Sept. 17, 2010
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 24 Notre Dame played Michigan to a scoreless draw in men’s soccer action on Friday night in front of 3,503 fans at the U-M Soccer Complex. The tie upped the Fighting Irish unbeaten streak to four games.
Notre Dame (2-1-2) junior goalkeeper Will Walsh (Morristown, N.J./Delbarton) and the Fighting Irish defense posted their third shutout of the season. Walsh made a career-high seven saves, while his counterpart Chris Blais also had seven stops for Michigan (3-1-2).
“Will (Walsh) had some very good saves for us,” said Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark. “I thought he looked calm and composed back there. Their goalkeeper (Chris Blais) also had a good game. I felt we had the better chances in the game. We just need to do a better job at finishing chances in the attacking third of the field.”
Both teams had 22 shots and seven shots on goal in the match. The Fighting Irish had a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks. Senior forward Steven Perry (Edmond, Okla./Bishop McGuinness) had a team-best four shots, including two on goal, for the Irish.
Notre Dame out shot Michigan 9-7 in the first half. The Wolverines had one more corner kick (3-2) in the first stanza. The Irish produced six corner kicks in the second half compared to one for Michigan.
“I also thought our two center backs (Aaron Maund and Grant Van De Casteele) played well,” commented Clark. “They had do deal with a potent attack from Michigan and they both looked good.”
The Wolverines out shot the Irish 11-9 in the second half, while both teams had four shots in the 20 minutes of overtime action. Notre Dame registered the only shot on goal in overtime as senior forward Jeb Brovsky (Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain) put a shot on frame in the 106th minute.
Friday was the official dedication for the U-M Soccer Complex.
“The place was hopping tonight,” added Clark. “It was as good of a college soccer atmosphere that I’ve been a part of. It takes two good teams to create that kind of atmosphere and that’s what happened here tonight. It was a good chance for our guys to play in front of a hostile crowd.”
Notre Dame plays host to Michigan State at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Sept. 19.
U-M Soccer Complex – Ann Arbor, Mich.
September 17, 2010
#24 Notre Dame (2-1-2) 0 0 0 0 – 0
Michigan (3-1-2) 0 0 0 0 – 0
Shots: ND 9-9-2-2 – 22, UM 7-11-1-3 – 22
Corner Kicks: ND 2-6-1-0 – 9, UM 3-1-0-0 – 4
Goalkeepers: ND: Will Walsh – 7 SV, 0 GA, 110:00, T; UM: Chris Blais – 7 SV, 0 GA, 110:00, T
Fouls: ND 14, UM 12
Offsides: ND 2, UM 4