Oct. 31, 2010
2010 BIG EAST Championship Bracket
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s soccer team concluded its regular season in fine fashion with a 3-0 victory over No. 21 Georgetown on Sunday evening at Alumni Stadium. Senior forward Steven Perry (Edmond, Okla./Bishop McGuinness) netted two goals for the Fighting Irish. Sophomore midfielder Dillon Powers (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) also scored for the Irish, while junior midfielder Brendan King (Naperville, Ill./Edison Academic Center [Fla.]) assisted on all three tallies.
Notre Dame (9-4-4, 6-2-1) finished the regular season in second place in the BIG EAST Blue Division with 19 points. Georgetown (11-5-1, 7-2-0) was first with 21 points. The Fighting Irish earned a first-round bye for the upcoming BIG EAST Championship. Notre Dame will host either Marquette or St. John’s in a quarterfinal match at 6:00 p.m. (ET) on Saturday at Alumni Stadium.
“Our team has been playing very well,” said Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark. “This season has been superb. This is a good team and I’ve been saying that all the way through. This is one of the nicest playing teams that we’ve had.”
Sunday’s match was scoreless at halftime. Notre Dame had the game’s only four shots of the opening period.
In the 55th minute, King played the ball ahead to Perry, who worked his way past Hoya goalkeeper Matthew Brutto and deposited the ball into the right side of the netting to give the Irish a 1-0 lead. Perry gave Notre Dame a two-goal advantage less than two minutes later as he rocketed a shot in from 18 yards out for his team-best 12th goal of the campaign.
The two-goal effort matched a single-game career-high total for Perry, who also netted two goals this season against Drake and Marquette. The senior forward has netted at least one goal in eight of the past 11 matches.
The Fighting Irish made it 3-0 in the 76th minute when King sent a free kick into the box and junior defender Aaron Maund (Dorchester, Mass./Roxbury Latin School) headed it over to Powers, who used his head to send the ball into the back of the netting. It was the third goal of the season for Powers.
The best scoring opportunity for the Hoyas came in the 65th minute as a Steve Neumann shot hit the right post. Notre Dame out shot Georgetown 12-4. The Hoyas did not register a shot on goal, while the Irish scored on their only three shots on frame. Notre Dame produced four corner kicks, while Georgetown had none.
“We felt the game was going to be won in the second half,” added Clark. “That’s why we rested some of our key players at the end of the first half. (Steven) Perry is as hot as ever. He just keeps scoring goals. It’s terrific when your main striker is scoring goals.”
Notre Dame senior Philip Tuttle (Hooksett, N.H./Brewster Academy) played all 90 minutes in goal and picked up his second clean sheet of the season. The Fighting Irish defense has posted six shutouts this season.
The Irish victory snapped Georgetown’s nine-game winning streak. It also was just the second time all season that the Hoyas had been shut out. The Fighting Irish will carry a four-game unbeaten streak into the BIG EAST Championship.
Alumni Stadium – Notre Dame, Ind.
October 31, 2010
#21 Georgetown (11-5-1, 7-2-0) 0 0 – 0
Notre Dame (9-4-4, 6-2-1) 0 3 – 3
Scoring: ND: Steven Perry (Brendan King) 54:58; ND: Steven Perry (Brendan King) 56:55; ND: Dillon Powers (Brendan King, Aaron Maund) 75:15
Shots: GU 0-4 – 4, ND 4-8 – 12
Corner Kicks: GU 0-0 – 0, ND 3-1 – 4
Goalkeepers: GU: Matthew Brutto – 0 SV, 3 GA, 90:00, L
ND: Philip Tuttle – 0 SV, 0 GA, 90:00, W
Fouls: GU 10, ND 15
Offsides: GU 2, ND 2
-ND–