LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Notre Dame dropped a 2-1 decision on Saturday afternoon at the hands of the Louisville Cardinals in the ACC opener despite nearly doubling the hosts in shots 13-7.
Jack Lynn came off the bench to score the Irish goal in the 32nd minute off a cross from Aiden McFadden. The goal was the first of the season for the junior forward.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite starting with the lion’s share of possession, the Irish conceded first in Saturday’s matchup. Notre Dame gave the ball away in its own third and Louisville capitalized with a cross that found Elijah Amo for an easy tap in at the back post to go up 1-0 in the 13th minute.
The Irish found their footing midway through the first frame and started to put pressure on the Louisville defense. In the 35th minute the Irish leveled the match at 1-1 off a diving header from Lynn for his first of the year. Philip Quinton flicked a ball into the box towards the endline. Aiden McFadden tracked it down and fired a cross that connected with Lynn for the goal.
The hosts reclaimed the lead just six minutes into the second stanza, as Pedro Fonseca earned a penalty and converted from the spot to give Louisville the 2-1 advantage.
Following the Louisville goal the Irish poured forward and created a barrage of scoring chances, outshooting the Cardinals 8-0 in the final 25 minutes of play but were unable to grab the tying goal, allowing Louisville to escape with the 2-1 win.
HEAD COACH CHAD RILEY’S TAKE
On the match…
“I am very disappointed in the result but very proud of the team. I thought we played excellent tonight and were unfortunate not to get a better result. This was a big step forward for us from a performance side and unfortunately we just ran out of time.
“Our mentality was excellent and we showed a lot of mental strength in our response to their two moments that led to goals. Our leaders did an excellent job today.”
STAT OF THE MATCH
Aiden McFadden provided the assist on the Irish goal, giving the senior an assist in all three matches this season.
NOTES OF THE MATCH
- Lynn’s goal was his first of the season and 14th of his Notre Dame career.
- McFadden picked up his team-leading third assist of the season and fifth of his career.
- Quinton notched his first assist of the season and the second of his career.
UP NEXT
The Irish return home for their first official ACC match at Alumni Stadium at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 11 when Notre Dame welcomes Syracuse to town.
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