DAME IN BIG EAST PLAY: Notre Dame owns an overall record of 69-48-12 (.581) all-time in BIG EAST regular-season play dating back to the 1995 campaign … the Irish have posted six straight winning seasons within the conference, including this season’s 8-3-0 mark … it marks the second time that the Irish have posted at least eight BIG EAST victories … Notre Dame won its first regular season BIG EAST title in 2004 with an 8-1-1 record … the Fighting Irish have captured BIG EAST Tournament crowns in 1996 and 2003.
AN EVEN DOZEN: Notre Dame has claimed at least 12 wins in all six seasons of the Bobby Clark era, including this year’s 13-4-2 mark.
LAPIRA LEADING THE WAY: Junior forward Joseph Lapira is registering one of the finest seasons in program history and one of the top campaigns in the nation this year … his 20 goals and 45 points are the most among NCAA Division I men’s soccer players … he has copped several national accolades this season … he was selected as the National Player of the Week by Soccer America, Soccer Times and Top Drawer Soccer on Sept. 4 along with being named to the College Soccer News Team of the Week … those honors came after a four-goal effort against No. 8 Indiana … Lapira was named College Soccer News National Player of the Week on Oct. 2 following a four-goal week … more honors came his way on Oct. 9, by being named the College Soccer News, Top Drawer Soccer and Soccer Times National Player of the Week after registering another four goals over two games … he has also been selected as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week three times this season (9/4, 10/2 & 10/9) … he has registered seven multiple-goal games, including a stretch of five straight two-goal efforts, which was snapped against Michigan State on Oct. 11.
THOMAS COLLECTS BIG EAST HONORS, AGAIN: For the second consecutive week, Notre Dame freshman midfielder Michael Thomas was named the BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Week … Thomas collected three points last week, including the lone goal in the Irish’s 1-0 victory over No. 14 Connecticut on Saturday (Oct. 21) … the freshman is fourth on the team with eight points on three goals and two assists … Thomas, who collected conference honors a week ago for notching scores in wins over Michigan State and Providence, picked up the assist on a Cory Rellas goal in a 2-1 setback at West Virginia on Wednesday (Oct. 18) … he upped his point streak to four games with the goal against the Huskies, on assists from Ryan Miller and Joseph Lapira … Thomas becomes the first Notre Dame player to garner the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honor twice since Shane Walton did so three times in 1998.
IRISH EARNING BIG EAST ACCOLADES: For the season, Notre Dame has copped eight BIG EAST honors … junior forward Joseph Lapira has been named the Offensive Player of the Week on three occasions, while senior forward Justin McGeeney has also taken home that honor … senior Chris Cahill was named the Goalkeeper of the Week once and sophomore Matt Besler has been selected as the Defensive Player of the Week on one occasion … freshman Michael Thomas has collected Rookie of the Week honors from the league twice … the eight accolades matches the most in program history for a single season … the 2004 squad also garnered eight weekly honors from the BIG EAST.
NO STREAKS: The Fighting Irish have not lost back-to-back regular season games since the beginning of the 2001 season when they fell to No. 5 Furman, 3-2, in double-overtime and then lost 4-0 to No. 16 Clemson … both of those matches occurred at the Umbro/Spinx Furman Invitational in Greenville, S.C. … Notre Dame has now completed five full regular seasons without consecutive losses.
STATISTICAL EDGE: Notre Dame owns a decided advantage in most statistical categories this season … the Fighting Irish have out scored its opposition 40-14, including a 22-7 edge in the second half … Notre Dame has out shot its opponents 325-201 and gained 48 more corner kicks (118-70).
IRISH IN THE BIG EAST: At the conclusion of the regular season, Notre Dame led the BIG EAST with 38 goals and 105 points … West Virginia was second in both categories with 35 goals and 100 points … the Irish were also first in shots (308) and corner kicks (116) … defensively, the 10 team shutouts ranked Notre Dame first, while West Virginia and St. John’s were second with nine … the Mountaineers had the league’s best goals-against average with a 0.68 mark, while the Fighting Irish were second with a 0.75 average.
THE NATIONAL CHARTS: Entering the week, Joseph Lapira’s 19 goals (now 20) and 42 points (now 45) are the most among NCAA Division I men’s soccer players … Lapira was tied for second with 2.33 points per game … his four-goal, eight-point effort against Indiana ties him for second nationally for goals scored and points totaled in a single match this season … as a team, Notre Dame ranked in a tie for ninth nationally by averaging 2.25 goals per game … the Irish are also putting up impressive defensive numbers as senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill was 21st nationally with a 0.712 goals-against average, while the Irish ranked 22nd as a team in that category (0.75).
LAPIRA MULTI-GOAL GAMES: Joseph Lapira has notched seven multiple-goal games this season, including a stretch of five straight two-goal games from Sept. 23-Oct. 7 … his season-high performance was a four-goal effort against No. 8 Indiana, while he has netted two against Louisville, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Seton Hall, Michigan and Georgetown.
IN THE IRISH RECORD BOOKS: Joseph Lapira’s 20 goals this season ranks third all-time on Notre Dame’s single-season list … Kevin Lovejoy’s totals of 29 goals in 1978 and 22 in 1979 rank first and second on the all-time list … Lapira’s 45 points are the third-highest single-season total in program history … Lovejoy also occupies the top two spots in that category with 63 in 1978 and 55 in 1979 … Lapira is the first player in program history to win BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors three times in the same season … he is also the only Irish player to win any award from the league four times in a career … Lapira was selected as the Offensive Player of the Week once as a freshman.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS RUTGERS: Saturday will be the 15th meeting all-time between Rutgers and Notre Dame on the pitch … the Scarlet Knights hold a 9-4-1 lead in the series … the two schools have not faced each other since the 2004 season when the Irish captured a 1-0 victory in Piscataway, N.J. … the Irish are 2-6-1 all-time at Rutgers … prior to the match in 2004, the Scarlet Knights were 6-0-1 in the previous seven encounters … Notre Dame won the program’s first-ever BIG EAST Tournament title in 1996 by topping Rutgers 1-0 in the championship game, which was held in Piscataway … Fighting Irish head coach Bobby Clark is 1-2-1 against Rutgers during his time at Notre Dame.
SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS: Rutgers carries a 9-6-1 record into Saturday’s match … the Scarlet Knights finished BIG EAST play with a 6-4-1 mark to earn the No. 2 seed in the Red Division … Rutgers played Louisville to a scoreless tie on Oct. 21 to end the regular season … the Scarlet Knights completed the regular season having won eight of its final 10 matches, including six of eight against BIG EAST opponents … the Rutgers defense allowed just five goals in those 10 games and did not surrender more than two goals in a single game since the team dropped a 2-0 decision at Providence on Sept. 10 … the Scarlet Knights are 2-0 against ranked foes this season … they defeated No. 11 South Florida 1-0 on Sept. 30 and No. 14 Cincinnati 1-0 on Oct. 14 … junior midfielder/forward Chris Moore leads the team in scoring with nine points on two goals and five assists … senior defender Bart Koffeman has a team-high four goals … junior goalkeeper Matt VanOekel has started 15 games, posting a 0.90 goals-against average and an 8-6-1 record.
NEXT UP: The winner of the Notre Dame/Rutgers match will advance to the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship to take on the winner of the West Virginia/South Florida game … the semifinals will take place on Friday, Nov. 3 in Piscataway, N.J., with the finals to be held there on Sunday, Nov. 5.
IRISH THOUGHTS: Head coach Bobby Clark discusses Notre Dame’s BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal match-up against Rutgers …
“Rutgers has strung together a nice unbeaten run. They are one of the storied program’s in the BIG EAST and this will be another tough road test for us.”
“The nice thing about our team is that no team phases us. We’ve played a difficult schedule that has prepared us. We give every team respect but I don’t think any team phases us.”
RECAPPING DEPAUL: Notre Dame opened BIG EAST Tournament play with a 2-0 victory over DePaul on Wednesday (Oct. 25) at Alumni Field … Joseph Lapira upped his nation-leading point total to 45 with three during the contest on one goal and one assist … Nate Norman also added a goal for the Irish … Notre Dame did not get many good looks at the net in the first half, yet cracked the scoring column with just under five minutes remaining in the stanza … Kurt Martin sent a nice pass up the field to Lapira, who sent a shot on goal that was saved by DePaul goalkeeper Brian Visser … Lapira gathered the rebound and deposited his 20th goal of the season, which leads all NCAA Division I men’s soccer players … the assist was Martin’s second of the season … DePaul managed three shots in the first half, while the Fighting Irish collected eight … for the game, Notre Dame held a 17-10 advantage in the category … the Irish kept attacking early into the second half with their 1-0 lead. In the 56th minute, Lapira found Norman with a cross from close in and he connected on his second goal of the season to put Notre Dame on top 2-0 … the Notre Dame defense would hold tight the rest of the way in collecting its 11th shutout of the season … goalkeeper Chris Cahill stopped four Blue Demon shots on the night to earn his 10th shutout of the season and move his record to 11-3-1 … Visser made six saves for DePaul.
SNAPPING THE CONNECTICUT CURSE: Notre Dame’s 1-0 win at Connecticut on Saturday (Oct. 21) was just the second for the Fighting Irish in seven tries in Storrs, Conn. … the only other Irish victory occurred in 1986, the first-ever meeting between the two schools … Notre Dame had been 0-5-0 in its last five trips to Connecticut.
SENIORS LEAVE MARK: Notre Dame honored its seniors prior to the Providence match on Oct. 14 … the seven student-athletes (Chris Cahill, Greg Dalby, Ian Etherington, Justin McGeeney, Ryan Miller, Nate Norman and Dale Rellas) have been a vital part of the Notre Dame program, helping the Irish to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two berths into the Round of 16 … they also helped the Irish claim the program’s first-ever BIG EAST Tournament title in 2003, which was followed by a regular season championship in 2004.
A CLASSIC PERFORMANCE: Joseph Lapira tallied a career-high four goals against No. 8 Indiana in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic on Sunday, Sept. 3 … the four scores established an Indiana Classic record and it was one shy of the Notre Dame record of five, achieved by Kevin Lovejoy in 1993 … by scoring three goals, Lapira became the first Irish player to register a hat trick since Devon Prescod did so versus Cleveland State in 2003.
AN IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY: Notre Dame’s five goal output against Indiana on Sept. 3 was the most goals scored by an Irish team since a 6-0 victory over Cleveland State in 2003 … the five tallies were the most ever against a ranked foe in program history … it marked the first time the Hoosiers had ever allowed five tallies in a single game … the nine combined goals were the most in a Notre Dame match since a 9-2 victory against Valparaiso in 1989.
TAKING DOWN A TOP-10: Notre Dame has downed two top-10 teams this season … the Irish topped No. 8 Creighton, 4-1, on Aug. 27 and then defeated No. 8 Indiana, 5-4, on Sept. 3 … the Irish have claimed a victory against a top-10 opponent in seven straight seasons … last season, the Irish took down No. 7 SMU (4-1) and No. 5 Indiana (2-0) … the victory against the Hoosiers came in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
IN THE POLLS: Notre Dame is 8th in this week’s NSCAA/adidas poll and 8th in the current Soccer America rankings … the Irish began the campaign rated 15th and 10th in those polls, respectively … this week the Fighting Irish are 8th according to Soccer Times and 10th in the College Soccer News poll … six of the Irish’s 2006 opponents appear in the latest Soccer America rankings: West Virginia (5), Indiana (7), Creighton (15), Cincinnati (18), Saint Louis (19) and Northern Illinois (25t) … Notre Dame is 2-2-2 against those teams this season.
NOTRE DAME PICKED SECOND IN BLUE DIVISION: Notre Dame was selected to finish second in the BIG EAST’s Blue Division behind Connecticut, while South Florida was tabbed to be the league’s Red Division champion … the Irish collected five first-place votes compared to the Huskies’ 11 … Notre Dame was tabbed to finish second in the conference’s Blue Division last year and wound up placing in a tie for third with West Virginia … the Irish did garner the division’s No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament as a result of a tie-breaker.
DALBY AND ETHERINGTON NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAM: Senior midfielders Greg Dalby and Ian Etherington were named to the 2006 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team as voted on by the league’s 16 head coaches … both Dalby and Etherington were first-team all-BIG EAST selections last season.
DALBY NAMED TO M.A.C. HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST: Greg Dalby was named to the 2006 Missouri Athletic Club (M.A.C.) Hermann Trophy Watch List … the trophy is presented annually to the top male and female Division I soccer player in the United States … the 25-man watch list was compiled by a panel of coaches from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
COLLEGE SOCCER NEWS WATCH LIST: Greg Dalby was selected to the College Soccer News Pre-Season All-America first team … the senior co-captain was not the only Irish student-athlete honored by the publication, as two incoming freshmen were named to the `100 Freshmen to Watch’ list for the 2006 season … (M/F) Justin Morrow and (M/D) Michael Thomas were selected to the list and are all part of a very talented seven-man freshman class for the Irish.
FRESHMAN CLASS NATIONALLY RANKED: Notre Dame’s seven-man freshman class was ranked 16th nationally by College Soccer News … (M) John Baumgardner, (M) Dave Donohue, (M/F) Justin Morrow, (F) Tamba Samba, (D) John Schaefer, (M/D) Michael Thomas and (GK) Philip Tuttle make up the talented crop of Fighting Irish rookies.
NUMBER CHANGES: Seven members of the Fighting Irish team will be sporting new numbers for the 2006 season …
Name New Number Old NumberLuke Seibolt 1 24Kyle Dulworth 4 21Joseph Lapira 10 4Kurt Martin 11 8Bright Dike 14 18Nate Norman 19 20Alex Yoshinaga 20 19
NEW COACHES: The Fighting Irish are welcoming three new assistant coaches to the sidelines for the 2006 season … assistant coaches Jamie Clark and Chad Riley joined the program in March … Clark, the youngest son of head coach Bobby Clark, spent the last four seasons at New Mexico, where he helped guide the Lobos to the finals of the 2005 College Cup … Clark was a two-time All-American at Stanford, where he played from 1996-98 … Riley returns to Notre Dame, where he played from 2000-03 … he was a two-time all-BIG EAST performer at midfield … he was an assistant coach last season at St. John’s as the Red Storm compiled a record of 11-6-5 and made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament … Rick King is the Irish’s new volunteer assistant coach … King, a 1995 graduate of East Stroudsburg, also coaches the Indiana Invaders club soccer team.
STAY UP-TO-DATE ON NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS: To stay updated on all 26 varsity sports at Notre Dame you can log on to the official Notre Dame athletics web site at und.com or you can call the official Notre Dame athletics hotline at (574) 631-3000 … to access men’s soccer information on the hotline all you need to do is dial 4 from the main menu and then dial 1.
FOLLOW ALL ND HOME GAMES ONLINE: All Notre Dame home games will feature livestats available through und.com, the official web site of all 26 varsity athletic programs at the University … simply go to the men’s soccer page and click on `Schedule’ at the top of the page and find the game that is being played that day and click on `Gametracker’ to follow the game for free … live audio is also available for certain home matches.
SIGN UP FOR IRISH ALERT TEXT MESSAGE SERVICE: The University of Notre Dame athletic department, in cooperation with Notre Dame Sports Properties and Centennial Wireless has brought back Irish ALERT for the 2006 fall sports season … continuing Notre Dame’s commitment to its alumni and fans, Irish ALERT will be free of charge (check with your wireless provider for any additional fees that may be charged due to receiving text messages) … starting the weekend of Sept. 15 all of the fall sports will start sending text alerts to Irish fans across the country on their wireless communication devices … log onto und.com for more details and to sign up.