Oct. 13, 2007
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – In an action-packed match between two of the nation’s top teams, the third-ranked Notre Dame men’s soccer team played No. 1 Connecticut to a 3-3 draw on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field. Senior forward Joseph Lapira (Lake Charles, La./Saint Louis Catholic) scored two goals for the Fighting Irish, who overcame a 2-0 halftime deficit.
Notre Dame (8-2-3, 5-0-2) came out strong in the first half and dominated play early. The Irish controlled the ball and nearly capitalized with crosses and corner kicks sent into the box.
Connecticut (12-1-1, 6-1-1) was held silent in the opening half until O’Brian White netted his 15th goal of the season in the 36th minute off a feed from Ryan Cordeiro. The Huskies struck again eight minutes later as Euan Holden took a pass from Chukwudi Chijindu and put the ball into the back of the net. Toni Stahl also notched an assist on the play.
“This was an unbelievable game,” said Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark. “We put on a clinic in the first 20 minutes and we could have been up by two or three goals. They conjured up something out of nothing and we went in down 2-0 at the half when we had played so well.”
The Fighting Irish rally began in the 53rd minute as Lapira was tripped up in the 18-yard box and awarded a penalty kick. The reigning M.A.C. Hermann Trophy winner delivered to cut the deficit in half. The re-energized Irish kept attacking and senior midfielder Ryan Miller (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) netted the equalizer in the 60th minute as he deposited the rebound off a Jeb Brovsky (Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain) shot that was saved. That was Miller’s team-leading fifth goal of the season.
Notre Dame connected on its third unanswered goal in the 66th minute when Lapira headed in a cross from junior defender Jack Traynor (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell North). Miller also collected an assist on the goal, which was Lapira’s fourth of the campaign.
The Huskies responded with an equalizer of their own from Chijindu with the assists going to Cordeiro and Akeem Priestley in the 72nd minute. Connecticut kept pressuring late in regulation but to no avail.
After a scoreless first 10-minute overtime period, both teams had good looks early in the second overtime, yet neither squad could notch the golden goal. Notre Dame out shot Connecticut 20-15 for the match, while the Irish also held an 8-5 edge in corner kicks. Senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill (Louisville, Ky./DeSales) made four saves for the Fighting Irish, while Josh Ford had five stops for the Huskies.
“This is a team of effort and spirit and we played that in full in the second half,” commented Clark. “To pull back and take a 3-2 lead was a tremendous achievement. Their third goal was fantastic and I guess it’s almost right that we each took a point (in BIG EAST play).”
Connecticut entered the match in first place in the BIG EAST Blue Division. The Huskies remain atop the standings with 19 points, while the Irish are second with 17 points.
The Fighting Irish return to action with a home match against No. 13 Indiana on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 7:00 p.m. (ET). Comcast Local will broadcast the game live.
To stay up to date on the Notre Dame men’s soccer team, log onto und.com or call the official Notre Dame athletics hotline at (574) 631-3000.
#1 Connecticut (12-1-1, 6-1-1 BE) 2 1 0 0 – 3
#3 Notre Dame (8-2-3, 5-0-2 BE) 0 3 0 0 – 3
UC: O’Brian White (Ryan Cordeiro) 35:18, UC: Euan Holden (Chukwudi Chijindu, Toni Stahl) 43:28, ND: Joseph Lapira (penalty kick) 52:35, ND: Ryan Miller 59:40, ND: Joseph Lapira (Ryan Miller, Jack Traynor) 65:35, UC: Chukwudi Chijindu (Ryan Cordeiro, Akeem Priestley) 71:39
Shots: UC 5-8-2-0 – 15, ND 9-8-1-2 – 20
Corner Kicks: UC 0-5-0-0 – 5, ND 3-2-0-3 – 8
Saves: UC 5 (Josh Ford 5), ND 4 (Chris Cahill 4)
Fouls: UC 15, ND 11
Offsides: UC 1, ND 2