No. 21 Notre Dame returns home after three straight away matches to host No. 3 Virginia in an ACC clash at Alumni Stadium at 7 p.m. ET on Friday evening. The match will be broadcast on ACCNX (subscription required).
No. 21 NOTRE DAME vs. No. 3 VIRGINIA
Location: Notre Dame, Indiana | Alumni Stadium
TV: ACCNX
Live Stream: ACCNX
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer
Game Notes: vs. Virginia
THE VIRGINIA SERIES
• The Irish and Cavaliers will meet on the pitch for the 16th time on Friday evening.
• The Irish trail in the series with a mark of 4-7-4.
• Notre Dame has played Virginia at home six times, posting a record of 4-2-1.
• The Irish defeated the Cavaliers in an overtime thriller in the NCAA Round of 16 by a score of 1-0. Jack Lynn scored a header with one second left in the first the first overtime session to send Notre Dame to the quarterfinals.
LYNN IN TOP FORM
• Sophomore striker Jack Lynn has started the 2019 season brightly, scoring a goal in four of his first seven matches.
• Lynn’s four goals are the most by any player on the team.
• After scoring goals in wins over Seattle and Denver the sophomore was named the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament MVP.
• Lynn has already surpassed his goal tally from last season (three goals).
SET-PIECE SPECIALIST
• Felicien Dumas has already scored two goals and added two assists this season off set pieces.
• The graduate student has free kick goals against Seattle and Clemson and has assists against Saint Louis and Seattle.
• Dumas scored the goal of the season for the Irish in 2018, curling an effort into the top right corner in a 3-2 win over Syracuse.
• Dumas is the active leader for career assists with 16.
STARTING STRONG
• The Irish have scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of matches this season.
• In the season opener Notre Dame scored a goal in the second minute (1:12) of play, marking the quickest goal to start a season in program history.
• Freshman Mohammad Abualnadi scored the first goal off a rebound from a Felicien Dumas free kick.
• The goal scored at 1:12 is tied for the second fastest goal scored to open a match since 1995.
• The Irish have scored first in five of seven matches this season.
ROAD SUCCESS
• Notre Dame has picked up positive results away from home this season, posting a mark of 2-1-1 in road matches.
• The Irish have wins over Saint Louis (3-2) and Michigan State (1-0), while earning a 1-1 draw at then No. 4 Indiana. Notre Dame was just the third side to leave Bloomington with a result in Indiana’s last 30 home matches.
• The lone road defeat of the season came at No. 14 UNC by a score of 2-0.
ONE OF THE TOUGHEST SCHEDULES IN THE COUNTRY
• The Irish have never shied away from playing a challenging slate of opponents and the 2019 schedule looks to be no different.
• Notre Dame has or will play four of the top seven ranked teams in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll in No. 3 Virginia, No. 4 Clemson, No. 5 Indiana, and No. 7 Wake Forest.
• Six of the 16 teams on Notre Dame’s regular-season schedule are currently ranked in the top 20
• Ten of the sides the Irish are scheduled to face qualified for the 2018 NCAA tourney.
BERTICELLI MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS
• The Irish won the Berticelli Memorial Tournament last weekend after defeating Seattle (4-2) and Denver (1-0).
• The Irish have claimed the tournament championship nine times: 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019.
• Notre Dame improved to 24-3-5 (.828) all-time in the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament.