Nov. 14, 2006
NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship – Second Round
Illinois-Chicago at Notre Dame (No. 12 seed)
Wednesday, Nov. 15 • 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Alumni Field • Notre Dame, Ind.
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Notre Dame (13-5-2) will host the University of Illinois-Chicago (13-2-5) in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championships on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at Alumni Field. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET). The Fighting Irish are the No. 12 seed in the tournament and received a first-round bye. UIC defeated Western Illinois 3-0 in the tournament’s first round on Saturday. This marks Notre Dame’s sixth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and the 10th appearance in program history. Notre Dame is ranked 12th in the NSCAA/adidas poll and 21st in the Soccer America rankings.
ABOUT THE IRISH: Notre Dame (13-5-2) has won nine of its last 11 games … the Irish finished third in the BIG EAST Blue Division with an 8-3-0 mark … junior forward Joseph Lapira has 45 points on 20 goals and 5 assists … he 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 … the Irish are coming off a 2-1 double-overtime setback at Rutgers in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament back on Oct. 28 … senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill has registered 10 shutouts this season en route to posting an 11-4-1 record and a 0.74 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 … Bobby Clark is in his sixth season at the helm of the Fighting Irish program … he has a 78-32-15 (.684) mark overall at Notre Dame and has guided the Irish to six straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the Round of 16 (2003 & 2005).
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 5-8-1 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 … this marks the 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 3-1-1 mark at home and a 2-7-0 record on the road in the NCAAs … head coach Bobby Clark carries a 4-4-1 record in the NCAA Tournament during his Notre Dame tenure, which is in its sixth season.
A LOOK AT UIC: The Flames carry a 13-2-5 mark into Wednesday’s match … the Flames defeated Western Illinois 3-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday (Nov. 11) … this is the Flames’ third trip to the NCAA Tournament and their first since 2000 … UIC won the 2006 Horizon League regular season championship … that is the third regular season conference crown for UIC and its first since 2000 … this is the first at-large bid into the NCAAs for UIC … the Flames have defeated two ranked teams this season, No. 7 UC Santa Barbara (2-1) and No. 25 Saint Louis (1-0) … senior forward Tonci Skroce leads the team in points with 21 on seven goals and a team-high seven assists … junior midfielder Pavle Dundjer leads the Flames in goals with eight … senior forward Eric Cervantes has tallied seven goals and one assist for 15 points … redshirt freshman Jovan Bubonja has started 20 games in goal, allowing just seven goals and posting a 0.34 goals-against with 10 shutouts … John Trask is in his second season at the helm of the UIC program … the Flames were 10-5-2 last season.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE FLAMES: This will be the third meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Illinois-Chicago … the Irish have won both of the previous encounters, with both taking place at Notre Dame … the two schools last met during the 1994 season, a 3-0 decision in favor Notre Dame … the first meeting was a 7-0 outcome in 1992.
NEXT UP: The winner of the Notre Dame/UIC match will advance to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship to take on the winner of the St. John’s/Maryland game … Maryland is the tournament’s No. 5 seed … the Terrapins and Red Storm will meet on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. … the Round of 16 match would take place either Saturday, Nov. 18 or Sunday, Nov. 19.
IRISH AGAINST THE NCAA FIELD: 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.
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 NAMEDHERMANN 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 two trips to the Sweet 16 (2003 & 2005) … Clark has a 78-32-15 (.684) record in his five-plus years at Notre Dame … he has an overall collegiate career mark of 231-95-40 (.686) 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.
IRISH THOUGHTS: Head coach Bobby Clark discusses Notre Dame’s second round NCAA Tournament match with UIC …
“I would say this is going to be one of our hardest games. I don’t see a harder match standing in our way in this tournament. You wouldn’t normally think that, but I was very impressed with them when I watched them play Western Illinois on Saturday. They are very technical, strong and a very mature team. We’ll have to be 100-percent prepared for this game.”
“If we do play up to our potential, we’ll be in good shape. Anything less will make things difficult for us.”
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 20 goals and 45 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.
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.
STATISTICAL EDGE: Notre Dame owns a decided advantage in most statistical categories this season … the Fighting Irish have out scored its opposition 41-16, including a 22-8 edge in the second half … Notre Dame has out shot its opponents 338-213 and gained 46 more corner kicks (121-75).
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: Entering the week, Joseph Lapira’s 20 goals and 45 points are the most among NCAA Division I men’s soccer players … Lapira was tied for first with 2.25 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 ranked in a tie for 13th nationally by averaging 2.05 goals per game … the Irish are also putting up impressive defensive numbers as senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill was 21st nationally with a 0.738 goals-against average, while the Irish ranked 21st as a team in that category (0.77).
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 20 goals this season ranks third all-time on Notre Dame’s single-season list … Kevin Lovejoy’s totals of 29 goals in 1978 and 22 in 1979 rank first and second on the all-time list … Lapira’s 45 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.
RECAPPING RUTGERS (BIG EAST 2nd Round): Adam Sternberger netted two goals, including the game-winner in double-overtime, to give Rutgers a 2-1 victory over Notre Dame in quarterfinal action of the BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship on Saturday, Oct. 28 at a windy Yurcak Field … Notre Dame got on the board first as sophomore midfielder Cory Rellas netted a goal in the 35th minute … the Fighting Irish out shot the Scarlet Knights 9-4 in the first half and would take a 1-0 lead into the locker room … Rutgers tallied the equalizer in the 80th minute when Sternberger scored off a Kyle Grato free kick … neither team could find the back of the net during the rest of regulation or the first 10-minute overtime period … as the match was entering the 106th minute of play, Sternberger tallied the game-winner off a Zach Simi corner kick to advance Rutgers into the semifinals of the tournament … the Scarlet Knights were the No. 2 seed from the league’s Red Division, while the Irish were the third seed from the Blue Division … the Irish held a 13-12 edge in shots for the match, yet could not register a shot in either overtime period … Rutgers had a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks for the game … Notre Dame senior goalkeeper Chris Cahill made five saves on the night, while Matt VanOekel had three stops for the Scarlet Knights.
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 three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two berths into the Round of 16 … 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.
TAKING DOWN A TOP-10: Notre Dame has downed two top-10 teams this season … the 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.
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 … this week the Fighting Irish are 10th according to Soccer Times and 18th in the College Soccer News poll … four of the Irish’s 2006 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.
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.
FOLLOW ALL ND HOME GAMES ONLINE: All Notre Dame home games will feature livestats available through und.com, the official web site of all 26 varsity athletic programs at the University … simply go to the men’s soccer page and click on `Schedule’ at the top of the page and find the game that is being played that day and click on `Gametracker’ to follow the game for free … live audio is also available for certain home matches.
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.