Sept. 6, 2004
Senior Jack Stewart was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, Sept. 6, after scoring two goals during Notre Dame’s opening weekend at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington, Ind. The Irish defeated Oregon State (2-1) and Boston University (2-0) to finish second in the two-day tournament behind host Indiana (who was also 2-0 and claimed the title via the goals-scored tiebreaker). Stewart scored Notre Dame’s first goal of the season versus Oregon State on a memorable shot from 18 yards out, ripping a left-footed bullet on freshman Alex Yoshinaga’s first career assist. He also scored the first goal of the game against Boston University, moving up at the opportune time, out running the Terrier defense and beating the goalkeeper one-on-one. The Torrance, Calif., native was named to the all-tournament team, along with teammates GK Chris Sawyer and F Justin McGeeney. The two goals scored over the weekend match Stewart’s career totals entering the season. Known as one of the top central defenders in the nation, Stewart has been named to the Hermann Trophy watch list (the most prestigious player of the year award in collegiate soccer). While moving forward to score two goals, Stewart also helped the Irish defense post its first shutout of the season (vs. Boston University) and hold Notre Dame’s opponents to just 10 shots in two games.