Oct. 26, 2011
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The No. 14 Notre Dame men’s soccer team notched its third straight victory with a 2-1 win over Providence on Wednesday afternoon at Glay Field. All three of the victories have come on the road.
Notre Dame (8-3-4, 4-2-1) opened the scoring in the 10th minute as senior midfielder Brendan King sent his shot into the lower-left corner of the net from 12 yards out after a give-and-go with sophomore forward Leon Brown. Junior forward Danny O’Leary picked up the second assist on the goal. The Fighting Irish led 1-0 at halftime.
“I thought we played awfully well today,” said Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark. “We played exceptionally well from start to finish. We played really calm and controlled the entire game. We actually could have scored a few more goals. We are really starting to create opportunities offensively.”
Harrison Shipp gave the Irish a 2-0 lead in the 80th minute when he scored from eight yards away off a cross from senior defender Greg Klazura. Shipp, a sophomore forward, has scored three goals in the past two matches and now has five goals on the season. That goal total, which is a career-high mark for Shipp, ties him with junior forward Ryan Finley for team-high honors. Shipp and Finley both have a team-best 12 points this season.
“Greg Klazura was tremendous for us today at left back,” stated Clark. “Both Ryan Finley and Harry Shipp also were very, very good today. Leon Brown and Danny O’Leary did a good job at the beginning of the game at the forward position. We also defended really well today. It was just a great all-around performance by us.”
Providence (9-6-1, 4-3-1) got on the board in the 90th minute when Marc Cintron deposited the rebound off a John Raley free kick that was saved by Notre Dame goalkeeper Will Walsh.
The Fighting Irish held a 6-5 edge in shots on goal and had a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks. Walsh, a senior, made four saves in the win, while Jhojan Obando also had four saves for the Friars.
Today’s win clinched a BIG EAST Tournament berth for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame has two regular-season matches remaining. The Irish will play host to West Virginia on Saturday and Seton Hall on Monday. Both contests are slated to kickoff at noon (ET) and admission is free for all fans.
Glay Field – Providence, R.I.
October 26, 2011
#14 Notre Dame (8-3-4, 4-2-1) 1 1 – 2
Providence (9-6-1, 4-3-1) 0 1 – 1
Scoring: ND: Brendan King (Leon Brown, Danny O’Leary) 9:07; ND: Harrison Shipp (Greg Klazura) 79:50; PC: Marc Cintron (John Raley) 89:21
Shots: ND 5-8 – 13, PC 6-11 – 17
Corner Kicks: ND 0-6 – 6, PC 2-1 – 3
Goalkeepers: ND: Will Walsh – 4 SV, 1 GA, 90:00, W
PC: Jhojan Obando – 4 SV, 2 GA, 90:00, L
Fouls: ND 12, PC 8
Offsides: ND 4, PC 1
–ND–