Senior defender Dale Rellas helped Notre Dame into the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time ever as he assisted on Joseph Lapira's game-winner against Maryland last Saturday.

Notre Dame To Battle Virginia In NCAA Quarterfinals On Friday

Nov. 21, 2006

NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship – Quarterfinals
No. 12 Notre Dame at No. 4 Virginia
Friday, Nov. 24 • 6:00 p.m. (ET)
Klockner Stadium • Charlottesville, Va.

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Notre Dame (15-5-2) will take on Virginia (16-3-1) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship on Friday, Nov. 24 in Charlottesville, Va. Game time is slated for 6:00 p.m. (ET). This marks Notre Dame’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in program history. Notre Dame is the tournament’s No. 12 seed, while the Cavaliers are the fourth seed. The Fighting Irish are ranked 12th in the NSCAA/adidas poll and 21st in the Soccer America rankings. Virginia is third according to NSCAA and sixth in the Soccer America rankings. This will be the third meeting all-time between the two schools, yet the first since 1989. The Cavaliers have won the previous two encounters.

ABOUT THE IRISH: Notre Dame has won 11 of its last 13 games … the Irish are coming off a 1-0 double-overtime victory at fifth-seeded and defending NCAA champion Maryland in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday (Nov. 18) … the Fighting Irish opened the tournament with a 1-0 win against Illinois-Chicago in the second round on Nov. 15 at Alumni Field … junior forward Joseph Lapira has netted the game-winner in both contests, including a goal in the 107th minute against Maryland … he has 49 points on 22 goals and 5 assists this season … Lapira leads all NCAA Division I men’s soccer players in goals and points … he was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year … senior Greg Dalby was tabbed as the league’s Midfielder of the Year … Lapira and Dalby are among 15 semifinalists for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation’s top player … senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill has registered 11 shutouts, including the blanking of UIC in the second round, en route to posting a 13-4-1 record and a 0.68 goals-against average … Cahill was a third-team all-BIG EAST selection, while Matt Besler was named to the second team and fellow sophomore defender Jack Traynor garnered honorable mention distinction … the Irish finished third in the BIG EAST Blue Division with an 8-3-0 mark … Bobby Clark is in his sixth season at the helm of the Fighting Irish program … he has an 80-32-15 (.689) mark overall at Notre Dame and has guided the Irish to six straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including three trips to the Round of 16 (2003, 2005 & 2006) and the program’s first trek to the quarterfinals this season.

IRISH IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: This is Notre Dame’s sixth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the 10th trip overall in program history … the Irish have a 7-8-1 record all-time in the NCAA Championship … last season, the Irish made it to the Round of 16 by taking down Western Illinois 2-0 in the first round and then knocking off the two-time defending NCAA champion Indiana 2-0 in the second round … the Hoosiers were the No. 5 seed in the tournament … Notre Dame’s run ended with a 1-0 loss at Clemson … the Irish have made the tournament’s Round of 16 on four occasions (1996, 2003, 2005 & 2006) and this season marks the first trip to the quarterfinals … this is third time that Notre Dame has received a seed in the tournament … the Irish were the No. 5 seed for both the 2003 and 2004 NCAA Tournaments … Notre Dame owns a 4-1-1 mark at home and a 3-7-0 record on the road in the NCAAs … head coach Bobby Clark carries a 6-4-1 record in the NCAA Tournament during his Notre Dame tenure, which is in its sixth season.

UNCHARTERED WATERS: With the win over Maryland on Saturday, Notre Dame advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the first time in the 30-year history of the program … the Irish had been to the Round of 16 on three occasions (1996, 2003 & 2005) prior to this season, yet were denied a berth into the quarterfinals each time.

CLARK IN QUARTERS: Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark has now guided three different men’s soccer programs to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals … Clark took Dartmouth to the quarters in 1990 and 1992 and then led Stanford there in 1998 and 2000 … the Cardinal finshed as the tournament’s runner-up in 1998.

DOUBLE SUCCESS: Notre Dame and UCLA are the only two schools left with teams in both the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship and the Women’s Soccer Championship … the Fighting Irish squads have combined to post 38 wins (23-women, 15-men) this season … that is the most of any school in the nation.

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE CAVALIERS: This will be the third meeting between Notre Dame and Virginia on the pitch, yet the first since 1989 … the Cavaliers have won the previous two matches against the Fighting Irish by identical 3-0 margins … the first meeting was played in Charlottesville during the 1985 season, while the two teams met four years later in Bloomington, Ind.

A LOOK AT VIRGINIA: The Cavaliers carry a 16-3-1 mark into Friday’s match … Virginia defeated Cal 2-1 on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. … the Bears were the 13th seed in the tournament … the Cavaliers opened NCAA play with a 4-0 win over Bucknell in the second round … Virginia has a 12-1-0 record at home this season … the only setback at Klockner Stadium for the Cavaliers was a 2-1 decision to Wake Forest on Oct. 27 … sophomore forward Yannick Revering leads Virginia with 30 points on 11 goals and eight assists … he tallied both Cavalier goals in the 2-1 win over Cal in the third round last Saturday … the goals came in the 65th and 74th minute to overcome a 1-0 deficit … junior midfielder/forward Nico Colaluca has 22 points on seven goals and eight assists, while senior forward Adam Christman has 21 points on eight goals and five assists … senior Ryan Burke has started 18 games in goal, posting a 0.76 goals-against average and a 14-3-1 record … George Gelnovatch is in his 11th season as the head coach of the Cavaliers.

NEXT UP: The winner of the Notre Dame/Virginia match will advance to the College Cup weekend in St. Louis, Mo. to face the winner of the Duke/UCLA tilt on Friday, Dec. 1 in the semifinals of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship … Duke is the tournament’s No. 1 seed, while UCLA is the No. 8 seed … the Blue Devils and Bruins will meet on Sunday (Nov. 26) at 1:00 p.m. … both national semifinals take place on Dec. 1, while the championship game is on Sunday, Dec. 3 … all three games will be played at Robert R. Hermann Stadium in St. Louis.

COMMON OPPONENTS: Notre Dame and Virginia have faced two common opponents this season, West Virginia and Maryland … Virginia defeated West Virginia 2-1 in overtime, while Notre Dame fell to the Mountaineers 2-1 … both the Cavaliers and Irish defeated Maryland … Virginia topped the Terrapins 3-0 and Notre Dame bested Maryland 1-0 in double-overtime.

IRISH AND THE ACC: Notre Dame is 11-13-0 all-time against current Atlantic Coast Conference teams after the win against Maryland on Saturday … of those 11 victories, 10 have come against Boston College and Virginia Tech while those schools were still members of the BIG EAST Conference … Notre Dame will be facing its third ACC foe over the past two seasons when the Irish square off against Virginia on Friday … all three of those meetings have occurred in the NCAA Tournament … the Irish fell at Clemson, 1-0, in the third round of last season’s tournament.

RECAPPING MARYLAND (NCAA 3rd Round): A Joseph Lapira goal with 3:04 remaining in the second overtime period propelled 12th-seeded Notre Dame past fifth-seeded Maryland 1-0 and into the quarterfinals of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship on Saturday, Nov. 18 at Ludwig Field … Maryland started strong out of the gate by collecting the game’s first four shots … Irish senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill responded with early deflections and diving saves to keep the game scoreless … the Terrapins held an 8-3 advantage in shots during the first half and a 16-14 edge for the match … just as they did in Wednesday evening’s second round win over UIC, the Irish weathered the early storm to gain some momentum … Notre Dame began to mount an attack behind Lapira and good looks from seniors Nate Norman and Ryan Miller … Cahill had to leave the contest with 10:38 left in the first half due to an injury and was replaced by Maryland native Andrew Quinn, a sophomore … Cahill made four saves during his time in the contest, while Quinn collected three as he played the remainder of the match … Maryland’s Chris Seitz had seven saves in the loss … Notre Dame began controlling the possession early in the second half and freshman midfielder Michael Thomas put a couple shots on goal that were stopped by Seitz … the defensive struggle would continue as both teams headed into overtime … Lapira had the best look for either team in the first extra session … junior midfielder Kurt Martin played the ball to Lapira and he chipped it over Seitz, who came off his line, yet the ball trickled wide right … the Terrapins nearly ended the match as Stephen King sent a shot off the crossbar with 4:25 left in the second 10-minute overtime session … Notre Dame responded from the Maryland miss as senior Dale Rellas sent the ball to Lapira, who made a move on a defender and blasted the ball off the far post and into the back of the net for his nation-leading 22nd goal of the campaign.

KNOCKING OFF THE CHAMPS: Notre Dame has defeated the defending NCAA champion in each of the past two NCAA Tournaments … the Irish knocked off two-time defending NCAA champion Indiana, 2-0, in the second round of the 2005 tournament and then took out Maryland, the 2005 champion, in this year’s third round by a 1-0 margin in double-overtime … both the Hoosiers and Terrapins were the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Championship at the time … those are the only two wins against the defending NCAA Champion in Notre Dame history … the Irish have faced the reigning champ on 10 occasions.

HOMETOWN HERO?: Silver Spring, Maryland native Andrew Quinn had quite a roll in Notre Dame’s 1-0 double-overtime victory against Maryland on Saturday … the sophomore goalkeeper came off the bench to replace an injured Chris Cahill … Quinn made three saves without allowing a goal to help the Irish capture the upset victory.

TAKING DOWN A TOP-10: Notre Dame has downed three top-10 teams this season … No. 7 Maryland was the highest-ranked opponent that the Irish have defeated this season … Notre Dame beat the Terrapins 1-0 … the Fighting Irish topped No. 8 Creighton, 4-1, on Aug. 27 and then defeated No. 8 Indiana, 5-4, on Sept. 3 … the Irish have claimed a victory against a top-10 opponent in seven straight seasons … last season, the Irish took down No. 7 SMU (4-1) and No. 5 Indiana (2-0) … the victory against the Hoosiers came in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

POSTSEASON PLAYERS: With two goals already in this year’s NCAA Tournament, Joseph Lapira is now the Notre Dame record holder with four NCAA Tournament tallies … he notched goals in NCAA wins over Western Illinois and Indiana last season … he surpassed Justin Detter (2000-03), who did hold the mark with three goals … Chris Cahill’s shutout of UIC was his third blanking in NCAA play … he shut out both Western Illinois and Indiana by identical 2-0 margins last season … the three shutouts is also a Notre Dame record … he did not receive a shutout against Maryland because he left the game late in the first half with an injury.

IRISH THOUGHTS: Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark discusses the Virginia match …

“It’s a big thing for us to have made it this far, but we are more than capable of going further. Not to sound greedy, we can’t be content on just making it this far. We have to take it another step and this team has that potential. I felt we’ve had the potential to make it to a Final Four the past three or four years and now this is a great opportunity for us. We know where we want to be and that’s St. Louis.”

“We realize going into Charlottesville is no easy task for us. There will be a lot of pressure on them and possibly more pressure will be on them than on us. Both teams have a lot of similarities. They have good attacking players and a solid all-around team, but so do we.”

IRISH AGAINST THE NCAA FIELD: During the regular season and BIG EAST Tournament, the Fighting Irish faced a total of 10 teams that made this year’s NCAA field and they own a 4-4-2 mark against those squads … Notre Dame faced three other seeded teams, No. 6 West Virginia (L, 2-1), No. 7 Indiana (W, 5-4, 2OT) and No. 11 Saint Louis (T, 0-0) … the Irish also faced (in order) UAB (L, 2-1, 2OT), Creighton (W, 4-1), Cincinnati (L, 2-1), Northern Illinois (T, 0-0), Providence (W, 3-0), Connecticut (W, 1-0) and Rutgers (L, 2-1, 2OT).

BIG EAST BIDS: For the second straight year, the BIG EAST Conference has placed seven schools in the field of 48-teams in the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship (Cincinnati, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, West Virginia) … since the 2001 season, the BIG EAST has averaged six teams per year in the NCAA Championship … the BIG EAST, along with Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), each put seven teams in this year’s tournament, the most of any other conference.

LAST ONE STANDING: Of the seven schools to receive a bid to the 2006 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championships from the BIG EAST Conference, Notre Dame was the only one to advance past the second round.

IN THE POLLS: Notre Dame is 12th in the latest NSCAA/adidas poll and 21st in the current Soccer America rankings … the Irish began the campaign rated 15th and 10th in those polls, respectively … the Fighting Irish are also 10th according to Soccer Times and 18th in the College Soccer News poll … four of the Irish’s 2006 regular season opponents appear in the latest Soccer America rankings: Indiana (4), West Virginia (5), Creighton (15) and Saint Louis (20) … Notre Dame is 2-1-1 against those teams this season.

BIG EAST HONORS: Five members of the Notre Dame squad collected all-BIG EAST honors for the 2006 season … Notre Dame junior forward Joseph Lapira was named the BIG EAST Conference Offensive Player of the Year … senior Greg Dalby was tabbed as the league’s Midfielder of the Year … they became the first players in the history of the Fighting Irish program to win those respective honors … prior to this season only two Irish players had ever garnered Player of the Year honors from the BIG EAST … Chris Sawyer was named the Goalkeeper of the Year in 2003 and 2004, while Jack Stewart took home Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 … also taking all-BIG EAST accolades this season for the Irish were goalkeeper Chris Cahill (third team) and defenders Matt Besler (second team) and Jack Traynor (honorable mention).

DALBY AND LAPIRA NAMED HERMANN TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS: Notre Dame’s Greg Dalby and Joseph Lapira have been named semifinalists for the 2006 Missouri Athletic Club (M.A.C.) Hermann Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in intercollegiate soccer … the trophy is presented annually to the top male and female Division I soccer player in the United States … the award is the official National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Player of the Year award for Division I competition … Dalby and Duke’s Michael Videira are the only two members on this year’s list that were also named semifinalists for the 2005 award … Maryland’s Jason Garey won the 2005 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy … Notre Dame is one of three teams with two players on this year’s ballot … reigning national champion Maryland offers midfielders Maurice Edu and Stephen King, while SMU placed midfielder Bruno Guarda and defender Jay Needham on the list … the Fighting Irish also boasted two Hermann Trophy semifinalists during the 2004 season … defenders Jack Stewart and Kevin Goldthwaite were named to the list, becoming the first players in program history selected to the final 15 for the prestigious award.

McGEENEY AND NORMAN NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Seniors Justin McGeeney and Nate Norman have been selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V men’s soccer team … the duo rank in a tie for second on the team with 11 points apiece … McGeeney, a forward, has five goals and one assist, while Norman, a midfielder, leads the team with seven assists to go along with two goals … McGeeney carries a 3.38 cumulative grade-point average as a finance major in the Mendoza College of Business … Norman possesses a 3.35 GPA as a theology major in the College of Arts and Letters … their names will now appear on the national ballot for a chance to be voted as an Academic All-American … last season, Notre Dame’s John Stephens (class of 2006) was tabbed as a second-team Academic All-American … he was the fourth student-athlete in program history to garner official Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

WINNING WAYS: The 2006 season marks the sixth straight winning season for Notre Dame all under the watch of head coach Bobby Clark … Clark has guided Notre Dame to six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including three trips to the Sweet 16 (2003, 2005 & 2006) and the program’s first venture to the NCAA quarterfinals this season … Clark has an 80-32-15 (.689) record in his five-plus years at Notre Dame … he has an overall collegiate career mark of 233-95-40 (.688) with other stops at Dartmouth (1985-1993) and Stanford (1996-2000).

AN EVEN DOZEN: Notre Dame has claimed at least 12 wins in all six seasons of the Bobby Clark era, including this year’s 13-5-2 mark … the 15 wins accumulated so far this season is the second-highest total for Notre Dame under Clark … the Irish won 16 games in 2003.

LAPIRA LEADING THE WAY: Junior forward Joseph Lapira is registering one of the finest seasons in program history and one of the top campaigns in the nation this year … his 22 goals and 49 points are the most among NCAA Division I men’s soccer players … he has copped several national accolades this season … he was selected as the National Player of the Week by Soccer America, Soccer Times and Top Drawer Soccer on Sept. 4 along with being named to the College Soccer News Team of the Week … those honors came after a four-goal effort against No. 8 Indiana … Lapira was named College Soccer News National Player of the Week on Oct. 2 following a four-goal week … more honors came his way on Oct. 9, by being named the College Soccer News, Top Drawer Soccer and Soccer Times National Player of the Week after registering another four goals over two games … he was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year on Nov. 2 … Lapira has also been selected as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week three times this season (9/4, 10/2 & 10/9) … he has registered seven multiple-goal games, including a stretch of five straight two-goal efforts, which was snapped against Michigan State on Oct. 11.

STATISTICAL EDGE: Notre Dame owns a decided advantage in most statistical categories this season … the Fighting Irish have out scored its opposition 43-16, including a 24-10 edge in the second half or overtime … Notre Dame has out shot its opponents 370-238 and gained 47 more corner kicks (132-85).

IRISH IN THE BIG EAST: At the conclusion of the regular season, Notre Dame led the BIG EAST with 38 goals and 105 points … West Virginia was second in both categories with 35 goals and 100 points … the Irish were also first in shots (308) and corner kicks (116) … defensively, the 10 team shutouts ranked Notre Dame first, while West Virginia and St. John’s were second with nine … the Mountaineers had the league’s best goals-against average with a 0.68 mark, while the Fighting Irish were second with a 0.75 average.

THE NATIONAL CHARTS: Joseph Lapira’s 22 goals and 49 points are the most among NCAA Division I men’s soccer players … Lapira is second with 2.23 points per game … his four-goal, eight-point effort against Indiana ties him for second nationally for goals scored and points totaled in a single match this season (the nation’s highest point total was 12 by Sacramento State’s Zlatan Kuckovic) … as a team, Notre Dame is 17th nationally by averaging 1.95 goals per game … the Irish are also putting up impressive defensive numbers as senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill is 17th nationally with a 0.684 goals-against average, while the Irish rank 14th as a team in that category (0.69) … Notre Dame has registered 13 shutouts in 22 games and rank seventh in shutout percentage (0.59).

IRISH EARNING BIG EAST ACCOLADES: For the season, Notre Dame copped eight BIG EAST weekly honors … Joseph Lapira was named the Offensive Player of the Week on three occasions, while senior forward Justin McGeeney also took home that honor … senior Chris Cahill was named the Goalkeeper of the Week once and sophomore Matt Besler was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week on one occasion … freshman Michael Thomas collected Rookie of the Week honors from the league twice … the eight accolades matches the most in program history for a single season … the 2004 squad also garnered eight weekly honors from the BIG EAST.

NO STREAKS: The Fighting Irish have not lost back-to-back regular season games since the beginning of the 2001 season when they fell to No. 5 Furman, 3-2, in double-overtime and then lost 4-0 to No. 16 Clemson … both of those matches occurred at the Umbro/Spinx Furman Invitational in Greenville, S.C. … Notre Dame has now completed five full regular seasons without consecutive losses.

LAPIRA MULTI-GOAL GAMES: Joseph Lapira has notched seven multiple-goal games this season, including a stretch of five straight two-goal games from Sept. 23-Oct. 7 … his season-high performance was a four-goal effort against No. 8 Indiana, while he has netted two against Louisville, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Seton Hall, Michigan and Georgetown.

IN THE IRISH RECORD BOOKS: Joseph Lapira’s 22 goals this season ranks in a tie for second all-time on Notre Dame’s single-season list … Kevin Lovejoy also netted 22 goals during the 1979 campaign … Lovejoy’s total of 29 goals in 1978 tops the list … Lapira’s 49 points are the third-highest single-season total in program history … Lovejoy also occupies the top two spots in that category with 63 in 1978 and 55 in 1979 … Lapira is the first player in program history to win BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors three times in the same season … he is also the only Irish player to win any award from the league four times in a career … Lapira was selected as the Offensive Player of the Week once as a freshman.

SENIORS LEAVE MARK: Notre Dame honored its seniors prior to the Providence match on Oct. 14 … the seven student-athletes (Chris Cahill, Greg Dalby, Ian Etherington, Justin McGeeney, Ryan Miller, Nate Norman and Dale Rellas) have been a vital part of the Notre Dame program, helping the Irish to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including three berths into the Round of 16 and the first ever trip to the NCAA quarterfinals this season … they also helped the Irish claim the program’s first-ever BIG EAST Tournament title in 2003, which was followed by a regular season championship in 2004.

A CLASSIC PERFORMANCE: Joseph Lapira tallied a career-high four goals against No. 8 Indiana in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic on Sunday, Sept. 3 … the four scores established an Indiana Classic record and it was one shy of the Notre Dame record of five, achieved by Kevin Lovejoy in 1993 … by scoring three goals, Lapira became the first Irish player to register a hat trick since Devon Prescod did so versus Cleveland State in 2003.

AN IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY: Notre Dame’s five goal output against Indiana on Sept. 3 was the most goals scored by an Irish team since a 6-0 victory over Cleveland State in 2003 … the five tallies were the most ever against a ranked foe in program history … it marked the first time the Hoosiers had ever allowed five tallies in a single game … the nine combined goals were the most in a Notre Dame match since a 9-2 victory against Valparaiso in 1989.

NOTRE DAME PICKED SECOND IN BLUE DIVISION: Notre Dame was selected to finish second in the BIG EAST’s Blue Division behind Connecticut, while South Florida was tabbed to be the league’s Red Division champion … the Irish collected five first-place votes compared to the Huskies’ 11 … Notre Dame was tabbed to finish second in the conference’s Blue Division last year and wound up placing in a tie for third with West Virginia … the Irish did garner the division’s No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament as a result of a tie-breaker.

COLLEGE SOCCER NEWS WATCH LIST: Greg Dalby was selected to the College Soccer News Pre-Season All-America first team … the senior co-captain was not the only Irish student-athlete honored by the publication, as two incoming freshmen were named to the `100 Freshmen to Watch’ list for the 2006 season … (M/F) Justin Morrow and (M/D) Michael Thomas were selected to the list and are all part of a very talented seven-man freshman class for the Irish.

FRESHMAN CLASS NATIONALLY RANKED: Notre Dame’s seven-man freshman class was ranked 16th nationally by College Soccer News … (M) John Baumgardner, (M) Dave Donohue, (M/F) Justin Morrow, (F) Tamba Samba, (D) John Schaefer, (M/D) Michael Thomas and (GK) Philip Tuttle make up the talented crop of Fighting Irish rookies.

NEW COACHES: The Fighting Irish are welcoming three new assistant coaches to the sidelines for the 2006 season … assistant coaches Jamie Clark and Chad Riley joined the program in March … Clark, the youngest son of head coach Bobby Clark, spent the last four seasons at New Mexico, where he helped guide the Lobos to the finals of the 2005 College Cup … Clark was a two-time All-American at Stanford, where he played from 1996-98 … Riley returns to Notre Dame, where he played from 2000-03 … he was a two-time all-BIG EAST performer at midfield … he was an assistant coach last season at St. John’s as the Red Storm compiled a record of 11-6-5 and made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament … Rick King is the Irish’s new volunteer assistant coach … King, a 1995 graduate of East Stroudsburg, also coaches the Indiana Invaders club soccer team.

STAY UP-TO-DATE ON NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS: To stay updated on all 26 varsity sports at Notre Dame you can log on to the official Notre Dame athletics web site at und.com or you can call the official Notre Dame athletics hotline at (574) 631-3000 … to access men’s soccer information on the hotline all you need to do is dial 4 from the main menu and then dial 1.

SIGN UP FOR IRISH ALERT TEXT MESSAGE SERVICE: The University of Notre Dame athletic department, in cooperation with Notre Dame Sports Properties and Centennial Wireless has brought back Irish ALERT for the 2006 fall sports season … continuing Notre Dame’s commitment to its alumni and fans, Irish ALERT will be free of charge (check with your wireless provider for any additional fees that may be charged due to receiving text messages) … starting the weekend of Sept. 15 all of the fall sports will start sending text alerts to Irish fans across the country on their wireless communication devices … log onto und.com for more details and to sign up.