Sept. 19, 2017
by Tony Jones
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – A game effort from Bowling Green nearly sent the visitors out of Alumni Stadium with a result on Tuesday night. The host University of Notre Dame men’s soccer team had other plans, as goals from Jon Gallagher and Thomas Ueland were the difference for the No. 1 Irish in a 2-1 victory against the Falcons in nonconference play.
Notre Dame (6-0-0) improved to 4-0 at Alumni Stadium thus far in 2017, winning its first official home midweek contest of the current season. The Irish outshot Bowling Green (5-3-0) by an 18-7 count for the game, including a 6-2 edge in shots on goal. Notre Dame also attempted a season-high 13 corner kicks to just four corners for the Falcons.
Even play for both sides dictated the first 20 minutes of action with Bowling Green holding an early 2-1 shots advantage before Notre Dame found the scoreboard. Gallagher notched his fifth goal of the season in the 21st minute, slotting home a great service by way of Jack Casey and Blake Townes for the 1-0 Notre Dame lead at 20:15.
Bowling Green looked to break on the counter attack less than one minute later, as Chris Brennan got a shot loose from distance toward the Notre Dame frame. Irish goalkeeper Chris Hubbard was on the scene to make the save.
With under five minutes remaining in the opening half, the Irish nearly took a commanding two-goal lead off the boot of Kyle Dedrick. Dedrick uncorked a wicked right-footed blast from the top of the 18-yard box that caromed off the right post and out of danger for the Bowling Green back line.
A spirited beginning to the second half for Bowling Green was rewarded with an equalizer in the 51st minute. Keaton Reynolds flicked the ball along up the middle of the pitch for a streaking Brennan, who buried his fourth goal of the season on the run into the right of the Notre Dame net at 50:42 to tie the game at 1-1.
With the game deadlocked 1-1 in the 77th minute, Jeff Farina received the initial pass and artfully sent Ueland through up the right wing on a give-and-go. Ueland broke free of the Bowling Green defense and tucked his first goal of the year into the right corner of the net at 76:37 for the final game score line of 2-1.
Notre Dame resumes Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play on Friday, traveling to Blacksburg, Virginia, to face Virginia Tech. Kickoff at Thompson Field is set for 7 p.m. (ET) on ACC Network Extra.
Play of the Game
In the 21st minute, Blake Townes settled the ball in the Bowling Green end and wheeled around to drive through the middle of the Falcon defense. A flip pass over the top up the right wing to Jack Casey heightened the promising run, and Casey calmly struck the ball back across the front of the goal and by charging Bowling Green goalkeeper Anthony Mwembia to a waiting Jon Gallagher. Gallagher slotted home the pass for his fifth goal of the year and the 1-0 Notre Dame edge at 20:15.
Turning Point
After Bowling Green tied the game at 50:42, Notre Dame managed to outshoot the Falcons by a combined 8-3 count for the remainder of the night, including finding the game-winning score in the 77th minute.
Note of the Game
By opening his 2017 goal account with the game-winning strike in the 77th minute, Thomas Ueland scored his seventh career goal in a Notre Dame uniform. Three of Ueland’s tallies (Tuesday against Bowling Green; 60th minute of the 2015 ACC Championship semifinal at No. 1 Wake Forest; 109th minute at No. 14 Indiana on Aug. 30, 2015) have been game-winning goals.
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Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball and men’s soccer programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.