Sept. 2, 2003
The University of Notre Dame men’s soccer team (1-0-1) fought through a tough first weekend of action at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic last weekend in Bloomington, Ind., coming away with a scoreless tie vs. #20 Alabama-Birmingham and 2-1 victory over #11/17 California. The game outcomes have adjusted the Irish slightly in the national polls. Notre Dame is down one spot in the Soccer America ranking to fourth, while the NSCAA/adidas poll moved the Irish up from 12th to ninth.
The Irish are in the midst of preparations for one of the top BIG EAST Conference games this season. Notre Dame will host #13/#19 St. John’s (0-2-0) at Alumni Field on Saturday, Sept. 6 (7:30 p.m.). Notre Dame and St. John’s were selected as the two top teams in the league this season by a vote from the conference’s coaches.
Notre Dame also received mention in the College Soccer News top 30, ranked eighth (up four spots from a preseason ranking of 12th). The Irish also were 12th in the Soccer Times preseason poll, which has not been updated as of Sept. 2.