Sept. 20, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. – A goal from Jorge Mora in the 84th minute provided the difference as No. 5 USF topped No. 20 Notre Dame, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon at a hot and humid USF Soccer Stadium in BIG EAST men’s soccer action.
Senior forward Bright Dike (Edmond, Okla./Edmond North) netted the lone goal for the Fighting Irish, who held a 13-10 edge in shots on the afternoon. Notre Dame (3-3-1, 1-1-0) also gained four more corner kicks (8-4) than the Bulls.
USF (5-0-1, 1-0-1) struck first in the fifth minute as Hasani Sinclair scored from inside the 18-yard box on an assist from Ashani Fairclough.
Notre Dame’s Philip Tuttle (Hooksett, N.H./Brewster Academy) replaced Andrew Quinn (Silver Spring, Md./DeMatha) in goal at the 6:58 mark of the first half after Quinn had to leave the game with an injury.
The Bulls led 1-0 at the intermission. Notre Dame out shot USF, 7-4, in the first half along with earning one more corner kick (3-2) in the period.
“It was very, very hot and humid out there today,” stated Irish head coach Bobby Clark. “We lost that early goal and I thought we looked a little nervous early on. But I thought we played awfully well. I felt we controlled large portions of the game.”
Notre Dame evened the match in the 78th minute as Dike headed in a pass from sophomore Michael Rose (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park). Dike, who scored the game winner in a 2-1 victory at DePaul on Friday, now has a team-high five goals this season. It was the first career point for Rose.
The Bulls responded six minutes later as Mora deposited the decisive goal off a feed from Bernardo Anor.
Tuttle made three saves, while Quinn had one stop. Jeff Attinella had to make six saves for the Bulls in the victory.
“We got the goal back, but then they got one against the run of play,” added Clark. “I thought we fought hard to get back into the game. It was a nice goal by Dike from Michael Rose. But they (USF) bounced back and got the last goal.”
Sunday marked the third time this season that Notre Dame faced a top-five opponent. The Irish played St. John’s and Wake Forest earlier this season when they were ranked first and third, respectively.
Notre Dame will return home for two BIG EAST showdowns next weekend at Alumni Stadium. The Irish will play host to Louisville on Friday, Sept. 25 at 5:00 p.m. (ET). Notre Dame will welcome in Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 3:30 p.m.
USF Soccer Stadium • Tampa, Fla.
September 20, 2009
#20 Notre Dame (3-3-1, 1-1-0) 0 1 – 1
#5 USF (5-0-1, 1-0-1) 1 1 – 2
USF: Hasani Sinclair (Ashani Fairclough) 4:58; ND: Bright Dike (Michael Rose) 77:04; USF: Jorge Mora (Bernardo Anor) 83:03
Shots: ND 7-6 – 13, USF 4-6 – 10
Corner Kicks: ND 3-5 – 8, USF 2-2 – 4
Saves: ND 4 (Andrew Quinn – 6:58 – 1 ga – 1 sv; Philip Tuttle – 83:02 – 1 ga – 3 svs – L); USF 6 (Jeff Attinella – 90:00 – 1 ga – 6 svs – W)
Fouls: ND 9, USF 8
Offsides: ND 0, USF 5
-ND–