NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame turned in one of its most comprehensive performances of the season on a cold and rainy Friday night at Alumni Stadium, defeating No. 21 Duke by a final score of 1-0.
Sophomore Jack Lynn scored his career-best seventh goal of the season in the 65th minute and the Notre Dame defense recorded its second straight clean sheet and fifth of the 2019 campaign in the winning effort.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish and Blue Devils both had scoring chances in the first half, but both goalkeepers were up to the task to keep the match scoreless through the opening 45 minutes. Notre Dame had the ball in the back of the net in the 10th minute, as Aiden McFadden headed home a cross from Jack Lynn but the official ruled McFadden to have fouled a nearby defender to take the goal off the board.
Notre Dame goalkeeper Duncan Turnbull was called into action in the 15th minute, producing an impressive save to keep the match scoreless.
With five minutes left in the first half, Patrick Coleman nearly produced a brilliant goal. The sophomore turned and hit a half volley on frame but the Duke goalkeeper made an excellent diving save to send the match into the half with no score.
The Irish had another look at goal in the 55th minute, as they earned a free kick just inside the final third. Felicien Dumas, the free-kick specialist, had an effort sail just wide of the post, nearly scoring his fourth free-kick goal of the season.
All of the Notre Dame pressure finally paid off in the 65th minute, as the Irish scored the breakthrough goal they had been searching for. Mohammad Abualnadi poked the ball away from a Duke defender just inside the box to Lynn, who took a touch and fired a low shot through the legs of an on-rushing defender and just inside the far post to give Notre Dame the 1-0 lead.
The Irish did a magnificent job of securing the victory in the final 25 minutes of action, as the unit put out fires all over the pitch before the Blue Devils could muster any real chances to come away with the 1-0 win.
HEAD COACH CHAD RILEY’S TAKE
On the team’s performance…
“I am very proud of the group. Duke has some of the most dangerous attacking weapons in the country and our defense did a really good job. We really controlled large portions of the game. Our attack was fantastic and we were unlucky to have a goal called back in the first half from an excellent play. Overall, it was a good performance and a result and we always try to put those two things together. I was proud of the group tonight.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE MATCH
The Irish controlled the run of play and outshot the Blue Devils 15-6 on the evening.
NOTES
- The Irish improve to 8-4-1 in the all-time series against Duke with the victory.
- Notre Dame remains unbeaten against the Blue Devils at home, moving to 6-0-1.
- Lynn leads the Irish with a career-high seven goals on the season, three coming in the last two fixtures.
- Abualnadi picked up the first assist of his career in the win.
- Turnbull recorded his second shutout of the season and eighth of his career.
UP NEXT
The Irish are back on the road for an ACC showdown at No. 22 Virginia Tech on Friday, Oct. 18 at 5:30 p.m. in Blacksburg. The match will air live on ACCNX and will be available to stream through the WatchESPN app.
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