Oct. 19, 2009
NOTRE DAME (7-6-1, 5-3-0) at
GEORGETOWN (8-5-1, 5-3-0)
Wednesday, Oct. 21 • 3:00 p.m. (ET)
North Kehoe Field • Washington, D.C.
Notre Dame leads series 10-7-2
Gametracker on und.com
NOTRE DAME (7-6-1, 5-3-0) at
PITTSBURGH (1-11-1, 0-7-1)
Saturday, Oct. 24 • 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Founders Field • Pittsburgh, Pa.
Notre Dame leads series 7-3-3
Gametracker on und.com
SETTING THE STAGE … Notre Dame will take to the road this week for two BIG EAST clashes during the University’s fall break. The Irish will open the trek against Georgetown on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 3:00 p.m. (ET). Notre Dame and Georgetown currently are tied for third in the league’s Blue Division. The Fighting Irish will then face Pittsburgh on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1:00 p.m. (ET).
TRACK THE GAMES … Both Irish matches this week will feature live stats via Gametracker … go to the men’s soccer schedule on und.com to access the link.
ABOUT THE IRISH … Notre Dame is 7-6-1 on the season and 5-3-0 in BIG EAST play … the Irish will look to snap their two-game losing skid when they face Georgetown on Wednesday … Notre Dame is coming off setbacks to Indiana (3-0) and West Virginia (1-0) … prior to the loss to the Hoosiers, the Fighting Irish had won a season-best three straight matches … Notre Dame currently is tied for third (with Georgetown) in the league’s Blue Division … the Irish already have clinched a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament … senior forward Bright Dike leads the Irish in goals (8) and points (18) … senior midfielder Michael Thomas has a team-best four assists … Notre Dame is averaging 1.57 goals per game, while surrendering 1.00 goals per contest … Philip Tuttle and Andrew Quinn have both started seven games in goal … Tuttle is 5-3-0 with three shutouts … the senior boasts a 0.73 goals-against average and a .739 save percentage … Quinn, a fifth-year senior, is 2-3-1 with one shutout … Quinn has a 1.28 goals-against average and a .739 save percentage … head coach Bobby Clark is in his ninth season with the Irish … he has a 113-51-23 (.666) record during his Notre Dame tenure.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS GEORGETOWN … Notre Dame and Georgetown will be meeting for the 20th time on Wednesday … the Fighting Irish own a 10-7-2 edge in the series … Notre Dame captured a 2-1 victory at home last season against Georgetown … the Irish are 2-4-1 all-time at Georgetown … in the last meeting at Georgetown, the two teams played to a scoreless draw during the 2007 campaign … the first meeting between the two schools occurred in 1982, a 0-0 tie in Rochester, N.Y. … both teams have met every season since 1995, Notre Dame’s first in the BIG EAST Conference … Notre Dame holds a 33-25 scoring edge in the series.
SCOUTING THE HOYAS … Georgetown is 8-5-1 overall and 5-3-0 in BIG EAST play … the Hoyas are coming off losses to Maryland (2-1) and Marquette (1-0) … Georgetown is averaging 1.14 goals per game, while surrendering 0.64 per contest … Seth C’deBaca and Jose Colchao both have team-high totals in goals (3) and assists (4) … Andy Riemer also has three goals … Mark Wilber and Matthew Brutto have split time in goal … Wilber carries a 0.46 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage … Wilber is 4-2-0 with five shutouts … Brutto has a 0.76 goals-against average in addition to a .864 save percentage … Brutto is 3-3-1 with three shutouts … Georgetown went 11-5-3 last season and finished third in the Blue Division with a 5-3-3 league mark … head coach Brian Wiese is in his fourth season at Georgetown.
IRISH-HOYAS CONNECTION … Georgetown head coach Brian Wiese spent five seasons (2001-05) at Notre Dame as an assistant for Bobby Clark before moving on to head the Hoya program … prior to that, Clark and Wiese were together for five years at Stanford.
THE LAST TIME … Notre Dame defeated Georgetown 2-1 last season at home … the Fighting Irish were ranked 19th at the time of the meeting, while the Hoyas were 24th … Jeb Brovsky scored two goals for the Fighting Irish … Brovsky put the Irish on the board in the 24th minute … Georgetown’s Peter Grasso netted the equalizer in the 53rd minute … Brovsky deposited the game winner in the 55th minute … Notre Dame goalkeeper Andrew Quinn suffered a season-ending injury midway through the second half and was replaced by Philip Tuttle … Quinn made four saves, while Tuttle had one … the Irish out shot the Hoyas 12-10.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS PITTSBURGH … Notre Dame and Pittsburgh will be squaring off for the 14th time on Saturday … the Fighting Irish own a 7-3-3 advantage in the series … Notre Dame topped Pittsburgh 4-1 last season at home … the Irish have won the last six meetings in the series … prior to that, the Panthers had won two straight … four of the matches in the series have gone to overtime, with three of the those ending in ties and the other was a Pittsburgh victory … Notre Dame is 3-1-2 all-time at Pittsburgh … the Irish claimed a 3-0 decision in the last encounter at Pittsburgh, which came during the 2007 campaign … the first meeting in the series occurred during the 1995 season and the Panthers came away with a 3-0 win at home … the scoring edge in the series belongs to the Irish, 25-13 … the four goals scored by the Irish last season marked the most by any team in the series.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS … Pittsburgh will bring a 1-11-1 overall record into its match against Cleveland State on Wednesday … the Panthers are 0-7-1 in the BIG EAST Blue Division … Pittsburgh is averaging 0.54 goals per game, while allowing 1.85 per game … Mike McDade has a team-high three goals … Matt Baker has a team-best two assists … Keegan Gunderson has started nine games in goal … he carries a 1.55 goals-against average and a .776 save percentage … Pittsburgh went 7-8-3 last season … the Panthers finished sixth in the Blue Division with a 3-6-2 league record … head coach Joe Luxbacher is in his 26th season with the Panthers.
THE LAST TIME … Notre Dame defeated Pittsburgh 4-1 last season at Alumni Field … after allowing an own goal in the seventh minute, the Fighting Irish responded with four straight tallies from four different players … Matt Besler evened the match in the 23rd minute … the contest was tied 1-1 at halftime … Dave Donohue scored in the 58th minute and Bright Dike made it 3-1 in the 80th minute … Brendan King put the finishing touches on the match as he scored in the 89th minute … Notre Dame out shot Pittsburgh 16-9 and held a 7-3 edge in corner kicks … Andrew Quinn picked up the win by making three saves.
SHOCKING SHUTOUTS … The back-to-back shutouts against the Irish last week (vs. Indiana and West Virginia) marked the first time Notre Dame has been held without a goal in consecutive matches in the same season since 2005 … that season, the Irish played Syracuse to a scoreless draw (Nov. 2, 2005) in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship … Notre Dame advanced on penalty kicks and then fell at St. John’s, 1-0 (Nov. 5).
A RARITY … The consecutive losses to Indiana and West Virginia signifies just the third time in the nine-year Bobby Clark era that Notre Dame has lost back-to-back regular-season games.
A GREAT EFFORT … In Notre Dame’s 1-0 loss to West Virginia on Oct. 17, the Fighting Irish out shot the Mountaineers 18-3, including 12-1 in the second half … West Virginia scored on its only shot of the second half … Notre Dame also held a 15-3 advantage in corner kicks … the Irish had 11 corner kicks in the first half, compared to one for the Mountaineers.
FIRST TIMERS … Sophomore Michael Rose and freshman Dillon Powers made their first career starts in the match against West Virginia on Saturday (Oct. 17) … Powers played all 90 minutes in the central midfield, while Rose played 74 minutes at right midfield.
A GOLDEN MOMENT … Bright Dike’s tally in the 110th minute versus Providence (Oct. 10) marked the first golden goal for the Irish since Alex Yoshinaga netted one in a 2-1 victory over top-ranked UCLA during the season-opening match of the 2007 season (Aug. 31, 2007).
LEAGUE LEADER … Senior forward Bright Dike, the BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, leads all BIG EAST players in goals (8) and total points (18) this season.
SECOND HALF SUCCESS … Notre Dame has out scored its opponents 18-9 in the second half and overtime periods this season.
NIGHT OWLS … Notre Dame is 5-1-1 this season when playing at night … the 3-0 setback to Indiana on Oct. 14 was Notre Dame’s first loss at night this season … last season, the Fighting Irish were 7-4-2 during night games.
NO. 700 … Notre Dame’s match at Marquette on Oct. 7 marked the 700th game in the history of the Fighting Irish varsity program … the Irish now are 428-209-66 (.656) since the varsity program began in 1977.
UP NEXT … Notre Dame will conclude its three-game road trip with a non-conference showdown at Michigan State on Wednesday, Oct. 28 … game time against the Spartans is slated for 3:00 p.m. (ET) … the Fighting Irish will then return home to wrap up the regular season against BIG EAST Blue Division rival Connecticut on Saturday, Oct. 31 … the Halloween tilt is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Alumni Stadium.
TAKING DOWN A TOP-10 … The 4-0 win over seventh-ranked Louisville on Sept. 25 marked Notre Dame’s first victory over a top-10 team since they defeated No. 5 USF, 5-0, last season (Sept. 7, 2008).
CRACKING THE CARDINALS … Prior to Notre Dame’s 4-0 triumph of Louisville on Sept. 25, the Cardinals had only surrendered one goal this season … senior goalkeeper Philip Tuttle and the Irish defense posted the shutout against Louisville, who entered the match averaging 2.5 goals per game … Tuttle made three saves to collect his second clean sheet of the season.
IRISH EXPLOSION … The four goals scored in the second half against Louisville on Sept. 25 were the most goals scored in a single period by the Irish since they netted four in the first half in a 5-0 win over USF last season (Sept. 7, 2008).
OFFENSE AT ALUMNI … Notre Dame has scored three or more goals three times this season at the brand new Alumni Stadium … those performances have occurred against Michigan (5-0), Seattle (3-0) and Louisville (4-0) … Notre Dame scored the first nine goals at the stadium before surrendering a score to New Mexico in the 38th minute during the game on Sept. 13 … the scoreless streak in the new venue reached 217:54.
MAUND AND POWERS AT U-20 WORLD CUP … Sophomore defender Aaron Maund and freshman midfielder Dillon Powers were members of the United States Under-20 National Team that recently competed at the U-20 World Cup in Egypt … the U.S. went 1-2 and finished in 17th place, one slot shy of advancing to the Round of 16 … Powers started the first contest of group competition, a 3-0 loss to Germany on Sept. 26, and played the entire first half … in a 4-1 win over Cameroon on Sept. 29, he came on in the 73rd minute and completed the game for the United States … Powers and Maund did not enter the final match of Group C play, a 3-0 loss to Korea Republic on Oct. 2 … Maund did not see match time during the tournament … Notre Dame and UCLA were the only two schools with multiple representatives on the team … the duo returned to the Irish for the match at Marquette on Oct. 7 … Notre Dame went 3-2 in their absence.
NOTRE DAME IN BIG EAST PLAY … Notre Dame owns an overall record of 88-53-18 (.610) in BIG EAST regular-season play since joining the conference in 1995 … the Irish have posted eight straight winning seasons within the conference, including last season’s 7-2-2 mark … 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 … Notre Dame’s high-water mark for BIG EAST victories in a season is eight, which has been reached twice (2004 & 2006).
BACK-TO-BACK TITLES … The Irish have won back-to-back BIG EAST regular-season titles for the first time in program history … Notre Dame shared the Blue Division crown with Connecticut in 2007 … the 2008 title marked the third regular-season BIG EAST championship in program history … the Fighting Irish also won the championship outright in 2004.
LOSE THE SHOES … At halftime of the Notre Dame-Cincinnati match on Sept. 27, the championship game of the `Lose the Shoes’ tournament was held at Alumni Stadium … the preliminary games of the tournament took place on the Notre Dame campus on Sept. 26 … the proceeds from the 3-on-3 barefoot soccer tournament benefitted 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 … since then, over 90 `Lose the Shoes’ tournaments have raised almost $150,000 … Notre Dame raised approximately $1,200.
DIKE DEPOSITS HAT TRICK … Senior forward Bright Dike had a stellar start to the 2009 season as he registered the first hat trick of his career in a 5-0 win over Michigan … the hat trick was the first for a Notre Dame player since Dave Donohue scored three times against Marquette last season.
OFFENSIVE OPENER … Notre Dame’s five-goal outburst against Michigan in the season opener was the first for the Fighting Irish since a 5-0 triumph of USF on Sept. 7, 2008 … the five tallies are the most in a season opener for Notre Dame since a 5-0 victory over Villanova in 2001, which was head coach Bobby Clark’s first game with the Irish.
SHOOTING DOWN THE COMPETITION … Notre Dame has out shot 12 of its 14 opponents so far this season … the Irish hold a 202-137 advantage in shots, including 93-56 in shots on goal, over their opponents.
ALUMNI STADIUM … The 2009 season signifies a new era for Fighting Irish soccer as Notre Dame begins play in Alumni Stadium … the Irish opened the facility with a 5-0 victory over Michigan on Sept. 1 … the $5.7 million venue resides just east of the Joyce Center on the Notre Dame campus and features a natural grass field, lights, locker rooms, restrooms, concession areas and permanent seating for over 2,000 spectators … the lead benefactors for the facility are former Irish soccer players Tom Crotty and Rob Snyder.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOK … Jeb Brovsky’s goal in the 26th minute of the season-opening 5-0 win over Michigan was the first goal scored in Alumni Stadium … Michael Thomas collected the assist on the play.
TOUGH SLATE … The Fighting Irish opened the 2009 season against three ranked teams (#21 Michigan, #3 Wake Forest, #1 St. John’s) … that marked the first time since 2003 that Notre Dame opened a campaign against three ranked opponents … the back-to-back games against Wake Forest and St. John’s was the first time ever the Fighting Irish had faced back-to-back top-three teams … it was the first time Notre Dame had consecutive matches against top-10 foes since 2007 (#7 Santa Clara and #2 Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament) … a match against No. 5 USF on Sept. 20 was the third time this season that the Irish have met a top-five squad … Notre Dame has faced six ranked opponents so far this season … the Irish are 2-3-1 in those matches.
LEAGUE HONORS FOR DIKE AND THOMAS … Senior forward Bright Dike was named the 2009 BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year … he was joined on the league’s all-preseason squad by Irish senior midfielder Michael Thomas.
IRISH PICKED TO WIN BLUE DIVISION … Notre Dame was selected to win the 2009 BIG EAST Blue Division title according to a vote by the league’s head coaches … the Fighting Irish received 12 first-place votes among the Blue Division squads, while Connecticut garnered three and Georgetown had one vote … the league’s 16 head coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams … St. John’s was picked to win the Red Division.
POWERS EARNS NATIONAL HONORS … Freshman midfielder Dillon Powers was named the 2008-09 Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year … in addition, he was selected as the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Co-Player of the Year in July.
RETURNING FIREPOWER … Notre Dame returned 38 of 41 goals scored from last season … leading the way was senior forward Bright Dike, who led all BIG EAST players in goals (12) and points (29) one year ago … Michael Thomas was the top scoring midfielder in the league with 21 points on eight goals and five assists … junior forward Jeb Brovsky is back after totaling five goals and six assists as a sophomore … seniors Dave Donohue (5g, 5a) and Justin Morrow (2g, 4a) registered 15 and eight points, respectively, one season ago … sophomore Brendan King and senior Tamba Samba chipped in two goals apiece for the Irish … King also added three assists.
COLLEGE SOCCER NEWS WATCH LISTS … Two Notre Dame freshmen were named to the College Soccer News `100 Freshmen To Keep An Eye On’ list for the 2009 season … midfielder/defender Danny O’Leary and midfielder Dillon Powers were selected to the list and are part of a very talented six-man freshman class for the Irish.
FRESHMAN CLASS NATIONALLY RANKED … Notre Dame’s freshman class was ranked ninth according to College Soccer News … Bob Novak (M), Danny O’Leary (M/D), Dillon Powers (M), Kyle Richard (M/F), Grant Van De Casteele (D) and Eric Tilley (M/D) make up the stellar class.
IRISH NAME CAPTAINS … Senior midfielders Dave Donohue, Justin Morrow and Michael Thomas along with fifth-year senior midfielder/defender Cory Rellas were named team captains for the 2009 campaign … this is the second straight season in which Thomas has been an Irish captain, while the other three are first-time captains.
SEASON IN REVIEW … Last season, Notre Dame posted a 12-7-2 mark, including a 7-2-2 record in conference play, en route to capturing its second straight BIG EAST Blue Division title … the Fighting Irish garnered the 12th seed for the NCAA Championship … the Irish fell to Northwestern, 2-1, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Alumni Field … the Fighting Irish concluded the season ranked 16th in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll … Notre Dame averaged 1.95 goals per game last season, while allowing 1.10 per contest … Bright Dike led the BIG EAST in goals (12) and total points (29) … the forward copped first team all-league and all-region honors in 2008 … central defender Matt Besler was named a first-team All-American and first team Academic All-American in addition to being tabbed as the NSCAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year … Besler became the highest MLS SuperDraft pick in program history as he was selected eighth overall by the Kansas City Wizards … the New York Red Bulls drafted his backline mate, Jack Traynor, with the 29th overall selection.
TICKETS ON SALE … To purchase a 2009 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 on the second level of the Joyce Center … tickets can also be purchased at Alumni Stadium on gamedays.
SIGN UP FOR IRISH ALERT … Go to und.com and sign up for Irish ALERT, a text messaging service designed to give fans up-to-the-minute game updates for all 26 varsity sports at Notre Dame … men’s soccer fans can sign up to receive scores after each half of every game.