Sept. 23, 2009
Game Notes 
#9 LOUISVILLE (5-0-1, 2-0-0) at #21 NOTRE DAME (3-3-1, 1-1-0)
Friday, Sept. 25 • 5:00 p.m. (ET)
Alumni Stadium • Notre Dame, Ind.
Notre Dame leads series 8-1-0
TV: ESPNU (Live)
CINCINNATI (5-2-0, 1-1-0) at #21 NOTRE DAME (3-3-1, 1-1-0)
Sunday, Sept. 27 • 3:30 p.m. (ET)
Alumni Stadium • Notre Dame, Ind.
Cincinnati leads series 3-2-1
TV: CBS College Sports (Live)
SETTING THE STAGE ...
Notre Dame will play host to two nationally-televised BIG EAST showdowns this weekend. The Irish welcome in Louisville on Friday, Sept. 25 at 5:00 p.m. (ET). The game can be seen live on ESPNU. Notre Dame will face Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 3:30 p.m. (ET). That match will be broadcast by CBS College Sports. Both matches can also be followed via a live audio-only broadcast on und.com.
ABOUT THE IRISH ...
Notre Dame brings a 3-3-1 record into the match against Louisville on Friday ... the Fighting Irish are 1-1 in BIG EAST play ... the Irish opened their league schedule with a 2-1 win at DePaul on Sept. 18 ... Notre Dame dropped a 2-1 decision at USF on Sept. 20 ... senior forward Bright Dike netted the game winner against the Blue Demons ... junior forward Jeb Brovsky also scored in the match ... Dike notched his team-leading fifth goal of the season in the loss to the Bulls ... Dike has a team-best 11 points ... senior midfielder Michael Thomas assisted on both goals in the DePaul match and possesses a team-high three assists to go along with two goals ... Notre Dame is averaging 1.86 goals per game, while surrendering 1.14 per contest ... Andrew Quinn and Philip Tuttle have split time in goal ... Quinn, a fifth-year senior, has a 1-1-1 record with a 1.23 goals-against average and a .778 save percentage in 292:08 ... Tuttle, a senior, possesses a 2-2 record with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .714 save percentage in 359:40 ... head coach Bobby Clark is in his ninth season with the Irish ... he has a 109-48-23 (.669) record during his Notre Dame tenure.
NOTRE DAME IN BIG EAST PLAY ...
Notre Dame owns an overall record of 84-51-18 (.608) in BIG EAST regular-season play since joining the conference in 1995 ... the Irish have posted eight straight winning seasons within the conference, including last season's 7-2-2 mark ... the Irish have three regular-season BIG EAST titles ... Notre Dame won the championship outright in 2004 and 2008 (Blue Division) and shared the Blue Division trophy with Connecticut in 2007 ... the Fighting Irish captured BIG EAST tournament crowns in 1996 and 2003 ... Notre Dame's high-water mark for BIG EAST victories in a season is eight, which has been reached twice (2004 & 2006).
BACK-TO-BACK TITLES ...
The Irish have won back-to-back BIG EAST regular-season titles for the first time in program history ... Notre Dame shared the Blue Division crown with Connecticut in 2007 ... the 2008 title marked the third regular-season BIG EAST championship in program history ... the Fighting Irish also won the championship outright in 2004.
IRISH IN BIG EAST OPENERS ...
With the 2-1 win at DePaul on Sept. 18, the Fighting Irish are 10-4-1 all-time in BIG EAST Conference openers.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS LOUISVILLE ...
Friday will mark the 10th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Louisville ... the Fighting Irish are 8-1-0 against the Cardinals ... the two schools split last season's two meetings ... the Cardinals topped the Irish, 2-1, in overtime at Louisville during the regular season ... Notre Dame played host to Louisville during the quarterfinals of the 2008 BIG EAST Championship and the Irish produced a 1-0 victory ... the Cardinals are 0-5 all-time at Notre Dame ... Notre Dame owns a 22-6 scoring advantage in the series.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS ...
Louisville will bring a 5-0-1 record into its match with the Irish on Friday ... the Cardinals are 2-0 in BIG EAST play ... Louisville opened league action with home wins over West Virginia (2-0) and Pittsburgh (5-0) last weekend ... Louisville's other wins have come against Bowling Green (3-0), IUPUI (2-0) and SIU Edwardsville (2-0) ... the Cardinals played UIC to a 1-1 draw ... Louisville is averaging 2.50 goals per game, while surrendering 0.17 per contest ... Freddie Braun and Colin Rolfe lead the team with three goals apiece, while Braun has two assists for a team-high eight points ... Andre Boudreaux has played all 470 minutes in goal and carries a 0.19 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage ... Louisville posted an 11-8-2 record last season and fell to Jacksonville, 4-3, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament ... the Cardinals went 5-5-1 in the BIG EAST to finish fourth in the Red Division ... head coach Ken Lolla is in his fourth season at Louisville.
THE LAST TIME ...
Notre Dame used a goal from Bright Dike in the 81st minute to defeat Louisville during the quarterfinals of the 2008 BIG EAST Championship at Alumni Field ... Jeb Brovsky and Aaron Maund assisted on the tally ... Notre Dame out shot Louisville, 14-11, while also holding a 5-1 edge in corner kicks ... Irish goalkeeper Philip Tuttle made six saves to earn the win.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS CINCINNATI ...
Sunday will mark the seventh meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Cincinnati ... the Bearcats hold a 3-2-1 edge in the series ... the Irish topped the Bearcats, 3-0, last season at Cincinnati ... the Bearcats are 2-0-1 all-time at Notre Dame ... the last meeting at Notre Dame took place during the 2007 campaign and the two teams played to a 1-1 draw ... the Fighting Irish hold an 8-7 scoring advantage in the series.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS ...
Cincinnati will take a 5-2-0 record into its match at Marquette on Friday ... the Bearcats are 1-1 in BIG EAST play ... Cincinnati opened league action with a 1-0 win against Pittsburgh before falling to West Virginia, 2-0 ... the Bearcats began the campaign with wins over Dayton (5-2), Canisius (5-0), Wright State (2-0) and Western Illinois (3-0) before dropping a 3-0 decision against top-ranked Akron ... Cincinnati is averaging 2.29 goals per game, while allowing 1.00 per contest ... Nick Weightman leads the team in goals (3) and assists (3) ... Miguel Rosales and Matt Williams have split time in goal ... Rosales is 3-1 and possesses a 0.50 goals-against average and a .600 save percentage to go along with three shutouts ... Williams is 2-1 with a 1.67 goals-against average and a .792 save percentage with one shutout ... head coach Hylton Dayes is in his ninth season with the Bearcats.
THE LAST TIME ...
Notre Dame captured a 3-0 decision last season at Cincinnati ... the victory was the 100th for Bobby Clark during his Notre Dame tenure ... the Fighting Irish used goals from Tamba Samba, Michael Thomas and Bright Dike to secure the victory ... the Irish held a 16-15 edge in shots along with earning one more corner kick (7-6).
IRISH THOUGHTS ...
Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark discusses this weekend's BIG EAST matches ...
"This will certainly be a great weekend of soccer. I don't think we've ever taken both games against Louisville and Cincinnati (since they joined the BIG EAST in 2005). It's certainly been a hard task and this year is no different. This is a good opportunity for us with two good league teams coming in. Louisville is off to a flying start just like they did last year. Cincinnati is also off to a good start and they are a good team. These will be two good games and we are looking forward to the challenge."
LOSE THE SHOES ...
At halftime of the Notre Dame-Cincinnati match, the championship game of the `Lose the Shoes' tournament will be held ... the preliminary games of the tournament will take place on the Notre Dame campus on Saturday (Sept. 26) ... the proceeds from the 3-on-3 barefoot soccer tournament will benefit Grassroot Soccer, a South Africa-based non-governmental organization that integrates the cross-cultural appeal of soccer with evidence-based HIV prevention and life skills programs that arm African youth with the knowledge, skills, and support to live HIV free ... Tommy Clark, the eldest son of Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark, is a cofounder of Grassroot Soccer ... in the fall of 2006, Dartmouth College held the first ever `Lose the Shoes' tournament ... since then, over 90 `Lose the Shoes' tournaments have raised almost $150,000.
DIKE DELIVERS ...
Senior forward Bright Dike scored the game-winning goal in the 60th minute in the 2-1 win over DePaul in the BIG EAST opener on Sept. 18 ... in the following match, Dike netted the equalizer in the 78th minute in a 2-1 setback at USF ... he was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for his efforts ... Dike has registered at least one point in 11 of the last 13 BIG EAST games (regular season or postseason).
MAUND AND POWERS OFF TO U-20 WORLD CUP ...
Sophomore defender Aaron Maund and freshman midfielder Dillon Powers were selected to the 21-man U.S. roster for the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt ... the duo left the Fighting Irish following the game versus New Mexico on Sept. 13 and are scheduled to rejoin the team for their match against Georgetown on Oct. 21 ... the U.S. is joined by Germany, Cameroon and Korea Republic in Group C for the tournament ... the U.S. will have group matches on Sept. 26 (Germany), Sept. 29 (Cameroon) and Oct. 2 (Korea Republic) ... if the U.S. advances out of group play, the Round of 16 will take place Oct. 5-7 ... quarterfinals are set for Oct. 9-10, with the semifinals to follow on Oct. 13 ... the championship match and third-place game are scheduled for Oct. 16 ... Notre Dame and UCLA are the only two schools with multiple representatives on the team.
DEBUTS ...
Junior Greg Klazura and sophomore Michael Knapp made their collegiate debuts coming off the bench for the Irish in the loss to USF on Sunday ... they are helping to fill the void with the absence of Aaron Maund and Dillon Powers, who are both with the U.S. U-20 team.
OFFENSE AT ALUMNI ...
Notre Dame scored the first nine goals in the brand new Alumni Stadium before surrendering a goal to the New Mexico in the 38th minute during the game on Sept. 13 ... the scoreless streak in the new venue reached 217:54.
DIKE DEPOSITS HAT TRICK ...
Senior forward Bright Dike had a stellar start to the 2009 season as he registered the first hat trick of his career in a 5-0 win over Michigan ... it marked the second multiple-goal game in Dike's career ... he scored twice in a 4-1 victory against Duke last season ... the hat trick was the first for a Notre Dame player since Dave Donohue scored three times against Marquette last season (Sept. 11, 2008).
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION ...
Notre Dame's five-goal outburst against Michigan in the season opener was the first for the Fighting Irish since a 5-0 triumph of South Florida on Sept. 7, 2008 ... the five tallies are the most in a season opener for Notre Dame since a 5-0 victory over Villanova in 2001 ... that was head coach Bobby Clark's first game with the Irish.
SHOOTING DOWN THE COMPETITION ...
Notre Dame has out shot six of its seven opponents so far this season ... the Irish hold a 101-75 edge in shots over their opponents.
ALUMNI STADIUM ...
The 2009 season will mark a new era for Fighting Irish soccer as Notre Dame begins play in Alumni Stadium ... the Irish opened the facility with a 5-0 victory over Michigan on Sept. 1 ... the $5.7 million venue resides just east of the Joyce Center on the Notre Dame campus and features a natural grass field, lights, locker rooms, restrooms, concession areas and permanent seating for over 2,000 spectators ... the lead benefactors for the facility are former Irish soccer players Tom Crotty and Rob Snyder.
TOUGH STRETCH ...
Last Sunday's game versus fifth-ranked USF marked the third time this season that Notre Dame faced a top-five opponent ... the Fighting Irish opened the 2009 season against three ranked teams (#21 Michigan, #3 Wake Forest, #1 St. John's) ... that signified the first time since 2003 that Notre Dame opened a campaign against three ranked opponents ... the back-to-back games against Wake Forest and St. John's was the first time ever the Fighting Irish had faced back-to-back top-three teams ... it was the first time Notre Dame had consecutive matches against top-10 foes since 2007 (#7 Santa Clara and #2 Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament).
UP NEXT ...
Notre Dame will conclude its three-game home stand against BIG EAST foe Seton Hall on Friday, Oct. 2 ... the match is slated for a 7:00 p.m. (ET) start.
LEAGUE HONORS FOR DIKE AND THOMAS ...
Senior forward Bright Dike was named the 2009 BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year ... he was joined on the league's all-preseason squad by Irish senior midfielder Michael Thomas.
POWERS EARNS NATIONAL HONORS ...
Freshman midfielder Dillon Powers was named the 2008-09 Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year ... in addition, he was selected as the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Co-Player of the Year in July.
THOMAS A LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE ...
Midfielder Michael Thomas has been named one of 30 candidates for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for men's soccer ... a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award at the end of September ... those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote beginning October 5 and concluding November 13 ... fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award ... the winner will be announced during the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's College Cup in Cary, North Carolina, scheduled for December 11-13.
RETURNING FIREPOWER ...
Notre Dame returned 38 of 41 goals scored from last season ... leading the way is senior forward Bright Dike, who led all BIG EAST players in goals (12) and points (29) one year ago ... Michael Thomas was the top scoring midfielder in the league with 21 points on eight goals and five assists ... junior forward Jeb Brovsky is back after totaling five goals and six assists as a sophomore ... seniors Dave Donohue (5g, 5a) and Justin Morrow (2g, 4a) registered 15 and eight points, respectively, one season ago ... sophomore Brendan King and senior Tamba Samba chipped in two goals apiece for the Irish ... King also added three assists.
IRISH PICKED TO WIN BLUE DIVISION ...
Notre Dame was selected to win the 2009 BIG EAST Blue Division title according to a vote by the league's head coaches ... the Fighting Irish received 12 first-place votes among the Blue Division squads, while Connecticut garnered three and Georgetown had one vote ... the league's 16 head coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams ... St. John's was picked to win the Red Division.
COLLEGE SOCCER NEWS WATCH LISTS ...
Two Notre Dame freshmen were named to the College Soccer News `100 Freshmen To Keep An Eye On' list for the 2009 season ... midfielder/defender Danny O'Leary and midfielder Dillon Powers were selected to the list and are part of a very talented six-man freshman class for the Irish.
FRESHMAN CLASS NATIONALLY RANKED ...
Notre Dame's freshman class was ranked ninth according to College Soccer News ... Bob Novak (M), Danny O'Leary (M/D), Dillon Powers (M), Kyle Richard (M/F), Grant Van De Casteele (D) and Eric Tilley (M/D) make up the stellar class.
IRISH NAME CAPTAINS ...
Senior midfielders Dave Donohue, Justin Morrow and Michael Thomas along with fifth-year senior midfielder/defender Cory Rellas have been named team captains for the 2009 campaign ... this is the second straight season in which Thomas has been an Irish captain, while the other three are first-time captains.
SEASON IN REVIEW ...
Last season, Notre Dame posted a 12-7-2 mark, including a 7-2-2 record in conference play, en route to capturing its second straight BIG EAST Blue Division title ... the Fighting Irish garnered the 12th seed for the NCAA Championship ... the Irish fell to Northwestern, 2-1, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Alumni Field ... the Fighting Irish concluded the season ranked 16th in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll ... Notre Dame averaged 1.95 goals per game last season, while allowing 1.10 per contest ... Bright Dike led the BIG EAST in goals (12) and total points (29) ... the forward copped first team all-league and all-region honors in 2008 ... central defender Matt Besler was named a first-team All-American and first team Academic All-American in addition to being tabbed as the NSCAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year ... Besler became the highest MLS SuperDraft pick in program history as he was selected eighth overall by the Kansas City Wizards ... the New York Red Bulls drafted his backline mate, Jack Traynor, with the 29th overall selection.
TICKETS ON SALE ...
To purchase a 2009 season pass or single-game tickets, call the Notre Dame ticket office at (574) 631-7356, visit und.com/tickets or stop by the Notre Dame ticket office on the second level of the Joyce Center ... tickets can also be purchased at Alumni Stadium on gamedays.
PARKING ...
Fans coming to enjoy Fighting Irish soccer at the brand new Alumni Stadium are encouraged to park at the Joyce Center's C1 lot.
SIGN UP FOR IRISH ALERT ...
Go to und.com and 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.
