Sept. 11, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – No. 14 Notre Dame defeated Bucknell 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in men’s soccer action at a sunny Alumni Stadium. The Fighting Irish concluded the 10th annual Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament in second place with a 1-0-1 mark. Indiana won the event with a 2-0 record.
Today’s victory gave Irish head coach Bobby Clark the most wins in program history. Clark, who is in his 11th season on the Notre Dame sidelines, has a 129-60-32 record with the Irish. He moved past Rich Hunter, who was Notre Dame’s first varsity head coach from 1977-83.
Notre Dame (2-1-2) struck early on Sunday as junior midfielder Bob Novak netted his first career goal just 26 seconds into the match. Novak settled the ball near the top of the 18-yard box and sent his shot into the lower-right corner of the netting.
“It was great for Bobby Novak to get that goal,” commented Clark. “He’s done a really good job for us. He hadn’t seen much time before this season, but now he’s been starting some games for us and he’s doing a really good job as a starter. That was a nice reward for him. He has the ability to score goals.”
Bucknell (2-3-0) threatened in the 33rd minute as Ryan Sappington headed a ball on frame and Fighting Irish senior goalkeeper Will Walsh dove to his right and tipped the ball away. Walsh tied a career-high mark with seven saves on the day and was named the tournament’s Goalkeeping MVP. Notre Dame’s Aaron Maund (Sr./D) and Dillon Powers (Jr./M) joined Walsh on the all-tournament team.
The Irish led 1-0 at halftime.
Notre Dame went up 2-0 in the 72nd minute as senior midfielder Adam Mena scored his first goal of the season. The sequence began when Powers sent the ball into the box and Bucknell goalkeeper Tommy Caso could not get a handle on it and Mena deposited it from close range.
Caso played the first 72:27 of the match and did not make a save. Marc Hartman replaced Caso in goal and made two saves.
The Fighting Irish nearly grabbed a three-goal cushion in the 75th minute when Maund sent a header on goal, but a diving Hartman made the save.
The Bison sliced the Irish lead to one with just over two minutes remaining in the match on a Brendan Burgdorf goal. The play started on a Bucknell free kick and after a header from Luke Joyner was blocked inside the 18-yard box, Burgdorf sent the ball into the upper left corner of the netting.
Bucknell held a 15-12 edge in shots, while Notre Dame gained seven corner kicks and the Bison had six.
“I would have liked to close out the game a little bit easier at the end,” added Clark. “We were cruising when we were up 2-0 and then we lost a late goal. They got the free kick and I wasn’t too sure that it should have been given and we didn’t handle it. But I was proud with how our team played today. It was nice to get the win.”
Indiana topped Denver 2-1 in Sunday’s first match. The Hoosiers defeated Bucknell 3-2 on Friday during the first day of the tournament, while the Irish and Denver played to a 2-2 draw. Indiana’s Alec Purdie was selected as the tournament’s Offensive MVP and his teammate Chris Estridge was tabbed as the Defensive MVP.
The Fighting Irish return to action when they play host to Michigan at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on Friday at Alumni Stadium. The Notre Dame women will face Louisville at 5:00 p.m. (ET) that same evening at Alumni Stadium.
Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament
Alumni Stadium – Notre Dame, Ind.
September 11, 2011
Bucknell (2-3-0) 0 1 – 1
#14 Notre Dame (2-1-2) 1 1 – 2
Scoring: ND: Bob Novak (unassisted) 0:26; ND: Adam Mena (Dillon Powers) 71:54; BU: Brendan Burgdorf (unassisted) 87:59
Shots: BU 6-9 – 15, ND 6-6 – 12
Corner Kicks: BU 3-3 – 6, ND 2-5 – 7
Goalkeepers: BU: Tommy Caso – 0 SV, 2 GA, 72:27, L; Marc Hartman – 2 SV, 0 GA, 17:33
ND: Will Walsh – 7 SV, 1 GA, 90:00, W
Fouls: BU 17, ND 11
Offsides: BU 1, ND 0
2011 Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament Final Standings
1. Indiana (2-0-0)
2. Notre Dame (1-0-1)
3. Denver (0-1-1)
4. Bucknell (0-2-0)
2011 Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament All-Tournament Team
Offensive MVP – Alec Purdie, RS Sr., F, Indiana
Defensive MVP – Chris Estridge, Sr., D, Indiana
Goalkeeping MVP – Will Walsh, Sr., GK, Notre Dame
Kerel Bradford, RS Fr., M, Indiana
Jacob Bushue, So., M, Indiana
Chris Estridge, Sr., D, Indiana
Alec Purdie, RS Sr., F, Indiana
Aaron Maund, Sr., D, Notre Dame
Dillon Powers, Jr., M, Notre Dame
Will Walsh, Sr., GK, Notre Dame
Brian Hoyt, Fr., M, Denver
Mark Weigand, Jr., M, Denver
Brendan Burgdorf, Jr., F, Bucknell
Mayowa Alli, So., D, Bucknell
–ND–