SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The No. 23/8 Fighting Irish men’s soccer team battled No. 22 Duquesne to a 1-1 draw at Alumni Stadium on Tuesday night, as both teams remained unbeaten on the season.
Notre Dame outshot the Dukes by a margin of 21-3 on the evening.
The Fighting Irish goal came from Nolan Spicer, scoring his first of the season off the feed from Bryce Boneau.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish were on the front foot all half, dominating possession and the run of play over the opening 45 minutes of play. However, neither side was able to find the breakthrough goal in the first half, as it was scoreless at the intermission.
Matthew Roou forced a diving save from the Dukes’ keeper in the 32nd minute and then had the ball in the back of the net right before the half but it was judged to have gone off an arm by VAR to keep the match at 0-0.
The Irish kept the pressure on the Duquesne backline coming out of the break. Roou nearly scored the opener in the 57th minute but his headed effort off a corner from KK Baffour was tipped over the bar by the goalkeeper.
Eight minutes later the attacking onslaught paid off. Spicer and Boneau played a 1-2 on the edge of the area which resulted in Spicer burying his effort inside the far post to break the deadlock and put the Irish in front at 1-0 in the 65th minute.
Notre Dame nearly doubled its lead in the 77th minute. Baffour found space on the right side of the area and fired an effort on frame but the Duquesne goalie made a leaping save to keep it a one-goal advantage.
Completely against the run of play, Duquesne found the equalizer in the 86th minute, as the Dukes were awarded a penalty and Dakota Jonke converted from the spot to level the match at 1-1.
The Irish tried to find the winner in the final stages of play but time ran out before they could find the winner as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
McFARLAND FAMILY MEN’S HEAD SOCCER COACH CHAD RILEY’S TAKE
On the match…
“Disappointed with the draw but credit Duquesne, they were committed, defended really well and were organized. Then they seized on a moment at the end to earn the tie. I think there are a lot of things to be happy with about our performance. On another night we put a few more goals in.”
On the patience of the attack…
“Scoring the opening goal after creating many chances was one of the positives. We kept our composure even after having a goal called back in the first half. It can be very easy to be frantic in those moments but the guys stayed calm and continued to do the things we do all the time and were rewarded with a goal. Then their keeper made a couple of great saves to keep us at one.”
ND NOTES
- All six goals from the Irish have come from six different players this season
- Spicer’s goal is his first of the season and second of his career
- Boneau’s assist is the 12th of his career and second of the season
- Will Schroeder made the first start of his career on Tuesday evening
UP NEXT
The Irish continue their homestand at Alumni Stadium with a ranked showdown against No. 3 Stanford at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 14.
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