March 9, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s soccer team will play host to the Mexico Under-17 national team on March 17 at Alumni Stadium. The exhibition match is slated to begin at 5:00 p.m. (ET).
This will be the sixth time in the last seven years that the Fighting Irish will face a Mexican National Team. The Irish have yet to lose a match to Mexico. Last season, Notre Dame topped the Mexico U-20 squad, 2-1, in front of 2,737 fans at Alumni Stadium.
The first meeting occurred in 2005 and the Irish won that match against the Mexico Under-17 squad, 1-0. Notre Dame produced a 5-0 triumph over the U-17s in 2006. Notre Dame met the U-20s for the first time in 2007 and claimed a 1-0 victory. In 2008, the Irish and the Mexico U-20s played to a scoreless draw.
“This is the sixth time the Mexico team has been up here and every game has been fantastic,” says Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark. “It’s a real challenge for our guys to play against a highly-skilled and technical team. It provides us with a really good test. It’s a great game and a great spectacle for all soccer fans in this area. We usually get a great turnout. The Hispanic population in the area has really come out to support the event very well in past years. Hopefully we’ll get another big crowd for this game.”
Tickets for the match are on sale for $5 (adults) and $3 (youths 18 and under), with unique Notre Dame vuvuzelas to be given out to the first 1,000 fans in attendance. Tickets can be purchased at the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office (Gate 9 of Purcell Pavilion) during normal business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET weekdays), by calling the ticket office at (574) 631-7356, or by going on-line at www.und.com/tickets. Tickets also will be sold at the Alumni Stadium ticket windows on match night (until capacity is reached), although it is recommended that fans purchase tickets in advance to prevent long lines at the ticket windows prior to kickoff.
Last season, Notre Dame posted a 10-6-4 overall record and finished second in the BIG EAST Blue Division with a 6-2-1 league mark. The Fighting Irish were semifinalists at the BIG EAST Championship and garnered the No. 9 seed in the NCAA Championship. Notre Dame fell to Dartmouth, 2-1 in overtime, during the second round of the NCAA tournament.
— ND —