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Irish Shutout Huskies In Impressive Fashion, 2-0

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame turned in an impressive performance at Alumni Stadium on Monday evening, recording its first victory of the season in 2-0 fashion over NIU.

The two freshmen were the goal scorers for the Irish against the Huskies, as Eno Nto and Matthew Roou each opened their Fighting Irish account.

The Notre Dame defense posted its first clean sheet of the year, with goalkeeper Bryan Dowd registering five saves over the 90 minutes.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Irish came out of the gates on the front foot on Monday evening, creating chance after chance in the first half. Lynn had a number of attempts just off the mark as Notre Dame searched for the opening goal.

In the 22nd minute Nto collected a clearance from a corner just outside the box and put his laces through an attempt that was deflected, catching the goalkeeper wrong-footed for the first goal of the evening. The goal was the difference between the Irish and Huskies at the break, with Notre Dame leading 1-0 after the first 45 minutes of play.

The second half was a cagey affair over the first 20 minutes of action, as neither side created great looks at goal. The Irish doubled their lead in the 70th minute off a beautiful buildup sequence of one-touch passing that ended with Roou’s sliding finish off Ben Giacobello’s cross to make the score 2-0.

The Irish pushed for a third goal in the final minutes of play but the NIU goalkeeper denied the Notre Dame attack. On the other end the Irish defense comfortably saw the game out to keep the clean sheet intact and secure the 2-0 win.

McFARLAND FAMILY MEN’S HEAD SOCCER COACH CHAD RILEY’S TAKE

On the performance…

“It was a good win. We knew Northern Illinois was going to be a tough game. They won their first game and had some good performances in their exhibitions and they beat Akron twice last year so we knew it was going to be a tough game. 

“I’m really proud of the way the group handled it. We created some really quality chances and on another night we might have put some more in. They tested our back line at times but we stood up to the test well and finished with a shutout which is important.”

On the clean sheet…

“I’m proud of the group. From the goalkeeper to the back four to really the whole team. In the second half I don’t think we gave them a decent look at goal. Defending is always a team thing. It starts from the two strikers all the way through the goalkeeper and we did a good job of that.”

On the two freshmen (Eno Nto and Matthew Roou) scoring goals…

“They continue to do what we know they can do. They are good attacking players but they also help us on both sides of the ball so it was nice to see them get rewarded with a couple goals.” 

NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE MATCH

The Notre Dame goals came from Nto and Roou, both freshmen making the first starts of their career.

NOTES

  • Notre Dame levels the series against NIU to 1-1-2 with the victory.
  • Dowd earned his first clean sheet of the season and second of his career in net.
  • Giacobello recorded his first assist of the season and fourth of his career.
  • Jack Lynn also picked up his first assist of the year and fifth of his career.
  • All four Notre Dame goals through two games have come from different players.
  • The Irish have scored first in both games this season and have not trailed in regulation.

UP NEXT

The Irish hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Lexington, Kentucky, to face the Wildcats in a non-conference match at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 3. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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