SOUTH BEND, Ind. – No. 2 Notre Dame opens the 2024 season against Akron as it welcomes the Zips to Alumni Stadium. The match is slated to start at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 22 and will air on ACCNX.
No. 2 NOTRE DAME vs. AKRON
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Alumni Stadium
Live Stream: ACCNX
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer
Game Notes: vs. Akron
THE AKRON SERIES
• The Irish and Zips will meet on the pitch for the 16th time on Thursday evening.
• The Irish trail in the series with a mark of 3-8-4.
• Since the turn of the century the Irish are 3-2-2 against Akron.
• The two sides played to a scoreless standstill last season in Akron.
2023 SEASON REWIND
• Notre Dame had one of its most successful seasons in program history last year, finishing with an appearance in the College Cup Final.
• The Irish were dominant in the ACC, claiming the Coastal Division crown and earning the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament after going undefeated in regular season conference play with a record of 6-0-2.
• Notre Dame finished the season with a record of 13-3-6 but two of the draws resulted in the Irish advancing in the NCAA Tournament in shootouts.
• The Fighting Irish defeated Kentucky (2-0) in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament before moving past Western Michigan (0-0) and Indiana (1-1) to make the College Cup.
• Notre Dame then defeated Oregon State (1-0) in the semifinal before falling to Clemson (1-2) in the final.
2024 CAPTAIN
• Bryce Boneau will serve as the captain for this year’s Fighting Irish team.
• Boneau is a senior midfielder from Texas and was selected to the 2024 ACC Preseason Watch List.
• Boneau scored four goals and added seven assists last season as a center midfielder and has four goals and 10 assists in his Notre Dame career.
• Boneau was selected by Nashville SC in the third round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft with the 75th overall pick.
OWNING THE OPENERS
• Notre Dame has historically gotten off to a good start to its seasons, posting a record of 27-11-9 in its season openers.
• The Irish have lost just twice in their last 13 openers to a season, going 6-2-5.
• Notre Dame has outscored the opposition by a combined score of 19-12 over that stretch.
• Notre Dame has been even better in home openers, recording a mark of 32-10-5.
• The Irish are 2-2-2 under Chad Riley in both home openers and season openers.
DOMINATING DEFENSE
• The Fighting Irish return three of the four members from their starting back line from 2023 to this year’s squad, as Josh Ramsey, Kyle Genenbacher and Mitch Ferguson are back.
• Notre Dame ranked fifth in the country last season in goals against average, allowing just 0.668 goals per match.
• The Irish finished the season with 12 shutouts, ranking sixth in the nation for shutout percentage with a mark of .545.
BALANCED ATTACK
• Fourteen returning Irish players registered at least one point in their Notre Dame career, as the team returns 85 points from last year.
• Ten players that scored a goal during the 2023 campaign are back on this year’s team.
• Senior Matthew Roou is the top returning goal scorer on the 2024 squad after firing in a career-high 10 goals during his junior campaign.
HERE TO ASSIST
• The Irish dished out 48 assists last season, ranking sixth in the country for total assists.
• The 48 assists were the most an Irish team has produced in a season since the turn of the century.
• KK Baffour and Bryce Boneau led the squad in assists with seven each. Both return to the 2024 roster for the Irish.
FRESH FACES
• Notre Dame’s incoming freshman class is ranked No. 3 nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.
• The Irish welcome six freshman to the 2024 squad, totaling a 30-man roster.
• The six freshman are Jacob Bartlett (M), Stevie Dunphy (F), Brady Hilden (M), Blake Kelly (GK), Will Schroeder (M) and Ian Shaul (M).
• Also joining the team is goalkeeper Collin Travasos, who is a grad transfer. Travasos spent last season at UNC and prior to that completed his undergrad at Cal.