SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s soccer team battled to a 1-1 draw against intrastate rival No. 2 Indiana on Thursday evening in front of a packed Alumni Stadium crowd.
Senior captain Paddy Burns provided the goal for the Irish off a free-kick header with service from KK Baffour.
Senior goalkeeper Bryan Dowd made four saves in goal to help keep the Indiana attack in check for most of the evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish and Hoosiers each found the back of the net once in the first 45 minutes of play. Notre Dame scored the opener in the 25th minute to take a 1-0 lead. KK Baffour’s service from the free kick connected with Burns’ head, as the captain clipped the ball over the on-rushing Hoosier goalie for the first Irish goal of the season.
Unfortunately for Notre Dame, the lead was short lived. Indiana responded less than three minutes later, as Collins Oduru was played in on goal. Notre Dame goalie Bryan Dowd got a hand to the shot but it wasn’t enough to keep it out, as the ball trickled over the line just inside the far post to tie the match at 1-1.
The Irish had a golden opportunity to retake the lead early in the second half. Burns headily took a free kick in his own half quickly, catching the Hoosiers off guard and sending Matthew Roou in on goal. The junior’s effort was saved by the Indiana keeper to keep the score at 1-1.
Notre Dame’s defense kept the high-powered Hoosier attack at bay, only allowing shots that Dowd routinely dealt with over the next 20 minutes of play. Notre Dame once again came close to regaining the advantage, this time off Matthew Radivojsa’s right foot in the 72nd minute. The ball was cleared out of the box off a throw-in and it came to Radivojsa, who’s shot deflected just wide of the far post.
The Irish nearly grabbed the victory at the death, as a few mad scrambles in the Hoosiers’ box almost led to the winner but the visitors were able to hold off the late onslaught to share the points with a 1-1 draw.
McFARLAND FAMILY MEN’S HEAD SOCCER COACH CHAD RILEY’S TAKE
On the performance…
“Indiana is a good team and I’m just really proud of our mentality. We showed a lot of toughness and a lot of commitment. Indiana has been the standard in college soccer for awhile and we want to be in that conversation with them. It’s great to open up against them and see where we are.”
ND NOTES
- Burns goal is the ninth of his Fighting Irish career
- The assist from Baffour marks his fourth in a Notre Dame uniform
- Freshman Sean McDowd made his first career start in the season opener on Thursday evening
UP NEXT
The Irish have a quick turnaround as they welcome IUPUI to Alumni Stadium for a 7 p.m. ET match on Sunday, Aug. 27. The game will be streamed on ACCNX and it will also be Pups at the Pitch night, click here for more information. Admission to the match is free.
FOLLOW THE IRISH ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For a behind the scenes look at the Notre Dame men’s soccer program follow the Irish on Twitter (@NDMenSoccer), Instagram (@ndmensoccer), Facebook (/NDMenSoccer) and TikTok (@ndmensoccer).