Oct. 5, 2010
#22 NOTRE DAME (4-2-3) at #20 INDIANA (5-3-1)
Wednesday, Oct. 6 – 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Bill Armstrong Stadium – Bloomington, Ind.
Indiana Leads Series 24-5-1
Streaming Video: BigTenNetwork.com
Live Stats: Gametracker on UND.com
SETTING THE STAGE … The Notre Dame men’s soccer team will hit the road for a midweek match at in-state foe Indiana. The Fighting Irish and Hoosiers will renew their rivalry at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. The Irish are 4-2-3 this season, while the Hoosiers are 5-3-1.
HOW TO FOLLOW … Live streaming video of Wednesday’s match can be seen on BigTenNetwork.com … live stats will be available via Gametracker on UND.com … fans can 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.
IRISH AT A GLANCE … Notre Dame is 4-2-3 on the season and 2-0 in BIG EAST play … the Irish are coming off a 2-1 victory over Providence on Sunday … senior forward Steven Perry scored the game winner against the Friars in the 85th minute … that was his team-leading fifth goal of the season … Perry has tallied a goal in three straight matches … the Irish are averaging 1.22 goals per game, while allowing 0.67 per contest … sophomore midfielder Dillon Powers has a team-best three assists … fifth-year senior goalkeeper Philip Tuttle, who is returning from a knee injury suffered in the summer, has started the past two matches … Tuttle has a 1-0-1 record with a 0.90 goals-against average and a .800 save percentage … junior Will Walsh has made seven starts in goal and boasts a 3-2-2 record with four shutouts … Walsh has a 0.54 goals-against and a .875 save percentage … head coach Bobby Clark is in his 10th season with the Irish … he has a 121-55-29 (.661) record during his Notre Dame tenure, which has included a trip to the NCAA Tournament each season … this is Clark’s 24th season as a college head coach … he has a combined record of 274-118-54 (.674) during his career, which included stops at Dartmouth (1985-93) and Stanford (1996-2000).
THE INDIANA SERIES … Notre Dame and Indiana will renew the in-state rivalry on Wednesday with the 31st meeting in the series … this will be the 10th straight season that both teams have met … the Hoosiers hold a 24-5-1 advantage in the series … Notre Dame is 4-6-0 against Indiana in the Bobby Clark era … in their last meeting, the Hoosiers claimed a 3-0 victory at Notre Dame … Notre Dame is 3-12-1 all-time at Indiana … the Hoosiers topped the Irish 3-1 in the last meeting in Bloomington, which occurred during the 2008 season … Notre Dame’s last win at Indiana was a 5-4 overtime triumph in 2006 … the series began during the 1978 campaign with a 7-1 win for Indiana in Bloomington.
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS … Indiana is 5-3-1 this season, including a 2-1-1 mark at home … the Hoosiers are averaging 1.78 goals per game, while surrendering 1.11 per contest … junior forward Will Bruin leads the team in goals (7) and points (15) … Andy Adlard, Harrison Petts and Nikita Kotlov all have a team-best three assists … sophomore Luis Soffner has played every minute in goal and carries a 1.06 goals-against average and a .714 save percentage with two shutouts … the Hoosiers have claimed wins against UCLA (5-1), Drake (2-0), Massachusetts (2-1), Penn State (3-2) and Evansville (1-0) … the losses have come to California (2-1 in double-overtime), Cal Poly (1-0) and Brown (2-1) … the lone tie came against Wisconsin (1-1) … last season, Indiana posted a 12-10-1 record and fell at North Carolina, 1-0, in third round of the NCAA tournament … the Hoosiers returned seven starters and 14 letter winners from that squad … head coach Todd Yeagley is in his first season at the helm of the Hoosier program.
THE LAST TIME … The Hoosiers captured a 3-0 decision over the Irish last season at Alumni Field … following a scoreless first half, the Hoosiers got on the board in the 66th minute with an own goal … Darren Yeagle gave Indiana a 2-0 lead in the 79th, while Will Bruin made it 3-0 in the 83rd minute … Andrew Quinn played all 90 minutes in goal for the Irish and made three saves … Indiana’s Luis Soffner also made three stops … both teams had nine shots and Notre Dame produced one more corner kick (6-5).
NOTRE DAME VS. THE BIG TEN … Wednesday’s match against Indiana will mark Notre Dame’s fourth game this season against a Big Ten Conference opponent … the Irish are 0-1-2 against Big Ten competition this season … Notre Dame played Michigan to a scoreless draw on Sept. 17 in Ann Arbor, Mich. … the Irish fell to Michigan State, 2-0, two days later at Alumni Stadium … Notre Dame played Northwestern to a 1-1 tie on Sept. 29 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill.
NOTRE DAME IN BIG EAST PLAY … Notre Dame owns an overall record of 93-53-17 (.623) in BIG EAST regular-season play since joining the conference in 1995 … the Irish have posted nine straight winning seasons within the conference, including last season’s 8-3-0 mark … the eight wins in BIG EAST play in 2009 tied for the most ever for the Fighting Irish … Notre Dame also won eight BIG EAST matches in 2004 (8-1-1) and 2006 (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.
CLARK IN THE CONFERENCE … Head coach Bobby Clark has steered the Irish to a winning record within BIG EAST Conference play during all nine of his seasons at Notre Dame … Clark has a 65-22-10 (.722) BIG EAST mark during his Notre Dame tenure, which began in 2001 … his Irish teams have captured three regular-season BIG EAST titles and two BIG EAST tournament championships.
OFF TO A GOOD START … Notre Dame has opened BIG EAST play 2-0 for the first time since the 2007 campaign … that season, the Irish finished with a 7-0-4 record in the league to tie Connecticut for the Blue Division crown … the Fighting Irish currently are in first place in the league’s Blue Division.
UP NEXT … Notre Dame returns to BIG EAST play on Saturday with a Blue Division showdown at West Virginia … kickoff against the Mountaineers is slated for 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown, W. Va.
QUOTING CLARK … Irish head coach Bobby Clark shares his thoughts on the upcoming match against Indiana …
“This is always a huge game for us. We play a fabulous schedule, but playing a team like Indiana is always fantastic. There’s no more of a storied program in college soccer than Indiana. It’s usually always a great game in every way. It’s always a very competitive match because it means a lot. It’s not a conference match, but it’s one that prepares you for the NCAA Tournament. If you’re going to win the NCAA Tournament, you have to be able to go to a place like Indiana and win.”
PERRY PERFORMING … Senior forward Steven Perry has a team-best five goals this season … that is a single-season career-high total and it currently ranks him in a tie for second among all BIG EAST players … Perry has scored a goal in three straight matches … the streak began with the lone tally (70th minute) in a 1-0 win over St. John’s … he then deposited the equalizer in the 79th minute in a 1-1 draw with Northwestern … on Sunday, Perry put home the game winner in the 85th minute in a 2-1 triumph of Providence … earlier this season, Perry tallied a career-high two goals in a 2-0 victory over Drake.
IN THE CLUTCH … Steven Perry’s three game-winning goals this season rank him in a tie for first among all BIG EAST players … the senior forward has four career game-winning tallies.
TUTTLE RETURNS … Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Philip Tuttle returned to the Fighting Irish lineup on Sept. 29 against Northwestern … he played all 110 minutes versus the Wildcats and made four saves in the 1-1 draw … he also made four stops and collected the win in the 2-1 triumph of Providence on Sunday … Tuttle missed the first seven games of the campaign after suffering a knee injury while training during the summer … in addition to missing the first seven matches of this season, Tuttle did not play in Notre Dame’s final three contests last year after breaking his thumb against Louisville in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship … Tuttle remained in that match despite the injury and helped the Irish advance in a penalty kick shootout … for his career, Tuttle has played in 22 games, including 18 starts, and boasts a 10-6-3 record with seven shutouts and a 0.89 goals-against average.
CORNERING THE MARKET … Notre Dame has gained 26 more corner kicks (73-47) than its opponents this season … the Irish have had more corner kicks than their opponents in seven of nine matches this season … Notre Dame’s high-water mark for corner kicks in a game this season was 13 versus California … the Irish are second among all BIG EAST teams with 73 corner kicks (8.11 per game) … Pittsburgh is first with 89 (9.89 per game).
SHOOTING DOWN THE COMPETITION … The Fighting Irish have out shot their competition 198-119 this season, including a 73-42 advantage in shots on goal … Notre Dame leads all BIG EAST teams in shots and shots per game (22.00).
BROVSKY BURRIES ANOTHER … Senior forward Jeb Brovsky gave the Irish a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Providence … Brovsky leads all current Notre Dame players with 12 career goals and 12 career assists.
MAUND MAKING A DIFFERENCE … Junior central defender Aaron Maund is the only Notre Dame player to have played every minute on the pitch so far this season … he has anchored the backline and has helped the Irish produce a 0.67 goals-against average and limit opponents to 4.7 shots on goal per game … in addition, he has scored one goal this season … Maund was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 27 and was selected to the league’s weekly honor roll on Sept. 13 … Maund has started all 48 matches in which he has played during his Irish career.
COMING BACK … Despite surrendering a goal to Northwestern in the 48th minute during the match on Sept. 29, Notre Dame came back to tie the contest on Steven Perry’s goal in the 79th minute … the Fighting Irish are 0-2-1 this season when their opponent scores first … the Irish are 4-0-0 this season whey they score first.
SHUTTING DOWN ST. JOHN’S … Notre Dame did not surrender a shot on goal in the 1-0 win over No. 12 St. John’s on Sept. 25 … the Irish blanked the Red Storm, who entered the match averaging 2.8 goals per game and 8.2 shots on goal per game.
MAUND EARNS CONFERENCE HONOR … Junior central defender Aaron Maund was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 20-26 … Maund and the Fighting Irish defense shut out No. 12 St. John’s 1-0 in the conference opener on Sept. 25 … the Irish defense did not allow a shot on goal in the match … that was Maund’s first BIG EAST player of the week accolade.
LOSE THE SHOES … At halftime of last Sunday’s Notre Dame-Providence match, the championship game of Notre Dame’s `Lose the Shoes’ tournament was held … the proceeds from the 3-on-3 barefoot soccer tournament benefited Grassroot Soccer, a South Africa-based non-governmental organization that integrates the cross-cultural appeal of soccer with evidence-based HIV prevention and life skills programs that arm African youth with the knowledge, skills, and support to live HIV free … Tommy Clark, the eldest son of Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark, is a cofounder of Grassroot Soccer … in the fall of 2006, Dartmouth College held the first ever `Lose the Shoes’ tournament and since then, over 80 `Lose the Shoes’ tournaments have raised almost $150,000 … Notre Dame held its first `Lose the Shoes’ tournament last year … the semifinals of this year’s tournament were held at halftime of last Sunday’s Notre Dame-St. John’s women’s game … the preliminary games of the tournament took place on Oct. 2 on Notre Dame’s South Quad.
THREE AMONG TOPDRAWER TOP 100 … Three Notre Dame players are ranked among the National Top 100 players according to TopDrawerSoccer.com … Dillon Powers (So./M) is ranked fourth, while Aaron Maund (Jr./D) is 32nd and Jeb Brovsky (Sr./F) is 90th.
CLEAN SHEETS … Junior goalkeeper Will Walsh has posted four shutouts this season … Walsh saw a career-best scoreless streak of 357 minutes come to an end when Cal Poly scored with six seconds remaining in the 5-1 Irish victory on Sept. 12 … Walsh had not seen game action prior to this season.
TOUGH SLATE … The Irish have another challenging schedule this season … Notre Dame has six teams on its 2010 slate that are ranked in the latest NSCAA top-25 poll … Connecticut (2), Louisville (3), California (14), UCLA (16), Michigan State (18) and St. John’s (22) are the Irish opponents that appear in the poll … Notre Dame is 1-2-1 against those squads so far this season … the Fighting Irish defeated St. John’s (1-0) and tied California (0-0) … Notre Dame fell to UCLA (1-0) and Michigan State (2-0) … Notre Dame plays at Louisville on Oct. 16 and at Connecticut on Oct. 22.
EARLY SEASON OFFENSE … The five goals scored in the 5-1 win over Cal Poly (Sept. 12) marked the fourth time in the past five seasons that Notre Dame has tallied five goals in one of its first four matches of the season … last year, the Irish bested Michigan 5-0 in the season opener … in 2008, Notre Dame topped USF 5-0 in the fourth game of the campaign … in the fourth contest of the 2006 season, the Fighting Irish bested Indiana 5-4 in overtime.
IRISH EXPLOSION … The five goals scored in the second half against Cal Poly on Sept. 12 were the most goals scored in a single period by the Fighting Irish since they netted five in the first half during a 5-0 win over Villanova on Oct. 23, 2002 … it marked the most goals scored in a second half since depositing seven in a 7-1 triumph of Western Michigan on Oct. 14, 1997.
A DAY OF FIRSTS FOR THE IRISH … Notre Dame used five different goal scorers in the 5-1 win over Cal Poly on Sept. 12 … it marked the first career goal for three Fighting Irish players, Greg Klazura (Sr./D), Dillon Powers (So./M) and Grant Van De Casteele (So./D).
ALL OVER THE MAP … Notre Dame’s 29-man roster boasts student-athletes from 18 different states … the state represented the most on the Irish roster is Illinois, which is home to six Notre Dame players … Brendan King (Naperville), Greg Klazura (Rockford), Craig Krzyskowski (Western Springs), Bob Novak (Homer Glen), Danny O’Leary (Naperville) and Harrison Shipp (Lake Forest) all hail from the Prairie State … next in line is Texas, which has supplied the Irish with four players on this year’s squad.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES … Aaron Maund (Jr./D) and Dillon Powers (So./M) were named Soccer America Preseason All-Americans … Notre Dame was one of five schools with multiple representatives on the 25-man Soccer America Preseason All-America Team … Akron had four players on the squad, while Virginia, North Carolina and Tulsa joined the Irish with two apiece.
MORE HONORS FOR MAUND AND POWERS … Fighting Irish junior Aaron Maund, a central defender, was named the 2010 BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in a vote by the league’s head coaches … Irish sophomore Dillon Powers, a midfielder, joined Maund on the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team.
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 12 first-place votes among the eight Blue Division squads, while the Irish garnered four … St. John’s was picked to win the Red Division … the league’s 16 head coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
BROVSKY A LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE … Forward Jeb Brovsky has been named one of 30 candidates for the 2010 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 – classroom, character, community and competition … the list of 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 a candidate that best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
CAPTAIN KEEPER … Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Philip Tuttle is Notre Dame’s lone captain for the 2010 campaign … this is Tuttle’s first season as a captain.
POWERS PACES TEAM USA … Sophomore Dillon Powers helped the United States Under-20 national team capture the Milk Cup Tournament in early August … Powers was named the MVP of the Milk Cup, which is an international youth soccer tournament held annually in Northern Ireland … the midfielder earned a start in two of the three matches as the U.S. posted a 3-0 record.
TWO ROOKIES RANKED … Two Notre Dame freshmen were named to the College Soccer News `100 Freshmen To Keep An Eye On’ list for the 2010 season … goalkeeper Adam LaPlaca and defender Andrew O’Malley were selected to the list and are part of a very talented eight-man freshman class for the Irish.
ROOKIE RANKINGS … Notre Dame’s freshman class was ranked ninth according to College Soccer News … Leon Brown (F), Kyle Craft (M), Adam LaPlaca (GK), Luke Mishu (D), Andrew O’Malley (D), Alex Priede (F), Harrison Shipp (M/F) and Patrick Wall (GK) make up the stellar class.
A GREAT NIGHT FOR GRASSROOT … Notre Dame held its annual exhibition game to benefit Grassroot Soccer on Aug. 23 against UIC … over 2,000 fans packed into Alumni Stadium to watch the Irish defeat the Flames, 3-2 … a grand total of $3,000 was raised for Grassroot Soccer, an international AIDS awareness and education organization that reaches youth in Africa through soccer clinics … $1,000 worth of donations were received at the gate and during the match … head coach Bobby Clark, whose son Tommy is the founder and CEO of the organization, and the Notre Dame men’s soccer camp donated $2,000.
LOOKING BACK … Last season, Notre Dame posted an 11-8-4 record … the Irish were runners-up in the BIG EAST Blue Division with an 8-3 mark … the Fighting Irish were finalists at the BIG EAST Championship … Notre Dame defeated Green Bay 2-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling at Northwestern, 3-1, in the second round … that marked Notre Dame’s ninth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
PURCHASE YOUR IRISH SOCCER TICKETS … To purchase a season pass or single-game tickets, call the Notre Dame ticket office at (574) 631-7356, visit und.com/tickets or stop by the Notre Dame ticket office inside Purcell Pavilion … tickets can also be purchased at Alumni Stadium on gamedays.
THE ROAD TO RED BULL … The BIG EAST and Red Bull New York have joined forces with a three-year partnership for the Conference’s men’s soccer championship to be held at the new state-of-the-art Red Bull Arena through the 2012 tournament … the soccer-specific facility in Harrison, N.J., is the new home of the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer (MLS) … the stadium opened in the spring of 2010 … the BIG EAST will hold its semifinal and championship games at the venue, along with team practices before each day of competition, beginning this season … the dates of the championships over the next three years are: 2010 – Nov. 12 & 14; 2011 – Nov. 11 & 13 and 2012 – Nov. 9 & 10 … for more information, including how to buy tickets, go to bigeastsoccer.com.