Senior forward Jeb Brovsky has given the Irish the lead in each of the past two matches.

Irish Look To Keep Momentum Going At West Virginia

Oct. 8, 2010

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#22 NOTRE DAME (5-2-3, 2-0-0) at WEST VIRGINIA (5-3-2, 1-1-0)
Saturday, Oct. 9 – 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium – Morgantown, W. Va.
Notre Dame Leads Series 8-5-1

Live Stats: Gametracker on UND.com

SETTING THE STAGE … The Notre Dame men’s soccer team will continue its road trip on Saturday with a BIG EAST 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. The Irish are 5-2-3, including a 2-0 mark in the BIG EAST, while the Mountaineers are 5-3-2 overall and 1-1 in the league.

HOW TO FOLLOW … Live stats for Saturday’s match 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 5-2-3 on the season and 2-0 in BIG EAST play … the Irish will bring a four-game unbeaten streak into Saturday’s game … Notre Dame topped Indiana 2-1 on Wednesday … senior forward Jeb Brovsky and junior midfielder Adam Mena netted goals in the win … senior forward Steven Perry leads Notre Dame in goals (5) and points (12) this season … the Irish are averaging 1.30 goals per game, while allowing 0.70 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 three matches … Tuttle has a 2-0-1 record with a 0.93 goals-against average and a .769 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 122-55-29 (.663) 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 275-118-54 (.676) during his career, which included stops at Dartmouth (1985-93) and Stanford (1996-2000).

THE WEST VIRGINIA SERIES … Saturday will be the 15th meeting between Notre Dame and West Virginia … the Fighting Irish lead the series 8-5-1 … the Mountaineers topped the Irish 1-0 last season at Notre Dame … the Irish are 3-4-0 all-time at West Virginia … in the last meeting in Morgantown, Notre Dame came away with a 1-0 triumph during the 2008 season … the last three encounters have been 1-0 decisions with the Fighting Irish taking two of those matches … six of the last seven meetings in the series have been decided by one goal, while the other was a tie … the Fighting Irish hold a 19-10 scoring edge in the series … Notre Dame has shut out West Virginia on eight occasions.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS … West Virginia will carry a 5-3-2 record into Saturday’s clash with the Irish … the Mountaineers are 1-1 in BIG EAST play following a win over DePaul (5-0) and a loss to Georgetown (1-0) … West Virginia is 4-1 at home with the setback coming against Monmouth (1-0 in double-overtime) … the Mountaineers are averaging 1.60 goals per game, while allowing 0.90 per contest … sophomore forward Moeryhan Doue leads the team in goals (5) and points (12) … fellow sophomore forward Abel Sebele has a team-best five assists … senior Zach Johnson has played every minute in goal and carries a 0.84 goals-against average and a .763 save percentage with three shutouts … West Virginia went 7-5-6 last season and finished third in the BIG EAST Blue Division with a 6-3-2 league mark … the Mountaineers returned eight starters and 16 letterwinners from last season’s squad … head coach Marlon LeBlanc is in his fifth season at the helm of the West Virginia program.

THE LAST TIME … West Virginia topped Notre Dame 1-0 last season at Alumni Stadium … the lone goal was an Alex Silva tally in the 48th minute … the Fighting Irish out shot the Mountaineers 18-3 and Notre Dame also had 15 corner kicks compared to three for West Virginia … Philip Tuttle played all 90 minutes in goal for the Irish and made one save … West Virginia’s Zach Johnson made eight stops, while the Mountaineers also had three team saves.

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 … The Fighting Irish return home for a date against BIG EAST Blue Division foe Marquette at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday at Alumni Stadium.

QUOTING CLARK … Irish head coach Bobby Clark shares his thoughts on the upcoming match at West Virginia …

“West Virginia is a very, very good team. BIGâ⒬ˆEASTâ⒬ˆgames are always difficult and I think when you go on the road, they’re even a little more difficult. Our team has shown signs in recent weeks that we’re really starting to come together. Iâ⒬ˆthink if we can do some things right, we can maybe take something back from this trip. It won’t be an easy trip, especially since it’s right on the heels of playing at Indiana on Wednesday. This will be a good test for our team and we’re looking forward to it.”

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 Wednesday … it was Mena’s first goal of the season and his first career game-winning tally.

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 saw his three-game goal streak come to an end against Indiana, but he dished out a single-game career-best two assists against the Hoosiers … the goal 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 … 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.

SECOND HALF SUCCESS … Notre Dame has out scored its opponents 10-3 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 2-0-1 record with a 0.93 goals-against average and a .769 save percentage … for his career, Tuttle is 11-6-3 with seven shutouts to go along with a 0.89 goals-against average and a .743 save percentage.

CORNERING THE MARKET … Notre Dame has gained 23 more corner kicks (78-55) than its opponents this season … the Irish have had more corner kicks than their opponents in seven of 10 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 92.

SHOOTING DOWN THE COMPETITION … The Fighting Irish have out shot their competition 206-130 this season, including a 76-46 advantage in shots on goal … Notre Dame leads all BIG EAST teams in shots and shots per game (20.6).

BROVSKY BURRIES ANOTHER … Senior forward Jeb Brovsky has given the Irish a 1-0 lead in the each of the past two games (Providence and Indiana) … both matches were 2-1 Irish victories … 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 0.70 goals-against average and limit opponents to 4.6 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 49 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 0-2-1 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 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.

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 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.

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.