SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame welcomes Hope College to Alumni Stadium for a non-conference contest at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 27. Admission to the match is free.
NOTRE DAME vs. HOPE
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Alumni Stadium
Admission: FREE
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer
Game Notes: vs. Hope
THE HOPE SERIES
• The Irish and Dutch will meet for the first time in program history on Tuesday evening.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
• The Irish have allowed just seven goals this season, one each against Michigan, Indiana, Omaha and two to Wright State and SMU.
• Notre Dame posted back-to-back shutouts against IU Indy and No. 14 Oregon State.
• The Irish have two clean sheets in ACC play, coming 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 fourth in the ACC in goals allowed and 27th in the country in the statistical category (0.778).
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 seven goals.
• The shot stopper ranks second in the ACC in saves per game with a mark of 3.56 per outing.
• The sophomore has posted a save percentage of .821 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 in three of the last five matches.
• Burton has recorded a point in four of the last five 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 scored seven goals off set pieces during the 2025 campaign.
• 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 59 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.