Sept. 4, 2016
by Tony Jones
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A goal on the scoreboard within the first minute of play essentially told the story for the University of Notre Dame men’s soccer team on Sunday against No. 22 California. The Irish would add four more goals as part of a 5-0 rout of the Golden Bears on Sunday at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic at Armstrong Stadium.
No. 4 Notre Dame (4-0-0) enjoyed its largest margin of victory against a top 25 foe since blanking then No. 21 Michigan 5-0 on Sept. 1, 2009 at Alumni Stadium. The Irish remained unbeaten against Cal (1-2-1) in three meetings all-time at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic, improving to 2-0-1 against the Golden Bears.
Tri-captain Evan Panken wasted little time in getting the Notre Dame offense up and running in the match’s very first minute. After attempting a shot that soared over the net, Panken received a cross from forward Jon Gallagher from along the right end line on the ensuing possession and drilled a strike into the right corner of the mesh past Cal goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann for the Irish goal at 0:38. It was the second fastest Notre Dame goal to open a match since 1995, surpassed only by Bob Novak (0:26) against Bucknell on Sept. 11, 2011.
Gallagher kept his remarkable early season offensive pace rolling in the 13th minute. An open-field breakaway set up by a long goal kick from Notre Dame goalkeeper Chris Hubbard found Gallagher alone in space, where he slotted his fourth goal of 2016 inside the right post for the 2-0 Irish advantage at 12:57.
Thomas Ueland quickly found the score sheet himself less than 10 minutes after entering the match with the third Notre Dame goal in the 40th minute. A strong upfield charge and finish inside the right post from 15 yards out gave Ueland his first goal of the season, and the Irish a commanding 3-0 lead at halftime.
Notre Dame was far from finished in the second half, pouring more offensive pressure on the Cal defense. A Panken shot in the 61st minute was blocked away to a waiting Ueland, where the sophomore slotted home the rebound from eight yards out. Ueland’s second goal of the game vaulted the Irish ahead 4-0 at 60:20.
Gallagher found his fourth point of the match with his second assist of the afternoon in the 67th minute after his shot was parried aside by Cal goalkeeper Drake Callender. Fellow striker Mark Gormley was on the scene and shoveled home the rebound inside the six-yard box for his first goal of the year and a 5-0 Notre Dame lead at 66:25.
Notre Dame controlled the final shot count by a 21-13 margin, edging Cal in shots on goal 9-8. Hubbard equaled a career-high with eight saves, notching his 11th solo shutout (13 combined) in 26 starts at Notre Dame.
The Irish return to Alumni Stadium to host Virginia Tech in the opening Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) match of 2016 on Sept. 9. The 7 p.m. (ET) contest will air live on ACC Network Extra.
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.
Play of the Game
Notre Dame took a commanding two-goal lead when goalkeeper Chris Hubbard found dynamic striker Jon Gallagher alone behind the Cal defense with a bounding goal kick in the 13th minute. Gallagher finished the breakaway pass for his fourth goal in four matches at 12:57, earning Hubbard his second career assist on the play. Hubbard (2) and Bert Bader (’94, 5) are believed to be the only Notre Dame goalkeepers with two or more career helpers in the program’s 40-year history.
Turning Point
An early goal often puts a team in an advantageous position to win a match. Scoring within the first minute of play can only increase those chances. Gallagher made Cal pay for the first time on the afternoon by sending a sharp cross from the right end line out front to a waiting Evan Panken, and the Irish tri-captain scored the second fastest goal in the Notre Dame BIG EAST/ACC era (since 1995) only 38 seconds in.
Coach Bobby Clark
On the fast start carrying Notre Dame throughout the matchââ’¬¦
“When you get off to a start like that, they’re heads drop and our heads perk up. It was great pressure by Jon Gallagher, he pressured one of their central defenders hard and got the ball. He crossed it and Evan Panken came in at the back post and volleyed it into the net. It was a classic goal, tremendous goal. That was a good start.”
Fighting off Cal with a second goal as the Golden Bears attempted to rallyââ’¬¦
“After the opening goal Cal started to come into the game. They are possibly the most technically gifted front six that we’ve played all year. They’re actually very clean with the ball, and our defense had to really work hard to keep them off the ball. But then 13 minutes in we got another goal, so they never could really get back into the game. Chris Hubbard sent a great goal kick up and Jon took a chance on their central defense missing it. It went from Hubbard all the way through to Jon who got past their defense and slipped it past the goalkeeper.”
On Thomas Ueland and Mark Gormley breaking through for their first goals of the seasonââ’¬¦
“Thomas Ueland got the first of his two goals in the 40th minute, just a great shot. He picked up the ball and wriggled past some players, hit a really good shot from just outside the box. That made it pretty nice at halftime, a nice way to go in, and a good goal. Thomas again in the second half with his second goal, he took the ball and used great ball control and slotted it past the goalie.
“Mark Gormley got one as well. On Mark’s goal it was Jon Gallagher with the assist. Jon had a goal and two assists, and Evan Panken with a goal and an assist. It was most of the likely candidates getting involved. I was glad that Mark got on the scoreboard because he’s been playing very well. He has been fantastic. The next person to get on the score sheet is big Jeffrey Farina, he is working his tail off and does a great job for this team.”
On the team’s ability to find offense from numerous playersââ’¬¦
“This team seems to have a quite a lot of goals in it, and 12 goals in four games shows it. I don’t know if we can keep it up the whole season but it’s certainly a good start. The first two weekends, if we come out .500 I’m satisfied and if we come out 100 percent I’m fairly ecstatic especially with the caliber of teams that we’re playing. We weren’t that far off last year until we ran into a few tough games. This will be important for our next game against Virginia Tech, we’ve got to stay nice and humble and keep working. Look at today’s game and see what we can do better. That’s our challenge.”
Note of the Game
Notre Dame improved to 7-0-3 (.850) in its last 10 matches at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. The five Irish goals were the program’s most against a ranked opponent since Notre Dame scored five times against No. 21 Michigan on Sept. 1, 2009 (W, 5-0).
#4 Notre Dame 5, #22 California 0
Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic, Game 3
September 4, 2016
Bloomington, Ind. (Armstrong Stadium)
No. 22 California 0 0 — 0
No. 4 Notre Dame 3 2 — 5
ND 1. Evan Panken (Jon Gallagher), 0:38; ND 2. Gallagher (Chris Hubbard), 12:57; ND 3. Thomas Ueland (-), 39:31; ND 4. Ueland 2 (Panken), 60:20; ND 5. Mark Gormley (Gallagher), 66:25.
Total Shots: ND 21 (9-12), CAL 13 (6-7)
Shots on Goal: ND 9, Cal 8
Saves: ND 8 (Chris Hubbard 8 in 90:00), CAL 4 (Jonathan Klinsmann 1 in 45:00; Drake Callender 3 in 45:00)
Corner Kicks: ND 8 (4-4), CAL 5 (2-3)
Fouls: ND 10, CAL 8Yellow Cards: Joshua Morton (CAL) 33:16, Tommy McCabe (ND) 46:20
Offsides: ND 2, CAL 0
Attendance: —
–ND–
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.