SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame welcomes SMU to Alumni Stadium for an ACC contest at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 27. Admission to the match is free and the contest will be streamed on ACCNX.
NOTRE DAME vs. SMU
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Alumni Stadium
Admission: FREE
Stream: ACCNX
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer
Game Notes: vs. SMU
THE SMU SERIES
• The Irish and Mustangs will meet on the pitch for the sixth time on Saturday.
• Notre Dame and SMU ared level in the all-time series with a record of 2-2-1.
• The Irish and Mustangs have only played once in South Bend in series history, as the two sides played to a scoreless draw in 1994.
• The last meeting came during the 2013 season with Notre Dame claiming a 2-1 win in Bloomington, Indiana, in a non-conference matchup.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
• The Irish have allowed just five goals this season, one each against Michigan, Indiana, Omaha and two to Wright State.
• Notre Dame posted back-to-back shutouts against IU Indy and No. 14 Oregon State.
• The Irish haven’t allowed a goal in ACC play this season with clean sheets in wins over Pitt and No. 12 Louisville.
• Notre Dame allowed just two shots on target over the 90 minutes of play in the win over Pitt, frustrating the Panther’s attack.
• Blake Kelly made six saves, five coming in the second half, in the shutout over Louisville.
• The Irish enter Tuesday’s matchup ranked second in the ACC in goals allowed and 18th in the country in the statistical category (0.625).
WINNING WAYS
• The Irish enter Saturday riding a four-match win streak, including two ACC wins at Pitt and over No. 12 Louisville.
• Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 11-3 over the stretch.
• Wyatt Borso and Mitch Ferguson have each scored three goals during the win streak.
• Notre Dame enters the weekend as the only ACC team with no losses or draws in conference play.
BK THE GK
• Blake Kelly has gotten off to a great start to his sophomore season in goal for the Irish, posting four clean sheets and allowing just five goals.
• The shot stopper leads the ACC in saves per game with a mark of 3.25 per outing.
• The sophomore has posted an incredible save percentage of .839 during the 2025 campaign, ranking second in the ACC.
• 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.
STRIKE FORCE
• The starting striker tandem of Wyatt Borso and Luke Burton has found its form over the last couple of weeks, as the two have combined for five goals and an assist
• Borso ranks second on the team in goals with three, scoring one in three of the last four outings.
• Burton has recorded a point in each of the last four matches, scoring in wins over Pitt and Omaha and picking up assists in victories over Louisville and Wright State.
SET-PIECE SUCCESS
• The Fighting Irish have already scored seven goals off set pieces to start the 2025 season.
• Three of the goals have come from free kicks, with Mitch Ferguson scoring a direct free kick and Diego Ochoa and Ferguson finishing from service into the box.
• The Irish have been even more lethal on corners, firing in four goals this season. Ferguson has scored twice while Luke Burton and Martin Von Thun have each recorded one.
BALANCED ATTACK
• Seven players have scored the 13 goals for the Irish this season, as Mitch Ferguson (4), Wyatt Borso (3) and Luke Burton (2) have each scored multiple times while Nolan Spicer, Sylvester Ren, 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.
• Junior Jack 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 will 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 58 games over his Notre Dame career, scoring four goals and adding seven assists from the center back position.
• Lewis enters his third season with the Fighting Irish and has three 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.