NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: ROAD TO THE ELITE EIGHT
The Notre Dame men's soccer team advanced to the NCAA Championships Quarterfinal round for just the fourth time in program history and first time since 2013. The Irish earned the No. 7 seed for the tournament after a successful regular season against one of the toughest schedules in the country.
NCAA ROUND OF 32: NOTRE DAME vs. MICHIGAN
After earning the No. 7 seed by the selection committee, the Irish earned a bye and a spot in the round of 32. Michigan defeated Princeton in the opening round to advance to play the Notre Dame on Nov. 18 at Alumni Stadium.
The two sides battled to a scoreless standstill after 110 minutes of play, forcing a penalty shootout to decide which team would advance. After a grueling 12 rounds, the Irish emerged as the advancing side, winning the shootout 11-10.
NCAA ROUND OF 16: NOTRE DAME vs. VIRGINIA
The Irish welcomed a familiar foe to Notre Dame in the round of 16, as Virginia came to town for a spot in the Elite Eight on the line. The two sides played to a 0-0 draw in the regular season in Charlottesville and were scoreless after 90 minutes of regulation in the NCAA affair.
The match looked to be headed to a second overtime session when the Irish made one last push forward in the 100th minute. Sean Dedrick cut in from the right flank and laid the ball off to Tommy McCabe. The junior floated a ball into the box and Jack Lynn rose to power a header into the back of the net with one second remaining on the clock to send the Irish into the quarterfinals.
NCAA QUARTERFINAL: NOTRE DAME vs. INDIANA
The Irish advanced to the quarterfinal round for the fourth time in program history. Notre Dame faced another familiar foe, as the Irish traveled to Bloomington to play intrastate rival No. 2 Indiana.
Notre Dame came out on the front foot and controlled the run of play for the majority of the first half. The Irish had a great chance to score the opening goal but the Indiana keeper produced a huge save to keep the match scoreless going into halftime. Indiana found the first goal of the match in the 64th minute and went on to win by a score of 1-0.
IRISH IN THE ACC
Notre Dame finished with a record of 4-3-1 in the ACC standings, earning the No. 5-seed in the ACC Championships. The Irish earned regular-season wins over No. 6 Louisville, Syracuse, Boston College and Pitt. The Irish then won their first round matchup against Clemson in the ACC Championships before falling by a score of 1-0 to Louisville in the semifinals.
#15 ND vs. No. 6 Louisville (W, 2-1)
The marquee victory for the Irish came in the most recent outing against #6 Louisville. Notre Dame outlasted the Cardinals, recording a 2-1 victory in overtime. Thomas Ueland scored the opening goal in the 10th minute off a volley to give the Irish the lead. After the visitors tied it early in the second half to force overtime, Ueland was hauled down in the box to set up a spot kick from Sean MacLeod. The senior buried the goal to give the Irish the 2-1 victory.
#20 ND vs. Boston College (W, 1-0)
The Irish were on the front-foot from the opening whistle and found the breakthrough goal it needed in the 49th minute. Jack Casey sent Aiden McFadden through on goal with a perfectly weighted through ball. McFadden finished past the keeper with a sliding toe poke to deliver the Irish the 1-0 victory.
#12 ND at Syracuse (W, 3-2)
The Irish opened the ACC slate with a 3-2 win over Syracuse. All five goals were scored in the second half, with Notre Dame's three all being of the top-class variety. Patrick Berneski opened the scoring with a set-piece header followed by a wonder strike from Ueland. Notre Dame's final goal came from Felicien Dumas on a perfect free kick curled just under the bar and inside the post.
#23 Notre Dame at Pitt (W, 1-0)
On a rainy evening in Pittsburgh, the Irish and Panthers wrapped up the regular season. The match was cagey throughout but Notre Dame scored the match-winning goal in the 85th minute, as Thomas Ueland scored off a set piece to deliver the victory.
#18 ND vs. Clemson (W, 2-0, ACC 1st Round)
The Irish played one of their most complete matches of the season against Clemson, dominating from start to finish. Ian Aschieris scored the opener in the second minute, beating the Tigers' keeper at the near post. The senior then bagged his second goal of the night in the 88th minute to seal the 2-0 victory.
IRISH WIN ADIDAS/IU CREDIT UNION CLASSIC
The Irish were dominant at the tournament in Bloomington, Indiana, during the second weekend of the season, recording two clean sheets in a 3-0 victory over #18 UConn (8/31) and a 2-0 win over #22 Dartmouth.
1
The Irish gave up a goal in the first half of a match in just once all season. Notre Dame recorded first half shutouts 20 times in 2018.
2
Thomas Ueland and Jack Casey earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, with Ueland taking home first team accolades and Casey earning second team status. No other team in the country placed two players on the first two teams.
4
The Irish scored a season-high four goals in the win over #22 Xavier on Sept. 25 in a rain-shortened 4-1 victory.
4
The Irish reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships for just the fourth time in program history. The Irish advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since the 2013 season.
6
Senior captain and center back Patrick Berneski led the Irish and all defenders in the ACC in goals scored in 2018 with six goals. All six of Berneski's goals came off set pieces, five being headers. The skipper earned United Soccer Coaches First Team All-South Region honors along with All-ACC Second Team status.
17
Matches this season the Irish allowed one or no goals out of 21 outings. Notre Dame posted nine clean sheets on the season.
GOALS OF THE SEASON
The Irish have produced moments of brilliance time and time again in front of goal this season. Below are some of the best finishes in chronological order.
Ian Aschieris Header vs. Dartmouth
The cross from Felicien Dumas and the finish from Ian Aschieris are great, however, the thing that makes this goal exceptional is the passing sequence that led to the goal. The Irish strung together 32 straight passes in the buildup to the headed goal.
Patrick Berneski Header at Syracuse
Patrick Berneski scored a set-piece goal for the fourth consecutive match in the victory at Syracuse. The senior was clinical in the finish following a great near-post run. This was the first of three sublime goals scored on the evening to give Notre Dame the win at Syracuse.
Thomas Ueland Volley at Syracuse
Ueland's first goal of the season came off a wonder strike from the top of the box, putting his left foot through the ball on a volley that swerved before soaring just under the crossbar into the net. Ueland currently has three goals on the season (as of 10/9).
Felicien Dumas Free Kick at Syracuse
This free kick from Dumas is one of the best you will see at any level. The senior curled his shot with pace into the very top right corner, tucking it just under the crossbar and inside the post to complete the golazo.
Jack Lynn Run vs. Indiana
Lynn's first collegiate goal was a memorable one, as it came against one of the top defenses in the country in #2 Indiana. The freshman darted inside the box and ran through the backline before firing his finish just inside the far post.
Jack Lynn Run vs. Xavier
Lynn produced another great goal with against #22 Xavier. The freshman cheekily chipped the ball over the Musketeer defender while running around him before recording another superb finish for his second goal of the season.
Aiden McFadden Sliding Toe Poke vs. Boston College
McFadden's second goal of the season proved to be a big one for Notre Dame, as it turned out to be the match winner in the 1-0 victory over ACC foe Boston College. The finish was solid and equally as good was the technical ability shown by Jack Casey, whose touch allowed him to escape a pair of Golden Eagle defenders before playing McFadden in on goal with a perfect through ball.
Ian Aschieris Volley at Northwestern
Aschieris produced an excellent individual goal to double Notre Dame's lead at Northwestern in the second half. The touch to take him past the oncoming Wildcat defender to enter the final third may have been as good as the finish. Aschieris wrapped his foot around the ball on a volley to beat the Northwestern keeper near post.
Sean MacLeod PK vs. Louisville
Thomas Ueland was hauled down in the box in the 92nd minute in the showdown against #6 Louisville, setting up a dramatic spot kick for a chance to defeat the Cardinals. MacLeod wanted the ball an cooly finished past the Louisville keeper to give Notre Dame its fourth straight win and improve to 3-1-0 in ACC play.
Felicien Dumas PK vs. Michigan (NCAA Round of 32)
In the 12th round of the penalty shootout against Michigan, Notre Dame goalkeeper Duncan Turnbull made a diving save to put the Irish on the doorstep of advancing. Felicien Dumas stepped up and calmly slotted past the Michigan keeper to deliver Notre Dame the win.
Jack Lynn Header vs. Virginia (NCAA Round of 16)
Junior Tommy McCabe floated a cross into the box in the final seconds of the first overtime session and freshman Jack Lynn rose above a Virginia defender and nodded home the ball inside the near post and past the outstretched keeper a second before the clock hit zero to send the Irish into a frenzy and into the quarterfinals.