Aug. 20, 2009
DeKALB, Ill. – The 12th-ranked Notre Dame men’s soccer team captured two exhibition matches against Northern Illinois on Thursday at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex. The Fighting Irish won 2-1 in a morning contest and then downed the Huskies, 3-0, in the evening.
Notre Dame used mostly two separate squads for both contests. The first match featured many of Notre Dame’s younger talent, while several of the veterans played in the evening contest.
Senior forward Bright Dike (Edmond, Okla./Edmond North) paced the Irish in the second tilt as he registered two goals. Michael Thomas (Olathe, Kan./St. Thomas Aquinas), a senior midfielder, also scored in the contest. Fellow senior midfielder Dave Donohue (Reading, Mass./Cushing Academy) assisted on Dike’s first goal.
“We really controlled possession in the second game,” stated Irish head coach Bobby Clark. “I’d say we controlled the ball close to 70 percent of the time. It was great to see (Bright) Dike get two goals and (Michael) Thomas connected on the other. They (Northern Illinois) pushed us at times and they were dangerous on set pieces. We learned some great lessons tonight and that’s what the preseason is all about.”
Thomas put the Irish on the board in the third minute after stealing the ball and sending home a shot from 25 yards out. Notre Dame led 1-0 at halftime.
Dike’s first tally came in the 81st minute as he deposited a cross from Donohue. Dike, the BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, put the cap on the match three minutes later when he notched his second goal of night.
Notre Dame senior goalkeeper Andrew Quinn (Silver Spring, Md./DeMatha) played 66:19 and made four saves. Fellow senior Philip Tuttle (Hooksett, N.H./Brewster Academy) played the remainder of the match and also made four stops. Northern Illinois’ Jordan Godsey made two saves in the loss.
John Schaefer scored twice in Notre Dame’s 2-1 victory over the Huskies in the morning.
|
 |
Senior defender John Schaefer (Troy, Mich./Detroit Jesuit) led Notre Dame with two goals in the first game of the day. The first Irish tally came right before halftime as Schaefer headed in a free kick from freshman midfielder Dillon Powers (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior). Northern Illinois knotted the match midway through the second period as a free kick was deflected past sophomore goalkeeper Will Walsh (Morristown, N.J./Delbarton). The final tally was a converted penalty kick from Schaefer.
Tuttle played the first half of the opening contest, while Walsh was in for the second half.
“It was great to have nearly everyone on the roster play at least a half today,” added Clark about the split squad format. “You want everyone to get time on the field and we were able to do that. It was especially nice to get a look at the freshmen.”
The Fighting Irish will conclude its exhibition schedule with a home tilt against No. 9 Northwestern on Monday, Aug. 24. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at Alumni Field.
Notre Dame opens the 2009 campaign at home in its new state-of-the-art Alumni Stadium against Michigan on Tuesday, Sept. 1. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET). Ticket information for the entire 2009 Fighting Irish men’s soccer season can be found at und.com/tickets or by calling the Notre Dame ticket office at (574) 631-7356.
Game 1
NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex • DeKalb, Ill.
(exhibition)
Notre Dame 1 1 – 2
Northern Illinois 0 1 – 1
ND scoring: John Schaefer (Dillon Powers); John Schaefer (penalty kick)
Game 2
NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex • DeKalb, Ill.
(exhibition)
Notre Dame 1 2 – 3
Northern Illinois 0 0 – 0
ND: Michael Thomas (unassisted) 2:23; ND:Bright Dike (Dave Donohue) 80:02; ND: Bright Dike (unassisted) 83:10
Shots: ND 7-5 – 12, NIU 5-14 – 19
Corner Kicks: ND 4-0 – 4, NIU 0-5 – 5
Saves: ND 9 (Andrew Quinn 4, Philip Tuttle 4, Team 1); NIU 2 (Jordan Godsey 2)
Fouls: ND 22, NIU 8
Offsides: ND 1, NIU 0