SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Irish travel to Ohio to take on No. 14 Akron in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov 23 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The match will air on ESPN+.
NOTRE DAME at No. 14 AKRON
Location: Akron, Ohio | FirstEnergy Stadium
Tickets: Purchase Here
Stream: ESPN+
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 Sunday afternoon.
• 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.
• Notre Dame and Akron played to a scoreless draw in the most recent matchup, which came in the 2023 season and was played at Akron.
THE IRISH IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
• Notre Dame is playing in its 25th NCAA Championship in 2025 and have played in the tourney in 21 of the last 25 seasons.
• The Irish have an overall record of 24-21-7 in the NCAA Championships.
• Notre Dame won the College Cup in 2013, defeating Maryland by a score of 2-1 to capture the title. It was the program’s first trip to the College Cup.
• The Irish have advanced to the round of 16 on 12 occasions and have made six quarterfinals with three coming during the eight years of the Chad Riley era.
• The last time the Irish were in the NCAA Tournament they advanced to the College Cup final for the second time in program history, coming in the 2023 season.
• The Irish are 14-8-2 in their opening NCAA Tournament matches in program history and have advanced to the next round 15 times.
• Notre Dame has been in seven penalty shootouts in program history, advancing in five of the occasions.
• Over the last three NCAA Tournament runs for the Irish, Notre Dame has recorded six clean sheets (2025, 2023, 2021).
SET-PIECE SUCCESS
• The Fighting Irish have scored 12 goals off set pieces during the 2025 campaign.
• The Irish have been even more lethal on corners, firing in eight goals this season. Ferguson, Burton and Rosin have each scored twice while Wyatt Borso and Martin Von Thun have each recorded one.
• Four of the goals have come from free kicks, with one coming off a direct free kick from Ferguson and three off service into the box.
INSTANT IMPACT
• The freshman class has already made its presence felt on the Notre Dame roster, as the group has produced 23 points off seven goals and nine assists this season.
• Luke Burton has led the way from the striker position with three goals and three assists while making nine starts up top for the Irish.
• Ren Sylvester has added two goals and two assists
• Alex Rosin has made seven starts at left back and has proved capable of going forward in attack with two goals and three assists.
• Karson Baquero has played in eight matches as a midfielder, recording an assist in the win over Green Bay.
BK THE GK
• Blake Kelly has been a mainstay in goal for the Irish during his sophomore season, posting six clean sheets.
• The shot stopper ranks third in the ACC in saves per game with a mark of 3.47 per outing.
• Kelly started 12 matches for the Irish in 2024 and became the first true freshman goalie to start the season opener in the last 30 years for the program.
BALANCED ATTACK
• Twelve players have scored the 26 goals for the Irish this season, as Wyatt Borso (5), Mitch Ferguson (5), Luke Burton (3), Nolan Spicer (2), Alex Rosin (2) and Ren Sylvester (2) have each scored multiple times while Jack Flanagan, Wyatt Lewis, Stevie Dunphy, KK Baffour and Diego Ochoa and Martin Vont Thun each found the back of the net once.
• Ten returning Irish players registered at least one point in their Notre Dame career, as the team returns 54 points from last year.
• Nine players that scored a goal during the 2024 campaign are back on this year’s team.
• Flanagan is the top returning goal scorer on the 2025 squad after firing in a career-high four goals during his sophomore campaign.
2025 CAPTAINS
• Mitch Ferguson and Wyatt Lewis serve as the captains for this year’s Fighting Irish team and Blake Kelly will take on the role of assistant captain.
• Ferguson has appeared in 69 games over his Notre Dame career, scoring eight goals and adding eight assists from the center back position.
• Lewis enters his third season with the Fighting Irish and has four goals and four assists as a holding midfielder.
• Kelly started 12 matches as a freshman in 2024, posting a record of 4-3-5 while recording 26 saves.
THE CHAD RILEY ERA
• McFarland Family Head Men’s Soccer Coach Chad Riley is in his eighth season in charge of the Notre Dame men’s soccer program in 2025.
• Riley became the first head coach in program history to lead the Fighting Irish to two College Cup appearances, coming during the 2021 and 2023 seasons.
• Notre Dame has captured both an ACC regular season and tournament title under his direction, both firsts in program history.
• Riley has led the Irish to five NCAA Tournaments in his eight seasons and has a record of 6-3-5 in the tourney with Notre Dame advancing to the next round in 10 of the 14 matches, four coming in penalty shootouts.