Sept. 1, 2004
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2004 adidas/IU Credit Union Classic #9/9 Notre Dame vs. Oregon State, Friday, Sept. 3, 5:00 p.m. #9/9 Notre Dame vs. Boston University, Sunday, Sept. 5, 12:00 p.m. Fighting Irish begin the 2004 season at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic: The University of Notre Dame men’s soccer team begins its 2004 campaign this weekend at the `04 adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. This season marks the second straight time the Irish will head to Bloomington for the event and Notre Dame will face Oregon State (Friday, 5 p.m.) and Boston University (Sunday, 12:00 p.m.) during the two-day event. The #1 ranked Indiana Hoosiers are hosting the event and the ninth-ranked Irish will return the favor next weekend. Indiana will take part in the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament for the second-straight year, as ND and IU will take turns against Evansville and CS Fullerton on Sept. 10 and 12. Both Notre Dame and Indiana will get a good look at each other before their nationally televised game on Wednesday, Sept. 15, in Bloomington, Ind. CSTV will be broadcasting that game live nationally on its cable network (see note which follows in this packet for more information). The last time… Notre Dame participated in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic to begin the 2003 season as well. The Irish posted a scoreless tie with #20 UAB 0-0, then defeated #11 California 2-1 in double overtime. What you need to know about Notre Dame this weekend: • Notre Dame is playing its season opener this weekend against Oregon State on Friday. • The Irish are undefeated in season openers under Bobby Clark, defeating Villanova 5-0 (2001), SW Missouri State 3-2 (2002) and posting a tie with #20 UAB (2003). • Notre Dame will be meeting Oregon State for the first time in school history on Friday. The matchup with Boston University on Sunday is the first between the two teams since a 5-1 Notre Dame victory in Miami, Fla., on Oct. 30, 1988. • Players to watch for Notre Dame: All-America candidates GK Chris Sawyer and D Jack Stewart have also been named to the 2004 Hermann Trophy watch list. Oregon State team overview: The Beavers ended with a 13-7 record last season and finished second in the Pac-10 with a 7-3-0 conference mark … the team returns four of 11 starters and 12 of 19 letterwinners … head coach Dana Taylor is 43-50-1 in five years in Corvallis … Oregon State will face Valparaiso on Wednesday, Sept. 1, before it heads to Bloomington, Ind., for this weekend’s tournament. Boston University team overview: The Terriers finished the `03 season with a 9-8-3 record … BU ended up fourth in the America East Conference last season with a 4-2-3 record … the team returns eight of 11 starters and 17 of 25 letterwinners … head coach Neil Roberts is 231-100-48 in 19 years in Boston, Mass. … the Terriers will face #1/1 Indiana on Friday before their matchup with the Irish on Sunday. Irish poll watch: Notre Dame has debuted in both the adidas/NSCAA and Soccer America polls at #9. The ninth-ranking is the highest preseason ranking for Notre Dame men’s soccer in the adidas/NSCAA poll (the Irish were ranked third in the preseason last year by Soccer America). Two other national polls have been released as well, with the Irish #9 in the SoccerTimes.com Top 25 and #14 in the College Soccer News.com listing. Notre Dame reached as high as third in both the adidas/NSCAA and Soccer America polls last season – the highest ranking in the program’s history. Snapshot of the Irish: On paper, the Irish will be challenged to replace 35 of 38 goals scored last season. On the field, Notre Dame will boast a quick and talented midfield, a strong defense and one of the best goalkeepers in the nation for the 2004 season. The Irish attack will be keyed by a quick and talented midfield, featuring three sophomores in Greg Dalby, Nate Norman and Ian Etherington and senior Luke Boughen. All four have the ability to move up and score goals, while also setting up forwards Justin McGeeney and Tony Megna (who each scored one goal during Notre Dame’s exhibition matches). The defense will be a strength across the board with All-American Jack Stewart and junior Dale Rellas (who missed the `03 season after starting each game as a rookie) in the middle. Ryan Miller will step in at rightback, while Kevin Goldthwaite will patrol the left side. Goldthwaite, one of the best in the country at his position, will miss a few games at the beginning of the season after suffering an injury in practice. Behind Notre Dame’s talented defense is GK Chris Sawyer, the BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year and one of the most talented goal stops in the nation. Sawyer and Stewart named to the 2004 Hermann Trophy watch list: Two Notre Dame men’s soccer players have been named to the 2004 Hermann Trophy Watch List, the most prestigious honor in intercollegiate soccer. Senior goalkeeper Chris Sawyer and senior central defender Jack Stewart joined 23 other players from across the country to be considered among the top talents in the nation and ones to watch for outstanding play during the ’04 season. Sawyer and Stewart were two of four BIG EAST Conference players on the list, joining St. John’s Matt Groenwald and Boston College’s Guy Melamed. With two players on the watch list, Notre Dame joins defending national champion Indiana, North Carolina and UCLA as the only four teams in the nation to have two players on the Hermann list. Sawyer and Stewart also become the first Notre Dame players in school history to be named to the men’s Hermann Watch List. Sawyer matched the school record for shutouts last season with 12, including an impressive three straight in the BIG EAST Championship, helping the Irish secure the program’s first conference title since 1996. Sawyer was named the BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Defensive Player after the tournament, a trophy that fit well next to his BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year award. Compiling a 485-minute scoreless minute streak early in the 2003 season, Sawyer eventually played all but 10 minutes of Notre Dame’s matches last season. He held Notre Dame’s opponents to one or zero goals in 20 of 23 matches. Sawyer was also named the 2004 Preseason BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year. Playing just a few yards in front of Sawyer last year, Stewart anchored the Irish defense as a central defender and will continue in that role for 2004. Known throughout collegiate soccer as one of the best defenders in the nation, Stewart excels in the air and is one of the most physical and intense players on the team. The Torrance, Calif., native has moved up from his defensive position to score two goals and dish off two assists in his career. A list of 15 semifinalists will be announced in November, with three finalists selected in early December. A winner will be announced at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Mo., on Jan. 8, 2005. Preseason All-America honors: Notre Dame has landed two preseason All-America honors by College Soccer News.com. The website named GK Chris Sawyer to its preseason All-America first team, while D Jack Stewart was named to the third team. Notre Dame – Indiana matchup will be shown live on CSTV: College Sports Television will provide live coverage of #9/9 Notre Dame’s matchup with #1/1 Indiana on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. (8 p.m. EDT). CSTV: College Sports Television, the first 24-hour college sports network, televises more college sports than any other network. There are 30 different men’s and women’s college sports televised including both regular season and championship events. CSTV is #1 in college sports. CSTV is available on Comcast, Time Warner, Adelphia and Insight cable systems, among others, and is also available on DirecTV (channel 610). Notre Dame picked to finish third in the BIG EAST: Notre Dame has been picked to finish third in the BIG EAST Conference in 2004, by vote of the league’s 12 coaches. The defending champion after sweeping through the BIG EAST Championship with three shutouts in ’03, Notre Dame has been selected to finish behind St. John’s and Connecticut. The Irish finished a close third in the preseason poll, compiling 104 points. St. John’s, who advanced to the final game of the NCAA College Cup in 2003, earned 117 points and eight first place votes. Connecticut ended up with 108 points and three first place votes. The complete BIG EAST preseason coaches poll is available on page four of this notes package. Sawyer and Stewart earn preseason all-BIG EAST honors: Notre Dame landed two players on the preseason all-BIG EAST squad, led by preseason goalkeeper of the year senior Chris Sawyer. Sawyer earned the same honor a year ago at this time and followed up on the accolade by claiming the league’s goalkeeper of the year award at the season ending banquet. The All-American also earned the BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Defensive Player award by shutting out all three opponents the Irish faced in the league’s tournament last season. Classmate Jack Stewart joined Sawyer on the preseason all-BIG EAST squad. Stewart plays a crucial role in Notre Dame’s defensive plans, patrolling the middle of the Irish defensive line. Widely regarded as one of the best players at his position in the nation, Stewart helped the Irish defense hold its opponents to one or fewer goals in 20 of 23 matches during the 2003 season. Irish ready to face another daunting schedule in 2004: Notre Dame is coming off its most successful season in men’s soccer history, compiling a 16-3-4 record while earning the BIG EAST Championship and a spot in the NCAA Sweet 16. During the `03 season, Notre Dame faced nine ranked opponents, posting a 6-2-1 record against those teams. The preseason prognostications are out for the `04 campaign and the Irish are set to face another strong schedule, including a ultra-challenging late-season trip through the BIG EAST Conference. Notre Dame will face #1/1 Indiana in Bloomington on Sept. 15, looking to in two straight over the Hoosiers for the first time in the series history (Notre Dame defeated Indiana 1-0 in overtime at Alumni Field last season). Notre Dame and IU have met 23 times since 1978. The Irish will face their biggest challenge during the team’s traditional fall break trip through the BIG EAST Conference. Notre Dame will take on #2/3 St. John’s (Oct. 16), #23 Seton Hall (Oct. 20) and #12 Rutgers (Oct. 23) on the road over a seven-day stretch. The Irish will then wrap up their BIG EAST schedule at home on Oct. 30 against #10/5 Connecticut. Notre Dame is 12-9-3 (.563) against ranked teams under Bobby Clark, including victories over #4 St. John’s (`03), #9 Virginia Tech (`03), #5 Connecticut (`02), #6 Seton Hall (`02), #7 Furman (`02) and #6 Indiana (`01). Bobby Clark quick biography: Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark is in his fourth season at Notre Dame. He has led the Irish to at least 12 wins each season and the 2003 BIG EAST Championship. Overall, he is 40-16-7 at Notre Dame (.690) and helped the Irish qualify for the NCAA Championship tournament for an unprecedented third-straight season in `03. Winning has been synonymous with Clark’s teams where ever he has coached. His Dartmouth teams (1985-93) posted an 82-42-13 (.646) record over nine years and three Ivy League Championships. At Stanford, Clark put up an 82-42-13 (.646) mark in nine years and finished second in the NCAA Championship in 1998. Overall, Clark has compiled a 193-79-32 collegiate record (.688) and has landed seven teams in the final national rankings. The Irish established their motto of `Making History’ early in the 2003 season and that goal was achieved in remarkable fashion. Notre Dame earned its highest-ever preseason ranking in 2003 (third in the Soccer America ranking) and highest-ever in-season ranking in both major polls (third in both polls). Notre Dame also earned its first-ever bye in the NCAA Championship and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the third-straight season – another unprecedented achievement. Please see p. 12-15 of the 2003 Notre Dame men’s soccer media guide for a more detailed historical biography on Clark. Keep up with the Irish via the Notre Dame hotline: The Notre Dame athletic department hotline has realigned its menu offerings for the 2004 fall sports season. The hotline provides schedule and results information for varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the live coverage and game recaps already provided on the official athletic website at www.und.com. Here’s how the hotline is aligned (as of Aug. 28): *Dial (574) 631-3000 *Select any of the following subgroups: (1) Upcoming schedule and recent results of ALL varsity sports currently in action (select cells 3-9 for the most updated results for specific sports). (2) 2004 Football schedule. (3) Basketball information (then press 1 for men’s basketball and 2 for women’s basketball) (4) Soccer information (then press 1 for men’s soccer and 2 for women’s soccer). (5) Women’s volleyball (press 1) and men’s ice hockey (press 2) information. (6) Men’s and women’s cross country information. (7) Men’s and women’s swimming and diving information (then press 1 for men’s swimming and 2 for women’s swimming). (8) Tennis information (then press 1 for men’s tennis and 2 for women’s tennis) and men’s and women’s fencing information (press 3). (9) Women’s golf (press 1), men’s golf (press 2) and women’s rowing (press 3) information.