Oct. 9, 2007
#3 Notre Dame at Michigan State
Wednesday, Oct. 10 • 4:00 p.m. (ET)
Old College Field • East Lansing, Mich.
#1 Connecticut at #3 Notre Dame
Saturday, Oct. 13 • 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Alumni Field • Notre Dame, Ind.
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Notre Dame carries a nine-game unbeaten streak and a No. 3 national ranking into two key showdowns this week. The Fighting Irish will step away from conference action with a match at Michigan State on Wednesday (Oct. 10) at 4:00 p.m. (ET). Notre Dame will then return home to battle No. 1 Connecticut in league play on Saturday (Oct. 13) at 12 noon. The Irish sit atop the BIG EAST Blue Division standings, while the Huskies are second.
ABOUT THE IRISH: Notre Dame (8-1-2, 5-0-1 BE) is riding a nine-game unbeaten streak, the program’s longest such stretch since an 11-game unbeaten streak in 2004 … the Irish are 7-0-2 during the current stretch … the 2004 campaign also marked the last time the Irish had eight wins in their first 11 games … the Irish are unbeaten through their first six BIG EAST games for the first time since joining the league in 1995 … Notre Dame is ranked third in all of this week’s major polls (Soccer America, NSCAA, Soccer Times, College Soccer News) … senior midfielder/defender Ryan Miller has a team-high four goals and 10 points, both career-high totals … he was named to the Soccer America, College Soccer News and Top Drawer Soccer teams of the week on Oct. 8 … Joseph Lapira leads the squad with four assists … Chris Cahill has a 7-0-2 mark this season with a 0.43 goals-against average and four shutouts … Cahill was tabbed as the BIG EAST goalkeeper of the week on Oct. 8, while his junior teammate Cory Rellas was selected as the defensive player of the week … the Irish have six starters and 14 letterwinners back from last season’s squad that went 15-6-2 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the first time in program history … head coach Bobby Clark is in his seventh season with the Irish … he has an overall record of 88-34-17 (.694) at Notre Dame.
LAST WEEK: The Fighting Irish posted two shutout victories against ranked teams last week … Notre Dame topped No. 16 Michigan, 3-0, on Wednesday (Oct. 3) … senior Ryan Miller tallied a career-high two goals in the match … junior Cory Rellas added his first goal of the season in the victory … the Fighting Irish defense had a solid night by shutting out a Michigan offense that entered the game averaging 2.62 goals per game … that marked the first time this season that the Wolverines were held without a goal … Michigan entered the contest allowing just 0.68 goals per game … Irish goalkeeper Chris Cahill notched a season-high seven saves in the victory … Notre Dame returned to BIG EAST play with a 1-0 triumph of No. 13 West Virginia on Saturday (Oct. 6) … Miller netted the game winner in the 63rd minute off a Joseph Lapira corner kick … Cahill picked up the shutout against the Mountaineers by making six saves.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS MICHIGAN STATE: The Fighting Irish and Spartans will be meeting for the 17th time when they square off this Wednesday … Notre Dame holds a 9-2-5 advantage in the series … the Irish captured a 3-0 home victory over the Spartans last season … Matt Besler, Michael Thomas and Joseph Lapira all notched goals in the victory … Notre Dame’s last loss in the series came in 1990, a 1-0 setback at Michigan State … the Irish are unbeaten in their last six games against the Spartans … Notre Dame is 1-2-4 all time at Michigan State … the last meeting in East Lansing, Mich. was a scoreless draw during the 2005 campaign … the first meeting occurred in 1978, a 2-2 tie in East Lansing … Notre Dame has out-scored Michigan State 29-12 in the series … five of the contests have gone to overtime, all of them resulting in a tie.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS: Michigan State (7-1-2) is coming off its first loss of the season, a 2-0 setback at Indiana on Saturday, Oct. 6 … the Spartans opened the season with a nine-game unbeaten streak … the Spartans are averaging 1.40 goals per game this season, while allowing 0.65 … Michigan State was ranked 24th in last week’s NSCAA/adidas poll … Doug DeMartin leads the team with six goals and 12 points … Kenzo Webster has two goals and three assists for seven points … goalkeeper Chris Austin has all 10 decisions … he carries a 0.65 goals-against average with five shutouts … Michigan State went 10-7-2 last season … the Spartans returned eight starters and 13 letterwinners from the 2006 squad … head coach Joe Baum is in his 32nd season at Michigan State … Baum has a 303-218-50 record at the school.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS CONNECTICUT: Notre Dame and Connecticut will be meeting for the 16th time … the Huskies have an 8-6-1 edge in the series … Notre Dame captured a 1-0 victory last season at Connecticut … Michael Thomas scored the lone goal for the Irish … the Fighting Irish are 3-3-1 against the Huskies at Notre Dame … the first meeting took place during the 1986 season in Storrs, Conn. … the Irish won that match, 2-1, in overtime … that was the only contest between the two schools prior to Notre Dame joining the BIG EAST Conference in 1995.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: Connecticut (11-1-0, 5-1-0 BE) is ranked No. 1 in every major poll (Soccer America, NSCAA, Soccer Times, College Soccer News) this week … the Huskies enter their match against Providence on Wednesday (Oct. 10) with a four-game winning streak … UConn’s only loss this season was a 1-0 decision at DePaul on Sept. 23 … O’Brian White is the reigning BIG EAST offensive player of the week … he has received that honor three times this season … White leads the Huskies with 11 goals and 26 points … Mike Pezza has a team-best 12 assists … Connecticut is averaging 2.15 goals per game, while surrendering 0.41 … senior defender Julius James is a two-time All-American … Josh Ford has started all 12 games in goal … he has a 0.41 goals-against average with eight shutouts … head coach Ray Reid is currently in his 11th campaign at Connecticut … he has an overall record of 167-63-19 at the school.
AT STAKE: First place in the BIG EAST Blue Division will be on the line when Notre Dame and Connecticut face off on Saturday … Notre Dame enters the match in first place in the division, while Connecticut is second … the Irish have a 5-0-1 league record and the Huskies are 5-1-0 entering their match against Providence on Wednesday.
FACING #1, AGAIN: With Connecticut carrying a No. 1 ranking into Saturday’s match, Notre Dame will be facing a top-ranked team for the second time this season … the Irish topped then-No. 1 UCLA, 2-1, in overtime during the season opener on Aug. 31.
IRISH VS. #1: Saturday’s game against Connecticut will mark the seventh time that Notre Dame has squared off against a team ranked No. 1 at the time of the match since 1990 … the Irish are 1-5-0 in those games … the Irish topped No. 1 UCLA, 2-1, in overtime earlier this season at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic (8/31) … Notre Dame has faced Connecticut once while the Huskies were ranked No. 1, a 2-0 setback during the 1998 season at Alumi Field … here are Notre Dame’s encounters with No. 1 since 1990 …
8/31/07 vs.UCLA W, 2-1 (OT) (Bloomington, Ind.) 9/15/04 at Indiana L, 0-2 10/16/98 Connecticut L, 0-2 9/2/97 Indiana L, 0-4 11/20/94 at Indiana L, 1-0 (OT) (NCAA Tournament) 9/23/94 at Indiana L, 2-0
NOTRE DAME IN BIG EAST PLAY:Notre Dame owns an overall record of 74-48-13 (.596) in BIG EAST regular-season play since joining the conference in 1995 … the Irish have posted six straight winning seasons within the conference, including last season’s 8-3-0 record … it marked the second time that the Irish posted at least eight BIG EAST victories … Notre Dame won its only regular-season BIG EAST title in 2004 with an 8-1-1 record … the Fighting Irish captured BIG EAST Tournament crowns in 1996 and 2003.
IRISH THOUGHTS: Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark shares his thoughts on this week’s games …
“Michigan State will be a big out-of-conference game for us. They are one of our regional rivals and they are having one of their best seasons ever. It’s going to be a formidable test for us because they haven’t lost at home yet this season. I think we’ll be ready. We are in a great position right now and every game is huge. The game up in East Lansing is no different.”
NEXT UP: Notre Dame will wrap up its regular-season home schedule with key matches next week … first, the Irish will take on No. 13 Indiana on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 7:00 p.m. (ET) … the match will be broadcast by Comcast Local … the Fighting Irish will welcome in BIG EAST foe Seton Hall for senior day on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 1:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: Third-ranked Notre Dame used a goal from Ryan Miller in the 63rd minute to defeat No. 13 West Virginia 1-0 in BIG EAST action on Saturday, Oct. 6 at Alumni Field … 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 sent a diving header just wide of the goal off a cross from defender Jack Traynor … West Virginia 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 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 … Chris Cahill 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.
WEEKLY HONORS: Three Notre Dame players earned weekly honors on Monday, Oct. 8 for their efforts in helping the Fighting Irish top two ranked teams … Ryan Miller, Chris Cahill and Cory Rellas were pivotal factors in a 3-0 win over No. 16 Michigan and a 1-0 triumph of No. 13 West Virginia … Miller was named to the Soccer America, College Soccer News and Top Drawer Soccer national teams of the week … he tallied a career-high two goals in the victory against Michigan and then scored the game winner in the 63rd minute against West Virginia … Miller was also selected to the BIG EAST weekly honor roll for his efforts … Cahill was tabbed as the BIG EAST goalkeeper of the week for the third time this season … he and the Fighting Irish defense held Michigan scoreless for the first time this season … Cahill made a season-high seven saves in the match and followed it up with six stops in the victory over West Virginia … the senior became the first player in program history to be named the conference’s goalkeeper of the week on three occasions in a single season … Cahill has received the honor five times in his career … that is a team record for any of the conference’s weekly awards … Rellas earned his first BIG EAST weekly accolade as he was named the league’s defensive player of the week … the center back was a huge force as the Fighting Irish posted the two shutouts on the week … he also notched his first goal of the season in the win over the Wolverines.
HIGH MARKS: Notre Dame was ranked No. 2 in all four of the major polls (Soccer America, NSCAA, Soccer Times, College Soccer News) released on Sept. 24 & 25 … that marked the highest-ever ranking in program history.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: A total of 10 different Irish players have notched a goal this season … senior Ryan Miller leads the way with four tallies … seniors Joseph Lapira and Kurt Martin along with sophomore Dave Donohue and freshman Jeb Brovsky are second with two goals apiece, while five other players have scored once … a total of 13 players have tallied at least one point … Miller has a team-best 10 points … Lapira leads the Irish with four assists.
SHOOTING STARS: Notre Dame has out shot its opponents 193-128 this season … the Irish own a 98-44 advantage in shots during the first half and an 86-80 edge in the second period.
CORNERING THE MARKET: The Fighting Irish have a 63-33 advantage in corner kicks over their opponents, including a decisive 29-10 margin in first-half play.
BLANKING THE COMPETITION: Notre Dame has posted six shutouts this season … Irish goalkeepers Chris Cahill and Andrew Quinn both saw action in a 3-0 win over Rhode Island … Quinn picked up the shutout against Marquette (1-0), while Cahill and the Irish defense held Rutgers (2-0) and Villanova (1-0) without a goal … Cahill notched a shutout against No. 16 Michigan in a 3-0 victory by making a season-high seven saves … he followed that with another blanking in a 1-0 win over No. 13 West Virginia.
TOUGH D: In addition to its six shutouts, the Notre Dame defense has only surrendered more than one goal on one occasion this season … that came in a 3-0 loss to then-No. 7 Maryland.
SHOCKING SHUTOUT: While the Irish defense has posted six shutouts this season, the Notre Dame offense has been held without a goal just once in the past 25 matches … Notre Dame’s 3-0 loss to then-No. 7 Maryland on Sept. 2 marked the first time the Fighting Irish had been shut out since Sept. 20, 2006, a span of 15 games … that match was a 0-0 tie with Northern Illinois … the Irish have gone 16 regular-season BIG EAST matches without being shut out.
ROOKIE IMPACT: The Irish have had a significant impact from its 2007 freshman class … Jeb Brovsky is tied for second on the team with two goals and is tied for third in points with five … Matt Armstrong has started every game in the midfield and has notched one assist … Armstrong has filled the shoes of two-time first-team All-American Greg Dalby, who had a stellar four-year career with the Irish … Josh Thiermann and Steven Perry have combined to play in 13 games and have been valuable sparks off the bench.
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 followed up this season’s only loss, a 3-0 setback against Maryland, with a 3-0 win over Rhode Island.
TAKING DOWN A TOP-10: The victory over top-ranked UCLA on Aug. 31 gave Notre Dame a win over a top-10 team for the eighth straight season … Notre Dame took down three top-10 teams last season … the Irish topped both Creighton (4-1) and Indiana (5-4, OT) when those squads were ranked eighth nationally … Notre Dame bested No. 7 Maryland, 1-0, in double-overtime during the third round of the NCAA Tournament … that marked the first time the Irish beat three top-10 teams in a season since 2002.
PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF: Joseph Lapira opened the season with a three-point match in a 2-1 overtime win against No. 1 UCLA … he gave the Irish a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute and then assisted on Alex Yoshinaga’s golden goal in the 94th minute to give Notre Dame the victory … Lapira led all NCAA Division I men’s soccer players with 22 goals and 50 points last season … he leads the team with four assists and is second in points with eight.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS: Senior forward Joseph Lapira currently ranks in a tie for ninth place on Notre Dame’s all-time goals list … he has 34 tallies, which ties him with Terry Finnegan, who played from 1977-78 … Lapira is four goals away from cracking into the top five … his 85 career points rank him in a tie for ninth in program history … he has the same total as Erich Braun (1999-02).
BIG EAST ACCOLADES: Joseph Lapira was named the preseason BIG EAST offensive player of the year and junior defender Matt Besler joined Lapira on the all-BIG EAST preseason team … Lapira was the 2006 BIG EAST offensive player of the year.
LAPIRA NAMED TO M.A.C. HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST: Joseph Lapira was named to the 2007 Missouri Athletic Club (M.A.C.) Hermann Trophy Watch List … the trophy is presented annually to the top men’s soccer player in the United States … Lapira won the award last season as he led all NCAA Division I men’s players with 22 goals and 50 points … he became the first Notre Dame men’s player to receive the award … a panel of coaches from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) compiled the 29-man M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Watch List … Lapira will try to become the first back-to-back recipient of the most prestigious award in college soccer since Virginia’s Claudio Reyna took home the Hermann Trophy in 1992 and 1993.
NOTRE DAME PICKED SECOND IN BLUE DIVISION: Notre Dame was selected to finish second in the BIG EAST Blue Division for the 2007 season … the Irish garnered 102 points in voting by the league’s head coaches, while Connecticut received 105 points … Connecticut garnered 10 first-place votes in the Blue Division, while Notre Dame had four and West Virginia totaled three … St. John’s was tabbed to win the league’s Red Division followed by Rutgers and South Florida.
COLLEGE SOCCER NEWS WATCH LISTS: Joseph Lapira was selected to the College Soccer News Pre-Season All-America first team … the senior 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 2007 season … (M) Matt Armstrong and (F) Josh Thiermann were selected to the list and are 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 15th nationally by College Soccer News … (M) Matt Armstrong, (M) Jeb Brovsky, (D) Bilal Duckett, (M) Greg Klazura, (F) Andrew Luttrell, (F) Steven Perry and (F) Josh Thiermann make up the talented crop of Fighting Irish rookies.
IRISH ON THE SMALL SCREEN: Notre Dame will have four of its regular-season matches televised … the Fighting Irish played Rutgers on Fox Soccer Channel on Sept. 21 in Piscataway, N.J. … two Irish home games will also be televised … Notre Dame and Michigan appeared on Comcast Local on Wednesday, Oct. 3 and the Irish’s tilt against Indiana, set for Wednesday, Oct. 17, will also appear on Comcast Local at 7:00 p.m. (ET) … a match at Providence on Oct. 28 will be carried by Cox Sports Television.
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.
WATCH THE IRISH ONLINE: Go to und.com to watch a live broadcast of the Notre Dame men’s soccer games … all of the remaining home games, except for the Indiana contest since that will be aired by Comcast Local, will be available free of charge on und.com … simply find the `Live Events’ tab on the front page and find that day’s game to watch.
SIGN UP FOR IRISH ALERT TEXT MESSAGE SERVICE: Go to und.com to sign up for Irish ALERT, a text messaging service designed to give fans up-to-the-minute game updates for all 26 varsity sports at Notre Dame … men’s soccer fans can sign up to receive scores after each half of every game.