Oct. 12, 2010
MARQUETTE (4-3-4, 1-0-2) at #21 NOTRE DAME (5-3-3, 2-1-0)
Wednesday, Oct. 13 – 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Alumni Stadium – Notre Dame, Ind.
Notre Dame Leads Series 11-5-1
Streaming Video Broadcast: UND.com
Live Stats: Gametracker on UND.com
In-Game Blog: UND.com
SETTING THE STAGE … The Notre Dame men’s soccer team returns home following a two-game road trip to face BIG EAST Blue Division foe Marquette at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday at Alumni Stadium. The Fighting Irish are 5-3-3 overall and 2-1-0 in league play. The Golden Eagles are 4-3-4, including a 1-0-2 mark in the conference. Notre Dame leads the all-time series against Marquette, 11-5-1.
HOW TO FOLLOW … Wednesday’s match will feature a live video broadcast on UND.com … simply go the men’s soccer schedule and find the Marquette match and click on the `Watch’ link to view the game for free … live stats through Gametracker and a live blog also will be available 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 5-3-3 on the season and 2-1 in BIG EAST play … the Irish saw their four-game unbeaten streak come to an end with a 2-1 setback at West Virginia on Saturday … senior forward Steven Perry, who scored the goal against the Mountaineers, leads Notre Dame in goals (6) and points (14) this season … the Irish are averaging 1.27 goals per game, while allowing 0.82 per contest … sophomore midfielder Dillon Powers has a team-best four assists … fifth-year senior goalkeeper Philip Tuttle, who is returning from a knee injury suffered in the summer, has started the past four matches … Tuttle has a 2-1-1 record with a 1.18 goals-against average and a .688 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 122-56-29 (.659) 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 275-119-54 (.674) during his career, which included stops at Dartmouth (1985-93) and Stanford (1996-2000).
THE MARQUETTE SERIES … Wednesday will be the 18th meeting all-time between Marquette and Notre Dame … the Fighting Irish hold an 11-5-1 advantage in the series, including wins in the last five encounters … the Irish captured a 2-0 victory last season at Marquette … this will mark the sixth straight season that the two schools have met … Notre Dame and Marquette squared off during 12 straight seasons from 1979-1990 … both schools were in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference together from 1988-1990 … the Irish own a 32-26 scoring edge in the series … Marquette is 1-6-1 all-time at Notre Dame … the Irish claimed a 4-1 win during the last series meeting at Notre Dame, which occurred during the 2008 campaign.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES … Marquette will bring a 4-3-4 record into Wednesday’s match … the Golden Eagles are 1-0-2 in the BIG EAST … Marquette is riding a six-game unbeaten streak … the Golden Eagles are 3-3 in that stretch … Marquette is 1-1-2 on the road … in league play, Marquette has defeated Rutgers (1-0), while tying Connecticut (1-1) and Pittsburgh (2-2) … the Golden Eagles are averaging 1.00 goals per game, while also allowing 1.00 per game … junior midfielder Calum Mallace leads the team in goals (3) and assists (3) … sophomore David Check is 4-2-4 in goal and has a 0.64 goals-against average and a .868 save percentage with five shutouts … Marquette posted a 4-11-3 record last season, which included a 3-5-3 mark in BIG EAST play … the Golden Eagles returned eight starters and 17 letter winners from last season’s squad … head coach Louis Bennett is in his fifth season at the helm of the Marquette program.
THE LAST TIME … The Irish captured a 2-0 victory at Marquette last season … Tamba Samba put Notre Dame on the board in the 48th minute, while Bright Dike gave the Irish a two-goal lead in the 55th minute … Notre Dame out shot Marquette 15-8 and the Irish had five corner kicks compared to four for the Golden Eagles.
NOTRE DAME IN BIG EAST PLAY … Notre Dame owns an overall record of 93-54-17 (.619) 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 65-23-10 (.714) 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.
UP NEXT … The Fighting Irish will begin a three-game road trip on Saturday against Louisville … kickoff against the Cardinals is slated for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at Cardinal Park … the Irish also will face Seton Hall (Oct. 19) and Connecticut (Oct. 22) during the trek, which is during the University’s weeklong fall break.
QUOTING CLARK … Irish head coach Bobby Clark shares his thoughts on the upcoming match against Marquette …
“This is by far the best Marquette team that we will have faced without question. They haven’t lost in six games and that has to be one of their longest unbeaten streaks in recent years. There’s no question that they’ll be a confident group coming in here. It’s always a hard game against Marquette and I’m sure it’ll be a very tough game tomorrow.”
PERRY PRODUCES A GOOD WEEK … Steven Perry was named to the BIG EAST weekly honor roll on Oct. 11 for his performance in both of last week’s matches … the senior forward assisted on both Notre Dame goals in a 2-1 win at No. 20 Indiana on Oct. 6 … the two assists were a single-game career-high total for Perry … he scored Notre Dame’s lone goal in a 2-1 setback at West Virginia on Saturday.
PERRY PERFORMING … Senior forward Steven Perry leads the Irish in goals (6) and points (14) … both of those figures are single-season career-high totals for Perry … he ranks in a tie for second among all BIG EAST players in goals and is third in points … Perry’s three game-winning goals this season rank him in a tie for first among all BIG EAST players.
IN THE CLUTCH … Steven Perry has netted some big goals for the Irish this season … the senior forward scored the lone tally (70th minute) in a 1-0 win over St. John’s (Sept. 25) … Perry then deposited the equalizer in the 79th minute in a 1-1 draw with Northwestern (Sept. 29) … Perry put home the game winner in the 85th minute in a 2-1 triumph of Providence (Oct. 3) … Perry tallied a career-high two goals in a 2-0 victory over Drake (Sept. 10).
MENA NETS GAME WINNER … Junior midfielder Adam Mena scored the game winner in the 80th minute in Notre Dame’s 2-1 triumph at Indiana on Oct. 6 … it was Mena’s first goal of the season and his first career game-winning tally.
SECOND HALF SUCCESS … Notre Dame has out scored its opponents 11-3 in the second half this season … the Fighting Irish are 4-0-3 this season when tied at halftime.
TUTTLE RETURNS … Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Philip Tuttle returned to the Fighting Irish lineup on Sept. 29 against Northwestern after missing 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 … this season, Tuttle has a 2-1-1 record with a 1.18 goals-against average and a .688 save percentage … for his career, Tuttle is 11-7-3 with seven shutouts to go along with a 0.94 goals-against average and a .727 save percentage.
CORNERING THE MARKET … Notre Dame has gained 25 more corner kicks (86-61) than its opponents this season … the Irish have had more corner kicks than their opponents in eight of 11 matches this season … Notre Dame’s high-water mark for corner kicks in a game this season was 13 versus California … the Irish rank second among all BIG EAST teams in corner kicks … Pittsburgh is first with 96.
SHOOTING DOWN THE COMPETITION … The Fighting Irish have out shot their competition 216-136 this season, including a 81-49 advantage in shots on goal … Notre Dame leads all BIG EAST teams in shots and shots per game (19.6).
BROVSKY BURRIES ANOTHER … Senior forward Jeb Brovsky gave the Irish a 1-0 lead in back-to-back 2-1 victories over Providence and Indiana … Brovsky leads all current Notre Dame players with 13 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 0.82 goals-against average and limit opponents to 4.5 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 50 matches in which he has played during his Irish career.
HOLDING THE LEAD … The Fighting Irish are 5-0 this season whey they score first … Notre Dame is 0-3-1 when its opponent nets the first goal.
TOPDRAWER RANKINGS … Four Notre Dame players are ranked among the National Top 100 upperclassmen according to TopDrawerSoccer.com … Aaron Maund (Jr./D) is ranked 19th, while Dillon Powers (So./M) is 32nd … Jeb Brovsky (Sr./F) is 46th and Steven Perry (Sr./F) is 93rd … Notre Dame forward/midfielder Harrison Shipp is 37th in the TopDrawerSoccer freshman rankings … both rankings are updated weekly.
SHUTTING DOWN ST. JOHN’S … Notre Dame did not surrender a shot on goal in the 1-0 win over then 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.
LOSE THE SHOES … At halftime of the Notre Dame-Providence match on Oct. 3, 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 the Notre Dame-St. John’s women’s game on Oct. 3 … the preliminary games of the tournament took place on Oct. 2 on Notre Dame’s South Quad.
CLEAN SHEETS … Junior goalkeeper Will Walsh has posted four shutouts in his seven starts 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 five teams on its 2010 slate that are ranked in the latest NSCAA top-25 poll … Louisville (2), Connecticut (5), California (10), UCLA (13) and Michigan State (21) are the Irish opponents that appear in the poll … Notre Dame is 0-2-1 against those squads so far this season … the Fighting Irish 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.
BROVSKY A SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST … Forward Jeb Brovsky has been named one of 10 finalists 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 finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 candidates … nationwide fan voting is underway to determine the winner … fans are encouraged to vote via the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award website (seniorclassaward.com) through November 14 … fan votes will be combined with media and coaches votes to determine the winner … the award will be announced during the 2010 NCAA Men’s College Cup championships in early December.
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.
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.