Coming off a thrilling overtime win over No. 3 North Carolina, Notre Dame has a rematch with No. 1 Pitt in the ACC Championship semifinals at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 18 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The match will air on ACCN and the winner will play for the ACC crown at noon ET on Sunday, Nov. 22 in Cary, North Carolina.
ACC SEMIFINALS: NOTRE DAME vs. No. 1 PITT
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina | Dail Soccer Field
TV: ACCN
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer
Game Notes: vs. Pitt
THE IRISH IN THE ACC TOURNEY
• Notre Dame has reached the semifinal round or beyond in the ACC Championship for the fifth time in eight seasons as a conference member.
• The Irish have made one appearance in the conference tournament finals, hosting the title match in 2015 at Alumni Stadium against Syracuse.
• Notre Dame has an overall ACC Tournament record of 10-5-2 and has reached at least the quarterfinal round in all eight seasons in the league.
• The Irish have won at least one match in all eight ACC Championship appearances.
• Prior to joining the ACC, Notre Dame won three Big East Tournament titles and three MCC (Midwestern Collegiate Conference) titles.
THE PITT SERIES
• The Irish and Panthers will meet on the pitch for the 27th time on Friday evening.
• The Irish hold a commanding lead in the series with a mark of 18-5-3.
• Notre Dme has played at Pitt 11 times in the series, posting a record of 8-1-2, including a 1-0 win during the 2018 regular season.
• The Irish have won 17 of the last 19 meetings in the matchup.
• However, the Irish fell to the Panthers in the most recent matchup, dropping a 3-1 decision to Pitt earlier this season at Alumni Stadium on Sept. 26.
LYNN LEADS THE LINE
• Junior forward Jack Lynn is tied for second in the ACC in goals (6) and third in points (12) heading into the ACC semifinals despite missing time early in the season with an injury.
• Lynn paces all active Irish players in career goals with 19 over his three years at Notre Dame.
• In the final match of the regular season, Lynn recorded the first hat trick of his career, scoring three times in the first half in the 4-1 win over Louisville.
• The forward enjoyed a breakout 2019 campaign, scoring a career-high 10 goals to lead the Irish attack.
AIDEN’S ASSISTS
• Senior forward Aiden McFadden is living up to his No. 10 jersey this season, totaling four assists.
• McFadden’s four assists rank fourth in the ACC.
• All four of McFadden’s assists have come off crosses, including two from service on corners.
• Despite not getting credited with an assist, McFadden provided the final touch from a Notre Dame player in the double overtime own goal to help the Irish defeat the Cavaliers on Oct. 24.
• McFadden scored his first goal of the season in overtime in the ACC quarterfinals to defeat UNC on Nov. 15.
BEN THERE, DONE THAT
• Junior Ben Giacobello had a career night in the win over Louisville to close out the fall regular season.
• Giacobello scored a goal and picked up two assists to record a career-high four points in the 4-1 win.
• The junior now has three goals and three assists in his Notre Dame career.
KEEP IT CLEAN
• Senior goalkeeper Keagan McLaughlin has recorded six clean sheets in his 11 career starts in goal for the Irish.
• McLaughlin has helped Notre Dame record two shutout wins this season, coming in 1-0 wins over Kentucky, Syracuse and UNC.
• The senior shot stopper recorded a career-high five saves in the victory over the Tar Heels to send the Irish to the ACC semifinals.
• McLaughlin kept clean sheets in all three starts during the 2019 campaign, coming in wins over Denver, Michigan State and Purdue Fort Wayne.
RILEY IN YEAR THREE AT NOTRE DAME
• Head Coach Chad Riley is in his third season at the helm of his alma mater.
• Riley has led the Irish to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances since taking the reins of the program.
• The Irish have a record of 26-18-4 during Riley’s tenure.
• Riley became the first head coach in program history to reach the NCAA quarterfinals in his debut season after earning the No. 7 overall seed in the tournament.