Oct. 14, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Junior midfielder Patrick Hodan buried a penalty kick in the 66th minute to give the ninth-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s soccer team a 1-0 win over No. 19 Northwestern on Tuesday evening at Alumni Stadium.
The key sequence began with Notre Dame freshman forward Jeffrey Farina playing the ball ahead to his classmate Jon Gallagher, who was taken down in the box by Nathan Dearth. Hodan deposited the attempt for his third goal in the last three games. The junior has a team-high four goals this season.
Notre Dame (7-3-2) outshot Northwestern 15-5 overall and 4-2 in attempts on frame. The Irish also earned nine corner kicks compared to just two for the Wildcats. Notre Dame’s Patrick Wall made two saves to earn his fifth clean sheet of the season. Tyler Miller had three saves for Northwestern.
“It was big to come out here and get a result against a team that had only lost once this year,” Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark said. “They’re a very good team and this actually is the first time I’ve ever beaten Northwestern (in seven tries). I knew it was going to be difficult because their coach, Tim Lenahan, does a really good job.”
Neither team produced any chances in the early portion of the match. Northwestern (6-2-4) forward Joey Calistri had the game’s first shot on goal when he sent his attempt right to Wall in the 12th minute.
The Fighting Irish increased their offensive pressure midway through the first half. In the 24th minute, Hodan had a free kick from just outside the right side of the penalty box that hit the crossbar. Notre Dame forward Vince Cicciarelli placed a diving header wide of the near post in the 27th minute. Less than a minute later, Cicciarelli received a pass and worked his way deep into the penalty box, but Miller saved his close-range attempt.
The Wildcats nearly capitalized off a set piece in the 38th minute when Eric Weberman’s free kick from the top of the penalty box grazed the far post. Northwestern’s Elo Ozumba rocketed the ball just over the crossbar from 10 yards out in the 41st minute.
“Even though we had a lot of the ball in their half, we didn’t make a lot of good chances,” Clark said. “That’s kind of been the story of our year. We’ve dominated games, but we’re not making enough good chances. We have to look to that and somehow find a remedy and get a few more goals on the board.”
Hodan threatened again in the 80th minute when his free kick from 25 yards away was put on frame, yet Miller was there to coral the ball. The victory, which snapped Northwestern’s six-game unbeaten streak, wasn’t sealed until Wall saved a dangerous attempt from Grant Wilson in the final seconds of the match.
“I felt after we scored we kind of lost a little bit of the grip on the game and they (Northwestern) became very direct,” Clark stated. “When we were connecting earlier in the game and up until we scored in the second half, I was very pleased with the way we were playing. It was one of our best performances, but we still have to get some more goals.”
The Fighting Irish will look to get those goals when they return to Atlantic Coast Conference action Friday at Duke. The match is slated for 8 p.m. (ET) and it can be seen on ESPN3.
Oct. 14, 2014
Alumni Stadium – Notre Dame, Ind.
#19 Northwestern (6-2-4) 0 0 – 0
#9 Notre Dame (7-3-2) 0 1 – 1
Scoring: ND: Patrick Hodan (penalty kick) 65:31
— Sean Carroll, Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director
–ND–