Sept. 10, 2009
SEATTLE (0-2-1) vs. #10 NOTRE DAME (1-1-1)
Friday, Sept. 11 • 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Hilton Garden Inn Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament
Alumni Stadium • Notre Dame, Ind.
First Meeting
Gametracker and Live Audio on und.com
NEW MEXICO (1-1-0) vs. #10 NOTRE DAME (1-1-1)
Sunday, Sept. 13 • 2:00 p.m. (ET)
Hilton Garden Inn Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament
Alumni Stadium • Notre Dame, Ind.
First Meeting
Gametracker and Live Audio on und.com
SETTING THE STAGE … The Notre Dame men’s soccer team will play host to the eighth annual Hilton Garden Inn Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament this weekend. The 10th-ranked Irish will face Seattle on Friday (Sept. 11) at 7:30 p.m. (ET). That match follows the Indiana-New Mexico tilt, which kicks off at 5:00 p.m. Notre Dame and New Mexico will square off on Sunday (Sept. 13) at 2:00 p.m. Indiana faces Seattle on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. The Fighting Irish are the defending tournament champion as they captured their third Berticelli title last season.
FOLLOW THE GAMES … Live stats for every match of the 2009 Hilton Garden Inn Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament will be available through Gametracker on und.com … go to the Notre Dame men’s soccer page and click on the `Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament’ link, which is on the right side of the page, and select the game to follow … live audio will be available on und.com for the Notre Dame matches only … fans can also sign up for `Irish Alert’ on und.com to receive text message score updates.
ABOUT THE IRISH … Notre Dame will carry a 1-1-1 mark into the Seattle match on Friday … the Irish went 0-1-1 at last weekend’s adidas/IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington, Ind. … Notre Dame tied No. 3 Wake Forest, 1-1, on Sept. 4 … senior midfielder Michael Thomas knotted the contest on a penalty kick in the 77th minute … the Fighting Irish fell to top-ranked St. John’s, 2-0, during the second day of the event … the Red Storm grabbed the lead in the 68th minute before notching an empty-net goal with four seconds remaining in the contest … Thomas and junior forward Jeb Brovsky were named to the all-tournament team … senior forward Bright Dike leads the Irish in goals (3) and total points (6) … Dike notched the first hat trick of his career in a 5-0 season-opening win over Michigan on Sept. 1 … fifth-year senior Andrew Quinn has a 1-0-1 record with a 0.47 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage in 193:22 … Notre Dame is seeking its third straight BIG EAST Blue Division crown … head coach Bobby Clark is in his ninth season with the Irish … he has a 107-46-23 (.673) record during his Notre Dame tenure.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY … This will mark the eighth year in which the Fighting Irish have hosted a tournament in honor of the former Notre Dame men’s soccer head coach Mike Berticelli … Berticelli coached the Fighting Irish from 1990-99 before passing away suddenly in January of 2000 … he posted a record of 104-80-19 during his 10-year stint at Notre Dame.
IRISH HISTORY IN THE ‘BERT’ … Notre Dame is 9-1-4 all time in the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament … the Irish have won the tournament on three occasions (2003, 2005, 2008) … Notre Dame claimed last year’s title by downing Dartmouth, 2-1, and then besting No. 5 South Florida, 5-0 … the inaugural tournament featured the Irish tying Cornell, 1-1, and then knocking off No. 7 Furman, 2-1, in double-overtime … in 2003, Notre Dame downed Fresno State, 2-1, in overtime and then played Akron to a scoreless tie to take home the tournament title … in 2004, the Fighting Irish defeated in-state foe Evansville, 2-1, before a scoreless tie versus Cal State Fullerton … the 2005 tournament saw Notre Dame defeat Boston University, 1-0, and then down Saint Louis, 1-0, in double-overtime to capture the title … during the 2006 tournament, the Irish fell to UAB in overtime, 1-0, and then knocked off No. 8 Creighton, 4-1 … in 2007, the Irish downed Rhode Island, 3-0, before playing Northern Illinois to a scoreless draw to finish second … here is a glance at the previous tournaments …
Year Order of Finish
2008 Notre Dame, Dartmouth, Indiana, South Florida
2007 Indiana, Notre Dame, Northern Illinois, Rhode Island
2006 Indiana, UAB, Notre Dame, Creighton
2005 Notre Dame, Indiana, Saint Louis, Boston University
2004 Indiana, Notre Dame, Cal State Fullerton, Evansville
2003 Notre Dame, Akron, Fresno State, Indiana
2002 Bradley, Notre Dame, Furman, Cornell
FIRST TIME … This weekend will mark Notre Dame’s first regular-season meetings with Seattle and New Mexico.
FAMILIAR FOE … Despite it being the first regular-season meeting between the two schools, Notre Dame and New Mexico have met in exhibition play three times in the past five seasons (2005, 2007, 2008) … in 2005, the Irish and Lobos played to a 1-1 draw at Notre Dame … the 2007 match took place in Ft. Wayne, Ind. and the Irish came away with a 3-0 result … last season, the two squads met in Albuquerque and Notre Dame posted a 2-1 win in double-overtime … Jeb Brovsky netted the `golden goal’ in the 105th minute.
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS … Seattle carries a 0-2-1 record into this weekend’s play … the Redhawks are coming off a 4-0 setback against SMU on Sept. 6 … Seattle opened the season with a 1-0 loss to Washington before playing Tulsa to a 1-1 draw … Sean Morris has the lone goal for the Redhawks … Emerson De Oliveira has played all 290 minutes in goal and has a 1.86 goals-against average and a .714 save percentage … Seattle posted an 11-3-1 record last season … the Redhawks brought back six starters and 11 letterwinners from that squad … head coach Brad Agoos is in his fourth season at Seattle … he has a 38-16-4 (.776) record at the school.
SCOUTING THE LOBOS … New Mexico will bring a 1-1-0 record into its match against Indiana on Friday … the Lobos opened the campaign on Sept. 1 with a 3-0 win at No. 21 Saint Louis before dropping a 1-0 decision against No. 22 San Francisco on Sept. 5 … Justin Davis, P.J. Wilson and Simon Ejdemyr all have one goal for the Lobos … Justin Fite has played all 180 minutes in goal and possesses a 0.50 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage … New Mexico notched an 11-6-2 record last season, including a 7-3-0 mark in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation … the Lobos returned 12 starters and 14 letterwinners from that squad … head coach Jeremy Fishbein is in his eighth season at New Mexico … he has posted a 99-32-15 (.729) record with the Lobos.
IRISH THOUGHTS … Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark shares his thoughts on the Hilton Garden Inn Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament …
“This is another challenging weekend with two good teams coming in. I respect both coaches and their teams will be well prepared. It’ll be a challenge, but we are looking forward to it. We hope to have a good performance and take something out of the weekend.”
QUINN GARNERS BIG EAST HONORS … Senior goalkeeper Andrew Quinn was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll following a solid first week of the 2009 season … Quinn held Michigan scoreless by making three saves in 83:22 in the 5-0 season opening win … the fifth-year senior surrendered just one goal and made five saves in 110 minutes of play in a 1-1 draw with Wake Forest … Quinn is 1-0-1 with a 0.47 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage.
BROVSKY AND THOMAS NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM … Senior midfielder Michael Thomas and junior forward Jeb Brovsky were named to the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic All-Tournament Team … Thomas scored Notre Dame’s lone goal in the tournament as he evened the Wake Forest contest on a penalty kick in the 77th en route to the 1-1 tie … Brovsky was a sparkplug in the Irish attack during both contests … he registered three shots against Wake Forest and two versus St. John’s.
TOUGH STRETCH … 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 signified 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).
SHOOTING DOWN THE COMPETITION … Notre Dame has out shot all three of its opponents so far this season … the Irish hold a 52-40 edge in shots over their opponents.
ALUMNI STADIUM … The 2009 season will mark 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.
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 … it marked the second multiple-goal game in Dike’s career … he scored twice in a 4-1 victory against Duke last season … the hat trick was the first for a Notre Dame player since Dave Donohue scored three times against Marquette last season (Sept. 11, 2008).
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION … 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 South Florida 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 … that was head coach Bobby Clark’s first game with the Irish.
FOR STARTERS … Notre Dame is now 21-9-3 all-time in season openers, including 6-2-1 in the Bobby Clark era … the Irish topped Michigan, 5-0, in this season’s opener on Sept. 1 … that was the sixth time that the Irish have scored at least five goals in a season opener … it also marked the 12th time Notre Dame has shut out its opponent in a season lidlifter.
UP NEXT … Notre Dame will open BIG EAST Conference play with a two-game road trip to DePaul and South Florida … the Irish will face the Blue Demons on Friday, Sept. 18 (4:00 p.m. CT) before heading south to play the Bulls on Sunday, Sept. 20 (1:00 p.m. ET).
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.
MAUND AND POWERS SELECTED TO U.S. U-20 WORLD CUP SQUAD … Sophomore defender Aaron Maund and freshman midfielder Dillon Powers have been selected to the 21-man U.S. roster for the upcoming Under-20 World Cup in Egypt … the duo will leave the Fighting Irish following the game versus New Mexico on Sept. 13 and are scheduled to rejoin the team for their match against Georgetown on Oct. 21 … the U.S. is joined by Germany, Cameroon and Korea Republic in Group C for the tournament … the U.S. will have group matches on Sept. 26 (Germany), Sept. 29 (Cameroon) and Oct. 2 (Korea Republic) … if the U.S. advances out of group play, the Round of 16 will take place Oct. 5-7 … quarterfinals are set for Oct. 9-10, with the semifinals to follow on Oct. 13 … the championship match and third-place game are scheduled for Oct. 16.
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.
THOMAS A LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE … Midfielder Michael Thomas has been named one of 30 candidates for the 2009 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for men’s soccer … a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the 2009 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award at the end of September … those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote beginning October 5 and concluding November 13 … fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award … the winner will be announced during the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s College Cup in Cary, North Carolina, scheduled for December 11-13.
RETURNING FIREPOWER … Notre Dame returns 38 of 41 goals scored from last season … leading the way is 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.
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.
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.
PLAYING THE BEST … The Irish will face another challenging schedule this season … Notre Dame has eight teams ranked in the NSCAA preseason top-25 poll on its 2009 slate … the Irish were ranked in a tie for 12th in the poll … Wake Forest (3), St. John’s (5), Indiana (7), South Florida (11) and Connecticut (T-12th) join Notre Dame in the top dozen of the rankings … Michigan State (20), Michigan (22) and Louisville (25) are other Irish foes that appear in the poll.
IRISH NAME CAPTAINS … Senior midfielders Dave Donohue, Justin Morrow and Michael Thomas along with fifth-year senior midfielder/defender Cory Rellas have been 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-ever 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.
SEASON AND SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ARE 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.
PARKING … Fans coming to enjoy Fighting Irish soccer at the brand new Alumni Stadium are encouraged to park at the Joyce Center’s C1 lot.
SIGN UP FOR IRISH ALERT TEXT MESSAGE SERVICE … 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.