Sept. 15, 2011
MICHIGAN (2-4-1)
vs.
#16 NOTRE DAME (2-1-2)
Friday, Sept. 16 – 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Alumni Stadium – Notre Dame, Ind.
Notre Dame Leads Series 7-1-2
LIVE VIDEO BROADCAST:
– UND.com (Free)
LIVE STATS:
– Gametracker on UND.com
UPDATES:
– Twitter.com/und_com
– Irish Alert! text messaging (sign up on UND.com)
IN-GAME BLOG:
– UND.com/blog
#16 NOTRE DAME (2-1-2)
vs.
MICHIGAN STATE (1-4-0)
Sunday, Sept. 18 – 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Old College Field – East Lansing, Mich.
Notre Dame Leads Series 10-5-5
LIVE STATS:
– Gametracker on UND.com
UPDATES:
– Twitter.com/und_com
– Irish Alert! text messaging (sign up on UND.com)
SETTING THE STAGE
– Notre Dame will be part of a BIG EAST/Big Ten challenge this weekend. The Fighting Irish will play host to Michigan at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on Friday at Alumni Stadium before traveling up to East Lansing, Mich. to face Michigan State at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on Sunday at Old College Field. – Marquette is the other BIG EAST school taking part in the challenge. The Golden Eagles will play host to Michigan State on Friday before playing at Michigan on Sunday. – A free live video broadcast of Friday’s Notre Dame-Michigan match will be available on UND.com, which will also feature an in-game blog. Live stats via Gametracker for both Irish matches this weekend will be available on UND.com. Fans can also sign up for `Irish Alert’ on UND.com to receive text message score updates. Updates and results can also be found on Twitter at UND_com. – Friday will be a double-header night at Alumni Stadium as the Fighting Irish women’s soccer team will face Louisville at 5:00 p.m. (ET) before the men square off with the Wolverines. Fans only need one ticket to attend both matches. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth (21 and under)/senior (55 and older).
IRISH ITEMS
– Notre Dame played host to the 10th annual Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament last weekend. The Fighting Irish finished second by posting a 1-0-1 record. Indiana won the event with a 2-0 mark, while Denver (0-1-1) was third and Bucknell (0-2-0) was fourth. Notre Dame opened tournament play on Friday with a 2-2 draw with Denver before topping Bucknell 2-1 on Sunday. – Junior forward Ryan Finley leads the Irish in goals (3) and points (6) this season. Sophomore forward Harrison Shipp has a team-high two assists. – Senior Will Walsh has played every minute in goal so far this season. He has one shutout and boasts a 1.07 goals-against average to go along with a .769 save percentage. He has five clean sheets in 12 career starts.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST MICHIGAN
– Friday will be the 11th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Michigan. The Fighting Irish hold a 7-1-2 advantage in the series. The two teams played to a scoreless draw last season in Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Fighting Irish claimed a 5-0 victory over the Wolverines in the last meeting at Notre Dame, which was the season opener of the 2009 season. That was the first match ever played at Alumni Stadium. The Wolverines are 0-6-1 all-time at Notre Dame. – The first meeting in the series took place in 1977, a 4-2 home win for Notre Dame. Michigan’s lone win was a 3-1 decision in 2008. That match was played in Ypsilanti, Mich. – Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark is 4-1-2 all-time against Michigan.
A LOOK AT THE WOLVERINES
– Michigan has a 2-4-1 record this season. The Wolverines are 2-0-1 in their last three matches, which includes a 4-1 win at Detroit on Wednesday. Michigan opened the 2011 campaign with four straight losses (Bowling Green 2-0, Kentucky 2-1, Butler 2-1, Northern Illinois 1-0) before topping Marshall (1-0) and playing Georgetown to a 2-2 draw. – The Wolverine offense is averaging 1.29 goals per game, while the defense is surrendering 1.43 goals per contest. Sophomore Fabio Pereira and junior Etienne Lussiez both have a team-best three goals, while Pereira has a team-high two assists. Sophomore Adam Grinwis has all seven decisions in goal. He carries a 1.40 goals-against average and a .565 save percentage with one shutout. – Last season, Michigan posted a 17-5-3 record, including a 4-2 mark in Big Ten Conference play. The Wolverines fell to Akron, 2-1, in the semifinals of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. – Head coach Steve Burns is in his 12th season at Michigan.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST MICHIGAN STATE
– Notre Dame and Michigan State will be squaring off for the 21st time. The Irish hold a 10-5-5 edge in the series. The Spartans have won the last two showdowns, including a 2-0 win at Notre Dame last season. The last Irish win in the series was a 3-0 triumph at home during the 2008 campaign. – The Fighting Irish are 2-4-4 all-time at Michigan State. The Irish won in East Lansing in 1988 (5-0) and 2003 (1-0). The last encounter at Michigan State took place in 2009 and the hosts were victorious, 2-1. – Irish head coach Bobby Clark is 4-3-1 all-time against Michigan State.
A LOOK AT THE SPARTANS
– Michigan State will bring a 1-4-0 record into Friday’s showdown at Marquette. The Spartans are coming off a 1-0 home loss to Marshall. – Notre Dame will be Michigan State’s fourth BIG EAST opponent this season. The Spartans fell to Connecticut (2-1) and Georgetown (2-1, 2ot). Their other setback came against Detroit (1-0, ot), while the lone win was against New Hampshire (3-0). – The Spartans are averaging 1.00 goals per game, while surrendering 1.20 per match. Senior forward Rubin Bega has a team-high two goals, while senior midfielder Cyrus Saydee has a team-best two assists. Senior Jeremy Clark has played every minute in goal. He carries a 1.14 goals-against average and a .714 save percentage with one shutout. – Michigan State went 13-7-2 last season and posted a 2-4-0 record in Big Ten play. The Spartans were eliminated by North Carolina in penalty kicks (5-4) following a 1-1 draw in the third round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. – Head coach Damon Rensing is in his third season at the helm of the Spartan program.
NOTRE DAME VS. THE BIG TEN
– Notre Dame has four Big Ten Conference teams on its 2011 schedule. The Irish opened the season with a 0-0 tie with Indiana and they will face both Michigan and Michigan State this weekend. Notre Dame will play host to Northwestern on Oct. 5. – The Fighting Irish went 1-1-2 last season against Big Ten competition. Notre Dame defeated Indiana (2-1) and tied both Michigan (0-0) and Northwestern (1-1). The Irish suffered a 2-0 setback to Michigan State.
QUOTING CLARK
– Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark shares his thoughts on this weekend’s games … “This is always a big weekend for us with it being the BIG EAST-Big Ten challenge. It gives us a chance to play a couple good rivals. Michigan had a terrific season last year by making it to the final four. They have quite a lot of guys back from that squad so they have good experience so that will be a good test for us as will Michigan State. We did not have good luck with this weekend last year. We tied Michigan up there and then lost to Michigan State at home. So hopefully this weekend we can start building a good foundation for this season.”
CLARK MOVES TO TOP OF PROGRAM WINS LIST
– Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Bucknell gave Irish head coach Bobby Clark the most wins in program history. Clark, who is in his 11th season on the Notre Dame sidelines, has a 129-60-32 record with the Irish. He moved past Rich Hunter, who was Notre Dame’s first varsity head coach from 1977-83.
FIRST TIME FRENZY
– Three Fighting Irish players scored their first career goal last weekend. On Friday versus Denver, junior forward Danny O’Leary and senior midfielder Chris Sutton both tallied their first career goal, while junior midfielder Bob Novak did the same on Sunday against Bucknell as he scored 26 seconds into the match.
ALL-TOURNAMENT ACCOLADES
– Senior goalkeeper Will Walsh tied a career-high mark with seven saves in the win over Bucknell. Walsh was named the tournament’s Goalkeeping MVP. Notre Dame’s Aaron Maund (Sr./D) and Dillon Powers (Jr./M) joined Walsh on the all-tournament team.
HOT STARTS
– The Fighting Irish have outscored their opponents 5-0 in the first half of play this season. The Irish have scored first in every match this season, except for the season opener, which was a 0-0 tie with Indiana.
GUARDING THE GOAL
– Notre Dame boasts a 1.00 goals-against average over the past two seasons, a span of 25 matches. The Fighting Irish allowed just 19 goals all of last season and they have given up just six so far this season. – The Irish have not surrendered more than two goals in a single match since a 3-1 loss at Northwestern in the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
SHOOTING DOWN THE COMPETITION
– The Irish have out shot their opponents 102-68 this season.
CORNERING THE MARKET
– Notre Dame has produced 38 corner kicks compared to 25 for its competition this season. That includes a 20-7 advantage in the first half.
QUITE A CROWD
– A sellout crowd of over 3,000 fans attended Notre Dame’s season opener against Indiana on Aug. 27. That is a record attendance for a men’s contest at Alumni Stadium, which opened in 2009. It was Notre Dame’s largest crowd for a regular-season match since Sept. 22, 1995 when 3,339 fans came to see the Irish and Hoosiers at old Alumni Field.
UP NEXT
– Notre Dame will open BIG EAST Conference play next Saturday when Louisville visits Alumni Stadium. Kickoff between the Irish and Cardinals is slated for 7:00 p.m. (ET). The match will be aired live on Fox Soccer Channel.
TRIO OF IRISH PLAYERS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
– Ryan Finley (Jr./F), Aaron Maund (Sr./D) and Dillon Powers (Jr./M) all have received preseason All-America honors. Finley and Maund copped the accolades from College Soccer News, while Maund and Powers were tabbed by Soccer America.
BIG EAST ELITE
– Notre Dame senior defender Aaron Maund along with junior midfielder Dillon Powers were named to the 2011 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team for men’s soccer in a vote by the league’s head coaches. The Irish duo was among 12 players named to the squad.
IRISH PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN DIVISION
– Notre Dame was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Blue Division, while Connecticut was tabbed to win the division. The Huskies received 10 first-place votes among the eight Blue Division squads, while the Irish garnered two. Louisville was picked to win the Red Division. The league’s 16 head coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS
– Since Bobby Clark took over the reins of the Notre Dame program in 2001, the Irish have won at least 10 matches during all 10 seasons of the Clark era. The Fighting Irish have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the past 10 seasons. That streak ranks in a tie for fifth nationally. – Notre Dame is the only team in the BIG EAST to finish in the top two of either division standings in each of the past four seasons. The Fighting Irish also are the only BIG EAST squad to qualify for the semifinals in each of the past four league tournaments.
KLAZURA A LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
– Greg Klazura is one of 30 candidates up for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in the men’s soccer division. – To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. – Klazura graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in pre-professional studies (pre-med). He finished his undergraduate career with a 3.583 cumulative grade-point average. He currently is taking courses that emphasize service and or medicine to boost his resume for medical school. Klazura was named to the 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Scholar All-Region first team. He also is a two-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star (2009 & 2010).
CAPTAINS
– Greg Klazura (Sr./D), Aaron Maund (Sr./D) and Dillon Powers (Jr./M) will serve as first-time team captains for the Fighting Irish during the 2011 campaign.
ROOKIE RANKINGS
– Notre Dame’s 2011 freshman class was selected as the 14th best rookie class in the nation according to College Soccer News. The five-man class features four high school All-Americans. Comprising the class are: midfielder/defender Nick Besler (Overland Park, Kan.), forward Vince Cicciarelli (Peoria, Ill.), midfielder Robby Gallegos (Aptos, Calif.), midfielder/forward Max Lachowecki (Evansville, Ind.) and midfielder Brendan Lesch (Westport, Conn.).
A GREAT NIGHT FOR GRASSROOT
– Notre Dame held its annual exhibition game to benefit Grassroot Soccer on Aug. 22. A total of 2,444 fans packed into Alumni Stadium to watch the Irish play Creighton to a 2-2 draw. All of the proceeds from the match went to Grassroot Soccer, an international AIDS awareness and education organization that reaches youth in Africa through soccer clinics. Dr. Tommy Clark, the eldest son of Irish head coach Bobby Clark, is the founder and CEO of Grassroot Soccer. Notre Dame has held a match to benefit Grassroot Soccer in each of the past eight seasons.
FOLLOW THE IRISH ON UND.COM
– All 2011 Notre Dame home matches that are not televised can be seen live on UND.com. The streaming broadcasts are free of charge. Log on to UND.com to stay up to date on the Fighting Irish men’s soccer team throughout the 2011 campaign.
PURCHASE YOUR IRISH SOCCER TICKETS
– To purchase a season pass or single-game tickets for Fighting Irish soccer, call the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office at (574) 631-7356, visit the tickets page at the official Notre Dame athletics web site, UND.com (UND.com/tickets) or stop by the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office windows inside the new Rosenthal Atrium at Purcell Pavilion (entrance via Gate 9). Tickets also can be purchased at Alumni Stadium on gamedays. For group discount pricing information call Rita Baxter in the Notre Dame Ticket Office at (574) 631-4165.