Sept. 13, 2013
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – There was no bad luck on this Friday the 13th for the fourth-ranked Notre Dame men’s soccer team as the program picked up its first Atlantic Coast Conference victory with a 3-0 triumph over No. 25 Syracuse at a damp and chilly SU Soccer Stadium.
It also was a night of firsts for two Fighting Irish players. Sophomore midfielder Evan Panken and senior central defender Andrew O’Malley both netted their first career goals, while Patrick Hodan had the third tally to help the Irish (2-0-2, 1-0-1) remain undefeated this season. Hodan, a sophomore midfielder, also had an assist as did senior forward Harrison Shipp.
Notre Dame controlled the match, outshooting Syracuse 17-4, including a 10-1 margin in shots on goal. The Irish earned 11 corner kicks compared to five for the Orange. Senior goalkeeper Patrick Wall made one save to collect his second clean sheet of the season for the Fighting Irish. Syracuse (3-2-0, 0-2-0) goalkeeper Alex Bono had seven saves.
Panken opened the scoring in the 17th minute when he deflected in a corner kick from Shipp at the near post and the Irish went up 2-0 six minutes later when Hodan sent a corner kick to the back post and O’Malley knocked it home. Shipp and Hodan both have a team-high two assists this season.
Notre Dame led 2-0 at halftime. The Fighting Irish outshot the Orange 9-3 in the opening stanza in addition to gaining six more corner kicks (8-2).
“I felt we opened a bit sloppily in the first 10 minutes or so, but then we started connecting passes and we started to find Harry (Shipp) and (Patrick) Hodan,” Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark said. “We made a lot of chances, which is always important.”
Hodan pushed the lead to three in the 51st minute when he deposited one of his game-high four shots on frame to record his first goal of the season and the seventh of his career. It was another big night at Syracuse for Hodan, who had two goals and one assist in last season’s 4-2 win over the Orange in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Championship.
“It was a good win,” Clark said. “The team played very well. Full marks to Syracuse because they are a good side and they kept fighting the entire game. Their goalkeeper made some big-time saves.
“Our team is making progress and I’m pleased with how we’re playing. Our set pieces weren’t very good against North Carolina (on Sunday) and they were a lot better tonight. We still have room for improvement, but the team is really taking ownership of the season.”
The Fighting Irish return to the pitch Tuesday for a non-conference home clash against Michigan. The game is slated for 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Alumni Stadium and it will be broadcast live and for free on WatchND.tv.
SU Soccer Stadium – Syracuse, N.Y.
September 13, 2013
#4 Notre Dame (2-0-2, 1-0-1) 2 1 – 3
#25 Syracuse (3-2-0, 0-2-0) 0 0 – 0
Scoring: ND: Evan Panken (Harrison Shipp) 16:35; ND: Andrew O’Malley (Patrick Hodan) 22:34; ND: Patrick Hodan (unassisted) 50:07
Shots: ND 9-8 – 17, SU 3-1 – 4
Corner Kicks: ND 8-3 – 11, SU 2-3 – 5
Goalkeepers: ND: Patrick Wall – 1 SV, 0 GA, 90:00, W
SU: Alex Bono – 7 SV, 3 GA, 90:00, L
Fouls: ND 11, SU 9
Offsides: ND 6, SU 1
–ND–