Aug. 22, 2016
by Tony Jones
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – An early first half goal looked to put the University of Notre Dame men’s soccer team firmly in the driver’s seat of a Monday exhibition match against Valparaiso. A second half penalty kick equalizer from the visiting Crusaders ended the contest in a 1-1 draw in the annual Grassroot Soccer game on a beautiful night at Alumni Stadium.
No. 9 Notre Dame, playing its final preseason exhibition match before the start of the 2016 regular season, outshot Valparaiso 11-2 on the night, including 7-2 in the second half. The Irish also held the edge in corner kicks by a 7-2 margin.
Jon Gallagher finished a great through ball over the top from tri-captain Evan Panken in the seventh minute for the lone Irish goal. After an artful run, Gallagher broke down Valparaiso goalkeeper Nico Campbell and deposited a shot inside the left post for the 1-0 Notre Dame lead at 6:34.
Despite not attempting an official shot attempt for over 50 minutes to open the match, Valparaiso found the equalizer in the 55th minute. After being taken down in the 18-yard box to earn a penalty, Isaiah Madrid stuck the attempt true for the Crusaders to tie the contest at 1-1 at 54:09.
Notre Dame opens the 2016 season on Friday as part of its Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament. The Irish host UC Irvine at 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Alumni Stadium after Indiana and New Mexico open the tournament at 5 p.m.
Season and single game tickets for the 2016 Notre Dame men’s soccer season are on sale now. Visit und.com/tickets or call the Murnane Family Ticket Office at 574-631-7356 for more information or to purchase tickets.
Play of the Game
Midfielder Tommy McCabe made a strong defensive play to force the ball loose on the Valparaiso
attack in the seventh minute. McCabe’s challenge allowed the ball to squirt free to Evan Panken, who deposited a perfect lob pass over the top to break Jon Gallagher into open space for the lone Notre Dame goal.
Turning Point
After managing one team shot in the first 54 plus minutes, with no targets on goal, a 50-50 foul in the box sent Valparaiso’s Isaiah Madrid to the penalty spot. Madrid drilled the equalizer into the left netting at 54:09 to square the match at 1-1.
Coach Bobby Clark
On the team’s performance over the course of 90 minutes…
“There’s no question that we controlled big periods of the game. I was very pleased with the second group, we put on a complete line change for the last 30 minutes and I thought the younger guys did very well. They continued to carry the game. At the end of the day we ended up with 22 players, some playing 60 minutes and some playing 30 minutes, but it was good. We had shots, but I would like to see us either with more goals or saves. For all of our 11-2 shots advantage, their goalkeeper only had one save. It was a good final workout, and we got through it without any injuries. We’ll hopefully be in good shape for this weekend, because that’s when you really have to be ready.”
On the strong team play that led to the Irish goal in the seventh minute…
“Tommy McCabe did well, he stepped up and found Evan (Panken) who got an excellent ball through to Jon (Gallagher). Jon was unlucky to not have a penalty of his own in the first half (after a foul near the box), and they technically had a man sent off but we allowed them to bring a substitute in. We were using this game as practice and did not want to see them play with 10 men.”
On matching Valparaiso’s intensity in a game with a regular season feel…
“They’re a very athletic team, Mike Avery has a very talented team. There’s a lot of seniors there, a lot of experience and athleticism. That was a good test for our guys, how we handled that. That was a positive for us.”
Note of the Game
Notre Dame remained unbeaten all-time in home exhibition matches under head coach Bobby Clark. The Irish are now 11-0-4 (.867) at both old Alumni Field and Alumni Stadium in fall scrimmages since 2001.
#9 Notre Dame 1, Valparaiso 1 (exhibition)
August 22, 2016
Notre Dame, Ind. (Alumni Stadium)
Valparaiso 0 1 — 1
No. 9 Notre Dame 1 0 — 1
ND 1. Jon Gallagher (Evan Panken), 6:34; VALPO 1. Isaiah Madrid (PK), 54:09.
Total Shots: ND 11 (4-7), VALPO 2 (0-2)
Shots on Goal: ND 2, VALPO 1
Saves: ND 0 (Chris Hubbard 0 in 63:47; Ryan Krutz 0 in 26:13), VALPO 1 (Nico Campbell 1 in 90:00)
Corner Kicks: ND 7 (2-5), VALPO 2 (1-1)
Fouls: ND 11, VALPO 18
Yellow Cards: Isaiah Madrid (VALPO) 8:58; Evan Panken (ND) 21:58; Tommy McCabe (ND) 27:38); Kevin Fallet (VALPO) 47:45
Offsides: ND 2, VALPO 0
Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball and men’s soccer programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.