Notre Dame hits the road for an ACC matchup against Virginia Tech at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 18 at Thompson Field. The match will be available to stream live on ACCNX.
NOTRE DAME vs. VIRGINIA TECH
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia | Thompson Field
Live Stream: ACCNX
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer
Game Notes: vs. Virginia Tech
THE VIRGINIA TECH SERIES
• Notre Dame and Virginia Tech will face each other on Sunday afternoon for the 11th time in series history. The Irish are 6-3-1 against the Hokies in the all-time series.
• The Irish dropped a 2-1 decision at Virginia Tech in the last meeting between the two sides on October 18, 2019.
• Notre Dame is 3-1-0 in matches against the Hokies at Notre Dame.
LYNN LEADS THE LINE
• Junior forward Jack Lynn leads all Notre Dame active players in career goals with 15.
• Despite battling injuries to start the season, Lynn has scored in each of his last two games, including the match winner against Syracuse.
• The forward enjoyed a breakout 2019 campaign, scoring a career-high 10 goals to lead the Irish attack.
CAPITALIZING ON CORNERS
• Through four games the Irish have scored three goals from set pieces during the 2020 campaign.
•All three goals have come off corners with the service from senior Aiden McFadden on two goals and freshman Paddy Burns on the other.
• Freshman Daniel Russo headed in a goal in the opener against Kentucky to give the Irish the 1-0 win.
• In the second game of the season sophomore Michael Pellegrino half volleyed a shot from just inside the box to level the score at 1-1 against No. 4 Pitt.
• The Irish perfectly executed a training ground corner in the sixth minute, as Burns rolled a pass to Jack Lynn, sho slotted just inside the post.
KEEP IT CLEAN
• Senior goalkeeper Keagan McLaughlin has recorded five clean sheets in his seven career starts in goal for the Irish.
• McLaughlin has helped Notre Dame record two shutout wins this season, coming in 1-0 wins over Kentucky and Syracuse.
• The senior shot stopper recorded a career-high four saves in both wins this season.
• McLaughlin kept clean sheets in all three starts during the 2019 campaign, coming in wins over Denver, Michigan State and Purdue Fort Wayne.
AIDEN’S ASSISTS
• Senior forward Aiden McFadden is living up to his No. 10 jersey this season, totaling three assists through four games.
• McFadden’s average of 0.75 assists per game ranks the senior 10th in the country in the statistical category.
• All three of McFadden’s assists have come off crosses, including two from service from corners.
CHALLENGING SLATE AHEAD
• The Irish have never shied away from playing a challenging slate of opponents and the 2020 schedule looks to be no different.
• Notre Dame is set to play eight regular-season matches in the fall, six counting as ACC play.
• All eight matches feature teams that played in last season’s NCAA Tournament.
• The only team the Irish face from outside the ACC is Kentucky in the season-opener, which Notre Dame won by a final of 1-0.
RILEY ENTERS YEAR THREE AT NOTRE DAME
• Head Coach Chad Riley is in his third season at the helm of his alma mater.
• Riley has led the Irish to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances since taking the reins of the program.
• The Irish have a record of 22-17-4 during Riley’s tenure.
• Riley became the first head coach in program history to reach the NCAA quarterfinals in his debut season after earning the No. 7 overall seed in the tournament.