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Match 16 Preview: #4 Pitt

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame travels to No. 4 Pitt for their final regular season road game of the season. The game will air on ACCNX.

NOTRE DAME vs. No. 4 PITT
Location: Pittsburgh | Ambrose Urbanic Field
Live Stream: ACCNX
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer
Game Notes: vs. Pitt

THE PITT SERIES

• The Irish and Panthers will meet on the pitch for the 28th time on Saturday evening and third this season.

• The Irish lead the series with a mark of 18-6-3.

• Notre Dame is 8-1-2 against Pitt when playing the Panthers on the road.

• In the most recent matchup the Irish fell to Pitt by a score of 3-1 in the ACC Tournament semifinals. Jack Lynn scored the Notre Dame goal from the penalty spot.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Irish suffered a heartbreaking overtime defeat against North Carolina last Saturday at Alumni Stadium by a score of 2-1.

• Notre Dame’s goal came off a set piece, as Dawson McCartney’s free kick was redirected into the back of the net by Reese Mayer to give the Irish the early lead.

• North Carolina found the winner in the first overtime session to escape with the win.

McCartney Makes An Impact

• Dawson McCartney joined the Irish this spring after transfering from Dartmouth and has already made major contributions to the Irish squad.

• The senior has recorded four points off a goal and two assists over his three starts.

• McCartney scored his first goal in an Irish uniform against No. 5 Wake Forest and provided the assists on the game-winning goal against Calvin in a midweek matchup and versus UNC in a weekend ACC showdown.

SET PIECE SUCCESS

• The Irish have been excellent on set pieces this season, scoring off corners, free kicks, penalty kicks and even throw ins.

• Notre Dame has scored 10 goals off set pieces during the 2020-21 campaign.

• Four of the goals have come from corners.

• The most recent set piece goal came in the match against UNC off a free kick. McCartney’s service was redirected in by Reese Mayer for his first career goal.

LYNN LEADS THE LINE

• Junior forward Jack Lynn enters the week tied for fourth in the country in goals scored on the year (8), fifth in the ACC in goals per game (0.57) and sixth in points per game (1.14) despite missing time early in the fall season with an injury.

• Lynn paces all active Irish players in career goals with 21 over his three years at Notre Dame.

• In the final match of the fall regular season, Lynn recorded the first hat trick of his career, scoring three times in the first half in the 4-1 win over Louisville.

• The forward enjoyed a breakout 2019 campaign, scoring a career-high 10 goals to lead the Irish attack.

STRONG STARTS

• The Irish have been tough to beat when scoring first this season, posting a 7-2 record when achieving the feat.

• Notre Dame has conceded a total of six goals in the nine games when it has struck first.

• Seven of the nine games when the Irish have scored first have come in the first half.

AIDEN’S ASSISTS

• Senior forward Aiden McFadden is living up to his No. 10 jersey this season, totaling four assists.

• McFadden’s four assists rank tied for fourth in the ACC.

• All four of McFadden’s assists have come off crosses, including two from service on corners.

• Despite not getting credited with an assist, McFadden provided the final touch from a Notre Dame player in the double overtime own goal to help the Irish defeat the Cavaliers on Oct. 24.

• McFadden has scored two goals this season, including the game winner over UNC in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in OT in the fall. He also scored in the seventh minute in the win over Duke.

• The senior was selected as the 59th overall pick (third round) by Atlanta United FC in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft.

FALL REWIND

• The Irish finished the fall portion of the schedule with a record of 5-4, including a mark of 4-3 in the regular season.

• Notre Dame recorded regular season wins over Kentucky (1-0), Syracuse (2-1), Virginia (2-1, 2OT) and Louisville (4-1) to earn the No. 3 seed from the North Region in the ACC Tournament.

• The Irish pulled out a thrilling 1-0 overtime win over UNC in the ACC quarterfinals before falling to No. 1 Pitt in the semifinal round.