Oct. 6, 2007
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The third-ranked Notre Dame men’s soccer team used a goal from senior midfielder/defender Ryan Miller (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) in the 63rd minute to defeat No. 13 West Virginia 1-0 in BIG EAST action on Saturday night at Alumni Field. The win gives the Irish a nine-game unbeaten streak, the program’s longest such stretch since an 11-game unbeaten streak in 2004.
Notre Dame (8-1-2, 5-0-1) remains atop the BIG EAST Blue Division standings with the victory. The Irish, who have the best record out of both conference divisions, are unbeaten through their first six BIG EAST games for the first time since joining the league in 1995.
“I thought this was one of our best performances of the season,” said Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark. “We controlled the game. We maybe could have gotten a couple more goals, but the game was tight and that kept us honest.”
The Fighting Irish mounted an early offensive attack and out shot the Mountaineers 12-3 in the first half. Notre Dame nearly cracked the scoring column with just under 27 minutes remaining in the period as forward Joseph Lapira (Lake Charles, La./Saint Louis Catholic) sent a diving header just wide of the goal off a cross from defender Jack Traynor (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell North).
West Virginia (6-4-0, 2-3-0) had its best scoring chance late in the first half when Chase Dewese sent a shot on goal that just skimmed the crossbar and went out of bounds.
The Mountaineers upped the offensive pressure in the second half. Mike Anoia put a shot on frame in the 47th minute and Irish senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill (Louisville, Ky./DeSales) made a diving save to negate the chance. Anoia sent another shot in that sailed just wide to the left of the net with 38:42 left in the second half.
Notre Dame began to rack up the corner kicks midway through the second half and it paid off as Lapira sent the ball in and Miller put a head on it for his team-leading fourth goal of the season. Miller had a career-high two goals in a 3-0 win over No. 16 Michigan last Wednesday. Lapira has a team-best four assists.
Cahill moved to 7-0-2 by posting his fourth shutout of the season. He made six saves on the night, while West Virginia’s Zach Johnson had 15 stops. The Irish out shot the Mountaineers 23-12 on the night and also held an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.
“Everyone played well for us tonight,” stated Clark. “Our attitude was tremendous and this sets us up for another good game against Michigan State.”
Up next for the Irish will be a trip to East Lansing, Mich. for a match against Michigan State on Wednesday, Oct. 10. Game time against the Spartans is slated for 4:00 p.m. (ET).
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.
#13 West Virginia (6-4-0, 2-3-0 BE) 0 0 – 0
#3 Notre Dame (8-1-2, 5-0-1 BE) 0 1 – 1
ND: Ryan Miller (Joseph Lapira) 62:11
Shots: WV 3-9 – 12, ND 12-11 – 23
Corner Kicks: WV 1-0 – 1, ND 3-5 – 8
Saves: WV 15 (Zach Johnson 15), ND 6 (Chris Cahill 6)
Fouls: WV 10, ND 8
Offsides: WV 0, ND 0