Sept. 3, 2009
#3 Wake Forest (1-0-0) vs. #10 Notre Dame (1-0-0)
Friday, Sept. 4 • 5:00 p.m. (ET)
adidas/IU Credit Union Classic
Bill Armstrong Stadium • Bloomington, Ind.
Wake Forest leads series 4-0-0
Gametracker on und.com
#1 St. John’s (0-0-0) vs. #10 Notre Dame (1-0-0)
Sunday, Sept. 6 • 11:30 a.m. (ET)
adidas/IU Credit Union Classic
Bill Armstrong Stadium • Bloomington, Ind.
St. John’s leads series 10-3-4
Gametracker on und.com
SETTING THE STAGE … The 10th-ranked Fighting Irish will face a pair of top-five teams this weekend at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington, Ind. Notre Dame will meet No. 3 Wake Forest on Friday (Sept. 4) at 5:00 p.m. (ET). On Sunday, Notre Dame will square off against top-ranked St. John’s at 11:30 a.m. That match is not an official BIG EAST contest. Both Wake Forest and St. John’s were semifinalists in last season’s NCAA Tournament.
FOLLOW THE GAMES … Live stats for both matches will be available through Gametracker on und.com … go to the Notre Dame men’s soccer page and click on `Schedule’ and select the game to follow … also sign up for `Irish Alert’ on und.com to receive text message score updates.
ABOUT THE IRISH … Notre Dame opened the season and its state-of-the-art Alumni Stadium with a 5-0 triumph over No. 21 Michigan on Tuesday, Sept. 1 … senior forward Bright Dike notched the first hat trick of his career in the victory … juniors Jeb Brovsky and Steven Perry also netted goals for the Irish … senior Andrew Quinn played 83:22 in goal and made three saves to pick up the win … Notre Dame is seeking its third straight BIG EAST Blue Division crown … last season, Notre Dame posted a 12-7-2 mark, including a 7-2-2 record in conference play, en route to garnering 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 … Notre Dame returned eight starters and 14 letterwinners from the 2008 squad … the Irish brought back 38 of 41 goals from last season, including Dike who led the BIG EAST in goals (12) and total points (29) … the forward copped first team all-league and all-region honors in 2008 … Notre Dame averaged 1.95 goals per game last season, while allowing 1.10 per contest … head coach Bobby Clark is in his ninth season with the Irish … he has a 107-45-22 (.678) record during his Notre Dame tenure.
A MARQUEE EVENT … The adidas/IU Credit Union Classic annually showcases some of the nation’s top teams … this year, St. John’s (3), Indiana (4), Wake Forest (5) and Notre Dame (10) are all ranked among the top 10 in the Soccer America preseason poll … this is the 27th year that Indiana has hosted the classic … the eventual NCAA champion has played in the event nine times, with the Hoosiers capturing six of those titles.
IRISH HISTORY AT THE ADIDAS/IU CREDIT UNION CLASSIC … This weekend will mark the 10th trip (1989, 1992-93, 2003-09) to the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic for the Fighting Irish … Notre Dame owns an 8-8-2 overall mark in the tournament … the Irish are 7-3-2 over their past six visits to the classic … the Irish fell to Akron, 3-0, in the first game of last year’s event … Notre Dame topped Duke, 4-1, on day two.
IRISH AGAINST THE DEMON DEACONS … This will be the fifth meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Wake Forest … the Demon Deacons have won all four previous encounters with the Irish … every match has been decided by one goal and the past two contests have gone to overtime … the last meeting occurred in the quarterfinals of the 2007 NCAA Tournament as Wake Forest grabbed a 1-0 victory in overtime in Winston-Salem, N.C. … this marks the second meeting at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic … in 2005, the Demon Deacons topped the Irish, 1-0, in overtime in Bloomington, Ind. … in 1994, the Demon Deacons captured a 1-0 decision in Davidson, N.C. … the first showdown was in 1982 and Wake Forest registered a 2-1 home victory.
THE LAST TIME … Notre Dame squared off against Wake Forest in the quarterfinals of the 2007 NCAA Tournament and the Demon Deacons came away with a 1-0 overtime decision en route to capturing that season’s NCAA title … Austin da Luz netted the `golden goal’ off an assist from Marcus Tracy in the 97th minute.
SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS … Wake Forest opened the season with a 1-0 victory over William & Mary on Tuesday (Sept. 1) … Zack Schilawski scored the game winner in the 73rd minute … goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald made three saves to earn the win … the Demon Deacons returned four starters and 19 letterwinners from last season’s squad that posted a 21-2-1 mark and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament before falling to North Carolina, 1-0 … head coach Jay Vidovich is in his 16th season at the helm of the Demon Deacon program.
IRISH AGAINST THE RED STORM … Sunday will mark the 18th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and St. John’s … the Red Storm hold a 10-3-4 advantage in the series … the Irish are 2-2-2 in their last six meetings against St. John’s … last season, Notre Dame and St. John’s played to a scoreless draw at Alumni Field … the first meeting in the series, a 6-0 St. John’s victory, occurred in 1995 in Jamaica, N.Y. … the Red Storm went 5-0-2 in the first seven meetings of the series before the Irish claimed a 1-0 decision in 2000.
THE LAST TIME … Notre Dame and St. John’s played to a scoreless draw during the 2008 campaign … the meeting was a match up of top-five teams as the Irish entered the contest ranked No. 3, while the Red Storm was No. 5 … Notre Dame out shot St. John’s 22-10 in addition to earning seven more corner kicks (9-2).
SCOUTING THE RED STORM … St. John’s will open its 2009 campaign against Indiana on Friday (Sept. 4) at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic … the Red Storm brought back nine starters and 17 letterwinners from last season’s team that advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament before dropping a 1-0 decision to eventual national champion Maryland … St. John’s produced a 19-3-3 record in 2008 … the Red Storm went 8-1-2 in BIG EAST play en route to capturing the league’s Red Division … the conference’s head coaches tabbed St. John’s to repeat as Red Division champions this season … head coach Dr. David Masur is entering his 19th season at St. John’s
IRISH THOUGHTS … Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark shares his thoughts on the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic …
“This is a huge weekend. This is arguably one of our biggest weekends of the year. Having to play top-five teams back-to-back is a challenge. But I think it’s a challenge that we’re looking forward to. I think it’s a challenge that’ll tell us exactly where we are. We got off to a good start on Tuesday (against Michigan) and now we’ll have to see if we can follow that up with a couple good results. I think the most important thing is to see where we are and how the team is playing. Getting the team to play well on the road is another challenge. I think the team is really looking forward to it.”
ALUMNI STADIUM … The 2009 season will mark a new era for Fighting Irish soccer as Notre Dame will begin 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 host the eighth annual Hilton Garden Inn Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament at Alumni Stadium on Sept. 11 and 13 … Indiana and New Mexico will get things underway on Friday, Sept. 11 at 5:00 p.m. (ET) … Notre Dame will face Seattle at 7:30 p.m. … Indiana and Seattle will meet at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13, while the Irish will face New Mexico at 2:00 p.m. in the tournament’s final match.
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.
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.
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.
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.
TOUGH SLATE … 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 are 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 AND SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ARE ON SALE … 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 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.