Oct. 10, 2009
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A golden goal from senior forward Bright Dike (Edmond, Okla./Edmond North) in the final minute of the second overtime period gave No. 24 Notre Dame a 1-0 win over Providence in BIG EAST Blue Division men’s soccer action on Saturday afternoon at Glay Field.
Notre Dame (7-4-1, 5-2-0) has now won three straight matches, which is its longest such streak this season.
It was another strong effort from the Fighting Irish defense as they posted their second straight shutout. Notre Dame did not allow a shot on goal in the entire second half and two overtime periods. For the match, Notre Dame held an 18-14 advantage in shots. Providence (5-5-1, 2-4-1) held a slim, 6-5, edge in corner kicks.
“It was an all-around good performance by us,” said Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark. “Our two fullbacks (Justin Morrow and Bilal Duckett) did well getting forward and our two central defenders (Aaron Maund and John Schaefer) really anchored the back. Michael Thomas played well again. He is a tireless workhorse in the center of the midfield. I also thought (forward) Tamba Samba had another good game. At the end of the day, a lot of guys played well and it was a good team performance.”
Senior goalkeeper Philip Tuttle (Hooksett, N.H./Brewster Academy) made two saves in the win to improve his record to 5-2-0 this season. It was the third shutout of the season for Tuttle. Timothy Murray made nine stops for the Friars in the loss.
The first overtime period began with a shot from Irish freshman midfielder Dillon Powers (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) that was saved by Murray. Murray also saved a Jeb Brovsky (Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain) attempt in the 93rd minute. Those were the only two shots for either team in the first 10-minute overtime.
Murray saved a header, which came off a corner kick, from Dike two minutes into the second overtime. Dike and Powers both had a game-high four shots.
The Irish finally broke through with just 51 seconds remaining in the match as Powers ripped a shot on goal that was deflected by Murray and Dike put the ball home from 10 yards out for his team-high eighth goal of the season. Powers picked up the assist on the play.
“Dillon (Powers) did a great job on the goal,” added Clark. “He worked his way through the middle and cracked a shot on goal and then (Bright) Dike did the rest. It was an exciting game and I felt we deserved the win. I thought we had some good chances in the second overtime. It was a standard game for us where we took control in the second half.”
Both teams had two shots on goal in the half. Notre Dame has held its opponents to one goal or fewer in each of the past five matches. The Irish have out shot 11 of their 12 opponents this season.
Today marked the first golden goal for the Irish since Alex Yoshinaga netted one in a 2-1 victory over top-ranked UCLA during the season-opening match of the 2007 season (Aug. 31, 2007).
The Fighting Irish return home for a showdown with in-state rival Indiana on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m. (ET). The match will be broadcast live on und.com.
Glay Field • Providence, R.I.
October 10, 2009
#24 Notre Dame (7-4-1, 5-2-0) 0 0 0 1 – 1
Providence (5-5-1, 2-4-1) 0 0 0 0 – 0
ND: Bright Dike (Dillon Powers) 109:09
Shots: ND 4-9-2-3 – 18, PC 9-4-0-1 – 14
Corner Kicks: ND 1-2-0-2 – 5, PC 4-2-0-0 – 6
Saves: ND 2 (Philip Tuttle – 109:09 – 0 ga – 2 svs – W); PC 9 (Timothy Murray – 109:09 – 1 ga – 9 svs – L)
Fouls: ND 9, PC 9
Offsides: ND 2, PC 5