SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Fresh off one of its best regular seasons in program history, the Notre Dame men’s soccer team picked up a number of league honors on Wednesday, as voted on by the ACC head coaches.
Senior goalkeeper Bryan Dowd was named the ACC Goalkeeper of the Year and McFarland Family Men’s Head Soccer Coach Chad Riley took home ACC Coach of the Year honors.
Seven members of the squad were selected to All-ACC teams, highlighted by Dowd and junior forward Matthew Roou, both receiving first team accolades. Fellow junior forward Eno Nto earned second team status and the trio of junior midfielder Bryce Boneau, junior defender Kyle Genenbacher and senior forward/midfielder Daniel Russo were placed on the third team.
Freshman forward Nolan Spicer picked up All-Freshman Team accolades.
The six Irish players on the three All-ACC teams tie the program record for most in a single season, also occurring during the 2013 campaign.
McFarland Family Men’s Head Soccer Coach Chad Riley
Riley led the Irish to their first undefeated season in ACC play in program history, finishing with a record of 6-0-2 in league play on the way to winning the ACC Coastal Division after being selected fifth in the division in the preseason. The 20 points the Irish earned in ACC play is the most any ACC team has earned since Wake Forest earned 21 (7-1-0) during the 2018 season.
This marks the second time a Notre Dame coach has been named the ACC Coach of the Year in program history, with Bobby Clark also winning the honor in 2013. Riley now has four league coach of the year awards in his career, picking up three from the Ivy League in his five seasons at Dartmouth.
#31 Bryan Dowd
Dowd becomes the first Notre Dame player to earn ACC Goalkeeper of the Year status, as the 2022 season was the first year the league bestowed the honor. Dowd had an incredible regular season, allowing just eight goals over 15 matches and recording eight clean sheets. The senior shot-stopper ranks in the top 10 in the country in both shutouts (8) and save percentage (.812).
Dowd has made 52 saves, while allowing just 12 goals on the year while posting a record of 10-2-4. The senior had a career night in a clean sheet performance at Akron, making a career-high 12 saves. The 12 saves were the most by an ACC goalkeeper in the regular season and the third most by any goalie at the DI level.
#21 Matthew Roou
The junior forward has been a menace to opposing defenses during the 2023 campaign, scoring a career-high 10 goals over 15 matches to earn first team honors. Roou ranks second in the ACC in goals per game (0.67), points per game (1.53) and is tied for second in total goals (10). Roou recorded the first hat trick in his career in the win over IUPUI. Roou currently has 21 career goals to go along with 10 career assists, totaling 52 career points for the forward.
#9 Eno Nto
The Derby, England, product earned second team accolades after scoring a career-high 10 goals during the regular season for the Irish. Nto made national headlines in the regular season finale, scoring a career-high four goals in the 6-0 victory over No. 20 Pitt. The four-goal performance represented the most goals from an Irish player in a match since Joseph Lapira scored four against Indiana on Sept. 3, 2006.
#13 Bryce Boneau
Boneau has been an integral part of Notre Dame’s success this season, as he has controlled the midfield for the Irish in 2023 to garner third team honors. The junior midfielder has three goals and is tied for the team lead in assists with six. Boneau is coming off his most productive attacking performance of the season, scoring his first career brace and adding an assist against Louisville.
#5 Kyle Genenbacher
The junior right back has been a mainstay on the Notre Dame backline all season, one of the best defensive units in college soccer in 2023. Genenbacher picked up third team status after helping the Irish record nine clean sheets over 16 regular season games. Genenbacher and the defense allowed just eight goals in the regular season, the lowest total of any ACC team. The defender also scored a goal and added four assists during his junior campaign.
#11 Daniel Russo
Russo was selected to the third team after scoring some of the biggest goals for the Irish this season. All three of Russo’s goals on the year either won the match for Notre Dame or leveled the contest against ACC opponents. The senior forward scored the winner against Clemson with a remarkable free kick in the second half. He also added late equalizers on the road against UNC and Wake Forest to keep Notre Dame unbeaten in the ACC.
#22 Nolan Spicer
Spicer has improved over the course of the season, becoming a regular in the Irish attacking rotation by the end of the year to earn ACC All-Freshman honors. The forward has four assists in his rookie season, highlighted by an impressive two assists in the win over No. 20 Pitt in the regular season finale.