Chris Cahill has been a solid force in goal for the Irish this season. The senior has posted eight shutouts and carries a 0.67 goals-against average.

Irish Ready To Embark On Crucial Road Trip This Week At West Virginia And Connecticut

Oct. 17, 2006

Wednesday, Oct. 18
#6/7 Notre Dame at #4/5 West Virginia
Morgantown, W.Va. • 7:00 p.m. (ET)

Saturday, Oct. 21
#6/7 Notre Dame at #14/- Connecticut
Storrs, Conn. • 7:00 p.m. (ET)
College Sports Television (CSTV)

UPDATED NOTES FOR CONNECTICUT MATCH ON SATURDAY

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Notre Dame will conclude the regular season with two pivotal BIG EAST road matches this week. The Fighting Irish, who are currently third in the conference’s Blue Division with 21 points, will take on No. 4 West Virginia and No. 14 Connecticut, the division’s co-leaders with 22 points apiece. The Irish will square off with the Mountaineers on Wednesday (Oct. 18) and 7:00 p.m., before facing the Huskies on Saturday (Oct. 21) at 7:00 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast by College Sports Television (CSTV). The game will be shown on Monday, Oct. 23 at 8:00 p.m. (ET). The Fighting Irish carry an 11-3-2 record (7-2-0 BIG EAST) and are ranked 6th in the NSCAA/adidas poll and 7th in the Soccer America rankings.

ABOUT THE IRISH: Notre Dame improved its win streak to seven games with identical 3-0 victories over Michigan State and Providence last week … the Fighting Irish are unbeaten in their last eight contests overall … the streak is the longest for the program since an eight-game win streak during the 2003 season … junior forward Joseph Lapira netted goals in both matches to bring his goal streak to seven games … he had his stretch of five straight two-goal efforts snapped against the Spartans, yet still delivered with a goal and an assist in the victory … Lapira leads all NCAA Division I men’s soccer players with 19 goals and 41 points this season … the goal total is the third-highest single-season mark in program history, while the point total is fourth … senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill notched back-to-back shutouts and has collected shutouts in six of the last eight games … he has eight shutouts this season and a 10-2-1 record … Nate Norman leads the team with seven assists, while Cory Rellas is second with five … all of Rellas’ assists have come in the last five games … the Irish were picked by the BIG EAST coaches to place second in the Blue Division behind Connecticut … Notre Dame is currently in third place, behind Connecticut and West Virginia … Bobby Clark is in his sixth season at the helm of the Fighting Irish program … he has a 76-30-15 (.690) mark overall at Notre Dame and has guided the Irish to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the round of 16 … the Irish made the tournament’s Sweet 16 last season.

LAPIRA LEADING THE WAY: Junior forward Joseph Lapira is registering one of the finest seasons in program history and one of the top campaigns in the nation this year … he has notched a goal in seven straight games … his 19 goals and 41 points are the most among NCAA Division I men’s soccer players … he has copped several national accolades this season … he was selected as the National Player of the Week by Soccer America, Soccer Times and Top Drawer Soccer on Sept. 4 along with being named to the College Soccer News Team of the Week … those honors came after a four-goal effort against No. 8 Indiana … Lapira was named College Soccer News National Player of the Week on Oct. 2 following a four-goal week … more honors came his way on Oct. 9, by being named the College Soccer News, Top Drawer Soccer and Soccer Times National Player of the Week after registering another four goals over two games … he has also been selected as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week three times this season (9/4, 10/2 & 10/9) … he has registered seven multiple-goal games, including a stretch of five straight two-goal efforts, which was snapped against Michigan State on Oct. 11.

BESLER AND THOMAS TAKE WEEKLY BIG EAST HONORS: Sophomore Matt Besler was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, while Irish freshman Michael Thomas was tabbed as the conference’s Rookie of the Week for their efforts in Notre Dame’s 3-0 wins over Michigan State and Providence last week … Besler, a central defender, tallied Notre Dame’s first goal in the win over the Spartans … he played all 180 minutes during the week in helping the Fighting Irish post their eighth and ninth shutouts of the season … Thomas notched the first goal of his collegiate career against Michigan State and followed it up with another tally against Providence … the Irish are no strangers to BIG EAST accolades this season as junior forward Joseph Lapira has been named the Offensive Player of the Week on three occasions, including the previous two weeks … senior forward Justin McGeeney copped the offensive honor on Aug. 28 and senior Chris Cahill was named the Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 2, while being named to the league’s weekly honor roll this week after registering back-to-back shutouts.

THOMAS NAMED TO TOP DRAWER SOCCER TEAM OF THE WEEK: In addition to his BIG EAST honor, Michael Thomas was also named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week for his goals against Michigan State and Providence last week … he is the second member of the Irish selected to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week this season, joining forward Joseph Lapira, who has been named to the team twice as he was named the National Player of the Week by the soccer web site.

STATISTICAL EDGE: Notre Dame owns a decided advantage in most statistical categories … the Fighting Irish have out scored its opposition 36-12, including a 20-6 edge in the second half … Notre Dame has out shot its opponents 282-170 and gained 46 more corner kicks (108-62).

IRISH IN THE BIG EAST: Notre Dame leads the BIG EAST with 36 goals and 98 points … West Virginia is second in both categories with 32 goals and 91 points … the Irish are also first in shots (282) and corner kicks (108) … defensively, the nine team shutouts ranks Notre Dame first, while West Virginia is second with eight … the Mountaineers have the league’s best goals-against average with a 0.70 mark, while the Fighting Irish are second with a 0.72 average.

THE NATIONAL CHARTS: Junior forward Joseph Lapira’s 19 goals and 41 points are the most among Division I men’s soccer players … his 1.19 goals per game average is also tops in the country … Lapira is second with 2.56 points per game … his four-goal, eight-point effort against Indiana ties him for second nationally for goals scored and points totaled in a single match this season … as a team, Notre Dame is tied ninth nationally by averaging 2.25 goals per game … the Irish are also putting up impressive defensive numbers as senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill is 16th nationally with a 0.669 goals-against average, while the Irish rank 20th as a team in that category (0.72).

LAPIRA MULTI-GOAL GAMES: Joseph Lapira has notched seven multiple-goal games this season, including a stretch of five straight two-goal games … his season-high performance was a four-goal effort against No. 8 Indiana, while he has netted two against Louisville, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Seton Hall, Michigan and Georgetown.

IN THE IRISH RECORD BOOKS: Joseph Lapira’s 19 goals this season ranks third all-time on Notre Dame’s single-season list … Kevin Lovejoy’s totals of 29 goals in 1978 and 22 in 1979 rank first and second on the all-time list … Lapira’s 41 points are the fourth-highest single-season total in program history and the most since Richard Herdegen tallied 42 in 1983 … the Irish’s all-time record for points in a season is 63 from Lovejoy in 1979 … Lapira is the first player in program history to win BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors three times in the same season … he is also the only Irish player to win any award from the league four times in a career … Lapira was selected as the Offensive Player of the Week once as a freshman.

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS WEST VIRGINIA: The Fighting Irish and Mountaineers have met 10 times with the Irish holding a 6-3-1 edge in the series … last year’s meeting was a 3-3 double-overtime tie at Notre Dame … West Virginia won the last encounter in Morgantown, W.Va., 1-0, during the 2004 season … Notre Dame had won three straight in the series prior to that match … the Irish are 2-3-0 all-time at West Virginia … the first meeting occurred in 1995, Notre Dame’s first campaign as a member of the BIG EAST Conference … the Mountaineers took that contest, 2-1, at home … the Fighting Irish have shut out the Mountaineers six times and hold a 16-7 scoring edge in the series.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS: West Virginia is ranked fourth in the NSCAA/adidas poll and fifth according to Soccer America and carry a 12-1-2 mark overall and a 7-0-1 BIG EAST record … the Mountaineers are tied for first, with Connecticut, in the league’s Blue Division … senior forward Jarrod Smith broke the BIG EAST single-season record for points and goals in league matches … he has notched 12 goals and three assists for 27 points in eight conference matches … the Mountaineers returned 10 starters and 19 letterwinners from a team that went 13-8-2 last season with a 6-4-1 mark in the league to finish third in the Blue Division … West Virginia fell to Akron, 5-0, in the second round of last season’s NCAA Tournament … Marlon LeBlanc is in his first season at the helm of the West Virginia program.

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS CONNECTICUT: Notre Dame and Connecticut will be meeting for the 15th time on Saturday … the Huskies have the edge in the series, 8-5-1 … Connecticut won last year’s affair 2-1 at Notre Dame … the two teams have not met in Storrs since the 2003 season … UConn won that match, 1-0 … Notre Dame is 1-5-0 all-time at Connecticut … the lone win was a 2-1 decision in the first ever meeting between the two schools during the 1986 season … that was the only match between Notre Dame and Connecticut before the Irish joined the BIG EAST Conference … the Huskies carry a 19-15 scoring advantage in the series. SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: Connecticut is 9-4-2 overall and 7-1-1 in BIG EAST play entering its match at Marquette on Wednesday … the Huskies, who are ranked 14th in the NSCAA/adidas poll, are tied for first in the league’s Blue Division with West Virginia … Connecticut bounced back from its double-overtime loss to fifth-ranked Wake Forest on Oct. 10 by taking down Pittsburgh, 4-3, on the road on Saturday (Oct. 14) … UConn is undefeated through five BIG EAST road games, going 4-0-1 so far this season … sophomore O’Brian White leads the team with 19 points on seven goals and five assists … he was the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and a second-team all-league selection last season … junior defender Julius James was a unanimous all-conference pick in 2005 … the Huskies returned six starters and 16 letterwinners from a squad that went 16-3-2 last season, including a 7-3-1 mark to win the BIG EAST Blue Division … Connecticut would also claim the conference tournament title and advance to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Akron in penalty kicks (4-3) following a 3-3 tie … head coach Ray Reid is in his 10th season at Connecticut … he has posted a 145-53-17 mark in Storrs.

SENIORS LEAVE MARK: Notre Dame honored its seniors prior to the Providence match on Saturday (Oct. 14) … the seven student-athletes (Chris Cahill, Greg Dalby, Ian Etherington, Justin McGeeney, Ryan Miller, Nate Norman and Dale Rellas) have been a vital part of the Notre Dame program, helping the Irish to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two berths into the Round of 16 … they also helped the Irish claim the program’s first-ever BIG EAST Tournament title in 2003, which was followed by a regular season championship in 2004.

IRISH THOUGHTS: Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark discusses Wednesday’s game against West Virginia and his team’s mindset …

On the importance of the West Virginia match …
“This is one of those games that you don’t need to bring out the importance of it to the team. We are facing a top-five team and they are pretty well aware that this team has been doing pretty well this season.”

“This is a fabulous opportunity for our team towards the end of the season when you are talking about NCAA seeding. This game is going to be important to us for several reasons.”

On his team’s mindset …
“It’s important to focus on the task at hand and that’s to play well. If we play well, we don’t need to fear the team that we are playing.”

NEXT UP: Notre Dame has already locked up a berth into the 2006 BIG EAST Championship, yet the seeds have not been determined … the BIG EAST men’s soccer tournament gets underway with the first round on Wednesday, Oct. 25 … 12 of the league’s 16 teams make the tournament … the top six squads from each division qualify, with the top two from each division automatically advancing to the quarterfinals … the quarterfinals take place Saturday, Oct. 28 … the first round and quarterfinals are held at the campus site of the higher seeded team in the matchup … the semifinals and finals will be hosted by Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J. on Nov. 3 and 5.

CAHILL BLANKINGS: Chris Cahill has registered back-to-back shutouts (Michigan State and Providence) to bring his season total to eight … he has posted shutouts in six of the last eight games, including three straight against Marquette, Seton Hall and Michigan … that was a career-best stretch for the senior keeper … he had his personal-best scoreless streak of 342:27 snapped against Georgetown … Cahill has 17 blankings in his career.

RECAPPING MICHIGAN STATE: Notre Dame continued its hot play by downing Michigan State 3-0 in non-conference play at a cold, rainy and windy Alumni Field on Wednesday, Oct. 11 … tallying goals for the Irish were Matt Besler, Michael Thomas and Joseph Lapira … senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill earned his seventh shutout of the season … Notre Dame came out strong and peppered the Spartan goal with several early shots to no avail, while Michigan State could only muster a few distant blasts in the opening stages of the first half … the Irish notched their first goal in the 22nd minute as a Nate Norman corner kick was directed into the back of the net by Besler for his second tally of the season … the wind and rain played havoc with both teams during stretches of the first half, but the Irish nearly connected on a couple more opportunities before the first 45 minutes had elapsed … sophomores Bright Dike and Cory Rellas both had nice looks in the final 10 minutes that could not find the net … Notre Dame would lead 1-0 at the half … the Fighting Irish offense took charge from the outset of the second half … Notre Dame continued pounding shots on the Spartan defense and the effort paid off as the freshman Thomas gathered the ball as action was taking place in front of the goal and sent it in to make it 2-0 in the 72nd minute … the goal, which was assisted by Lapira, was the first of Thomas’ young career … Lapira, who came out early in the first half but returned to start the second stanza, upped his scoring streak to six straight games with a goal in the 74th minute … the junior forward took the ball on a breakaway, passed a Spartan defender and placed a shot into the right side of the net for his nation-leading 18th goal of the season … Notre Dame dominated the statistics once again … the Irish out-shot Michigan State 23-6 and held a 10-2 advantage in corner kicks … Cahill made three saves on the night, while Spartan goalkeeper Jason Tillman, who had to leave late in the second half due to an injury, collected the loss, while making five saves.

RECAPPING PROVIDENCE: For the ninth time this season the Notre Dame men’s soccer team held an opponent scoreless as the Irish claimed a 3-0 victory over Providence on Saturday, Oct. 14 at Alumni Field in a crucial BIG EAST showdown … Notre Dame and Providence entered the match tied for second place in the conference’s Blue Division … Joseph Lapira put the Irish on the board in the 32nd minute with his 19th goal of the season … senior midfielder Nate Norman and sophomore midfielder Cory Rellas both assisted Lapira on the play to pick up the first of their two assists for the match … Lapira has netted a goal in all seven games of the Irish win streak, including five straight two-goal performances, which was snapped in a 3-0 win over Michigan State on Wednesday night … Notre Dame led 1-0 at halftime … freshman Michael Thomas, who netted the first goal of his Irish career against the Spartans, notched Notre Dame’s second tally of the night on a feed from Rellas in the 57th minute … the capper was put on the match in the 90th minute as Norman sent a ball to Kurt Martin and the junior forward sent a blast into the back of the net from 18 yards out to give the Irish a 3-0 lead with just 29 seconds remaining … it was Martin’s first goal of the season … Notre Dame out shot the Providence 14-11 and also collected five more corner kicks (7-2) … senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill made it a fine senior night for seven Irish players, who were playing in their last regular season home match, as he posted his eighth shutout of the season and his sixth in the last eight games … Cahill made four saves on the night, while Chris Konopka made four stops for the Friars in the loss … the Irish keeper now has a 10-2-1 record this season.

A CLASSIC PERFORMANCE: Joseph Lapira tallied a career-high four goals against No. 8 Indiana in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic on Sunday, Sept. 3 … the four scores established an Indiana Classic record and it was one shy of the Notre Dame record of five, achieved by Kevin Lovejoy in 1993 … by scoring three goals, Lapira became the first Irish player to register a hat trick since Devon Prescod did so versus Cleveland State in 2003.

AN IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY: Notre Dame’s five goal output against Indiana on Sept. 3 was the most goals scored by an Irish team since a 6-0 victory over Cleveland State in 2003 … the five tallies were the most ever against a ranked foe in program history … it marked the first time the Hoosiers had ever allowed five tallies in a single game … the nine combined goals were the most in a Notre Dame match since a 9-2 victory against Valparaiso in 1989.

TAKING DOWN A TOP-10: Notre Dame has downed two top-10 teams this season … the Irish topped No. 8 Creighton, 4-1, on Aug. 27 and then defeated No. 8 Indiana, 5-4, on Sept. 3 … the Irish have claimed a victory against a top-10 opponent in seven straight seasons … last season, the Irish took down No. 7 SMU (4-1) and No. 5 Indiana (2-0) … the victory against the Hoosiers came in the second round of the NCAA Tournament … the Irish will be looking for their third win over a top-10 team as they take on No. 4 West Virginia on Wednesday.

IN THE POLLS: Notre Dame is 6th in this week’s NSCAA/adidas poll and 7th in the current Soccer America rankings … those are the highest rankings for Notre Dame this season … the Irish began the campaign rated 15th and 10th in those polls, respectively … this week the Fighting Irish are 8th according to Soccer Times and 10th in the College Soccer News poll … seven of the Irish’s 2006 opponents appear in the latest Soccer America rankings: West Virginia (5), Indiana (6), Creighton (18), Cincinnati (21), Saint Louis (22), Northern Illinois (24) and South Florida (25t) … Notre Dame is 2-2-2 against those teams this season … the Irish will play West Virginia on Wednesday … the Mountaineers are the highest-ranked opponent for the Irish this season.

NOTRE DAME PICKED SECOND IN BLUE DIVISION: Notre Dame was selected to finish second in the BIG EAST’s Blue Division behind Connecticut, while South Florida was tabbed to be the league’s Red Division champion … the Irish collected five first-place votes compared to the Huskies’ 11 … Notre Dame was tabbed to finish second in the conference’s Blue Division last year and wound up placing in a tie for third with West Virginia … the Irish did garner the division’s No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament as a result of a tie-breaker.

DALBY AND ETHERINGTON NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAM: Senior midfielders Greg Dalby and Ian Etherington were named to the 2006 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team as voted on by the league’s 16 head coaches … both Dalby and Etherington were first-team all-BIG EAST selections last season.

DALBY NAMED TO M.A.C. HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST: Greg Dalby was named to the 2006 Missouri Athletic Club (M.A.C.) Hermann Trophy Watch List … the trophy is presented annually to the top male and female Division I soccer player in the United States … the 25-man watch list was compiled by a panel of coaches from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

COLLEGE SOCCER NEWS WATCH LIST: Greg Dalby was selected to the College Soccer News Pre-Season All-America first team … the senior co-captain was not the only Irish student-athlete honored by the publication, as two incoming freshmen were named to the `100 Freshmen to Watch’ list for the 2006 season … (M/F) Justin Morrow and (M/D) Michael Thomas were selected to the list and are all part of a very talented seven-man freshman class for the Irish.

FRESHMAN CLASS NATIONALLY RANKED: Notre Dame’s seven-man freshman class was ranked 16th nationally by College Soccer News … (M) John Baumgardner, (M) Dave Donohue, (M/F) Justin Morrow, (F) Tamba Samba, (D) John Schaefer, (M/D) Michael Thomas and (GK) Philip Tuttle make up the talented crop of Fighting Irish rookies.

NUMBER CHANGES: Seven members of the Fighting Irish team will be sporting new numbers for the 2006 season …

Name             New Number       Old NumberLuke Seibolt         1                24Kyle Dulworth        4                21Joseph Lapira       10                 4Kurt Martin         11                 8Bright Dike         14                18Nate Norman         19                20Alex Yoshinaga      20                19

NEW COACHES: The Fighting Irish are welcoming three new assistant coaches to the sidelines for the 2006 season … assistant coaches Jamie Clark and Chad Riley joined the program in March … Clark, the youngest son of head coach Bobby Clark, spent the last four seasons at New Mexico, where he helped guide the Lobos to the finals of the 2005 College Cup … Clark was a two-time All-American at Stanford, where he played from 1996-98 … Riley returns to Notre Dame, where he played from 2000-03 … he was a two-time all-BIG EAST performer at midfield … he was an assistant coach last season at St. John’s as the Red Storm compiled a record of 11-6-5 and made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament … Rick King is the Irish’s new volunteer assistant coach … King, a 1995 graduate of East Stroudsburg, also coaches the Indiana Invaders club soccer team.

STAY UP-TO-DATE ON NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS: To stay updated on all 26 varsity sports at Notre Dame you can log on to the official Notre Dame athletics web site at und.com or you can call the official Notre Dame athletics hotline at (574) 631-3000 … to access men’s soccer information on the hotline all you need to do is dial 4 from the main menu and then dial 1.

FOLLOW ALL ND HOME GAMES ONLINE: All Notre Dame home games will feature livestats available through und.com, the official web site of all 26 varsity athletic programs at the University … simply go to the men’s soccer page and click on `Schedule’ at the top of the page and find the game that is being played that day and click on `Gametracker’ to follow the game for free … live audio is also available for certain home matches.

NOTRE DAME ANNOUNCES IRISH ALERT TEXT MESSAGE SERVICE: The University of Notre Dame athletic department, in cooperation with Notre Dame Sports Properties and Centennial Wireless has brought back Irish ALERT for the 2006 fall sports season … continuing Notre Dame’s commitment to its alumni and fans, Irish ALERT will be free of charge (check with your wireless provider for any additional fees that may be charged due to receiving text messages) … starting the weekend of Sept. 15 all of the fall sports will start sending text alerts to Irish fans across the country on their wireless communication devices … log onto und.com for more details and to sign up.