Dec. 27, 2017
By Erin Locascio
Erin Locascio is a photography and graphic design intern for the University of Notre Dame. Throughout the year she has taken photos at fall sports such as women’s soccer, football, men’s soccer and volleyball. Take a look at her five favorites from the 2017 men’s soccer season.
In each post Locascio will give background information on the photo and why she selected it.
Irish Win In Overtime
The Fighting Irish men’s soccer team played a lot of close games in the 2017 season. 11 of their 20 games were decided by one goal, with two of them being won in overtime. This celebration shot was from the first overtime win which came against Cal Poly back in September. Felicien Dumas is being embraced by teammates as he points to the goal scorer who is about to join the celebration. Dumas led the Irish in assists with eight on the season and this particular one put the Irish up early in the first half. To add to a great moment being captured, the Cal Poly player shown in the back feeling defeated, shows the two sides of a goal.
Gallagher The All-American
Jon Gallagher was a star for the men’s soccer team in his senior campaign. He scored 13 goals which ranked second in the conference, and any time he had the ball on his feet he’d be swarmed by defenders because he was that much of an offensive threat. That’s why this is one of my favorite from the season. Gallagher is off the ground and has his eyes focused on the ball to make sure he has it under control. However, the part that made this one of my favorites was the defender in the back who is screaming and signalling to his teammate for help as Gallagher is beating him down the field. That just epitomizes what Gallagher is as a player, someone who can not be left alone.
Dedrick Airborne
Sean Dedrick goes airborne to get the ball on his foot and under control. The ball is caught at the perfect moment where it has just made contact with his foot and Dedrick is at his height of his jump. This is a perfect example of the athleticism and accuracy these soccer players have. The timing, the flexibility and concentration to get there at just the right time, to keep the play alive is what makes this one of the best this season.
Tie Game!
Felicien Dumas, a defender for the Fighting Irish men’s soccer team, was an offensive threat this season. Dumas lead the team in assists and was third in goals, with none being more important than the one he is celebrating in this picture. Against Northwestern, Dumas helped the Irish stay alive with a late goal that would eventually send the game into overtime. This is easily my favorite picture from the entire season and one of my favorite celebration shots ever. The pure excitement and emotion Dumas shows is the best part of sports. He doesn’t hold back with his scream and hands in the air as he goes to celebrate with his teammates.
Pure Soccer Moment
Thomas Ueland is running toward the ball, as the Northwestern players tries to beat him to it. Since this was a night game, the lights from the stadium shine down and shadow Ueland’s face in a way that gives a perfect focus point.The lighting of this picture is one of the main reasons it was chosen as one of the best from this past season. It highlights half his face which shows his concentration to get to the ball and shows his running form by highlighting his arm and leg. The ball being in the air adds to a pure soccer moment being captured.
