Nov. 1, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – A goal from freshman Brendan King (Naperville, Ill./Edison Academic Center (Fla.)) in the 61st minute was all the Notre Dame men’s soccer team would need in a 1-0 win over West Virginia on Saturday night at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
The victory gave No. 19 Notre Dame (11-5-2, 7-2-2) the outright BIG EAST Blue Division championship. The match was the regular-season finale for both squads.
Despite being out shot 14-4 on the night, the Fighting Irish put home the only shot that mattered as King, a midfielder, scored off the rebound of a Steven Perry (Edmond, Okla./Bishop McGuinness) header, which came off a Dave Donohue (Reading, Mass./Cushing Academy) free kick, that was saved by Mountaineer goalkeeper Zach Johnson. That was King’s second goal of the season.
Junior goalkeeper Philip Tuttle (Hooksett, N.H./Brewster Academy) made his second start of the season and of his career for the Fighting Irish. He made four saves to pick up the first win and shutout of his collegiate career.
The Fighting Irish have captured back-to-back BIG EAST regular-season titles for the first time in program history. Notre Dame shared the Blue Division crown with Connecticut last season. Overall, it marks the third regular-season BIG EAST championship for Notre Dame. The Irish also won the title outright in 2004.
Notre Dame will be the No. 1 seed from the Blue Division in the BIG EAST Championship. The Irish will take on either the fourth seed from the Red Division or the fifth seed from the Blue Division in the quarterfinal round at Alumni Field on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 6:00 p.m. (ET). The pairings for the conference tournament will be announced on Monday, Nov. 3, following the league’s final regular-season contest between St. John’s and Rutgers.
West Virginia (5-8-5, 3-4-4) held a 9-3 advantage in corner kicks on the night. Johnson made one save in the loss. The Mountaineers only managed four shots on goal, while the Irish had two shots on goal.
#19 Notre Dame (11-5-2, BE 7-2-2) 0 1 – 1
West Virginia (5-8-5, BE 3-4-4) 0 0 – 0
ND: Brendan King (unassisted) 60:54
Shots: ND 0-4 – 4, WV 6-8 – 14
Corner Kicks: ND 1-2 – 3, WV 4-5 – 9
Saves: ND 4 (Philip Tuttle 4); WV 1 (Zach Johnson 1)
Fouls: ND 11, WV 8
Offsides: ND 2, WV 1
-ND–