Notre Dame opens ACC Championship play in the quarterfinals against UNC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 15. The match will be broadcast on ACCN.
ACC QUARTERFINALS: NOTRE DAME vs. UNC
Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Dorrance Field
TV: ACCN
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer
Game Notes: vs. UNC
THE IRISH IN THE ACC TOURNEY
• The Irish have reached at least the tournament quarterfinals in all eight seasons as a member of the ACC.
• Notre Dame is attempting to reach the semifinal round or beyond in the ACC Championship for the fifth time in eight seasons as a conference member.
• The Irish have made three ACC tournament semifinal appearances in 2013, 2014 and 2017 and hosted the championship final in 2015 at Alumni Stadium.
THE UNC SERIES
• The Irish and Tar Heels will meet on the pitch for the ninth time on Sunday afternoon
• The Irish trail in the series with a mark of 2-4-2.
• Notre Dame is 1-3-0 against UNC when playing at North Carolina.
• The two sides met in the 2017 ACC quarterfinals and Notre Dame came out on top with a 2-1 victory in Cary.
LYNN LEADS THE LINE
• Junior forward Jack Lynn leads the ACC in goals (6) and points (12) heading into the ACC Championships despite missing time early in the season with an injury.
• Lynn paces all active Irish players in career goals with 19 over his three years at Notre Dame.
• In his most recent outing, Lynn recorded the first hat trick of his career, scoring three times in the first half in the 4-1 win over Louisville.
• The forward enjoyed a breakout 2019 campaign, scoring a career-high 10 goals to lead the Irish attack.
AIDEN’S ASSISTS
• Senior forward Aiden McFadden is living up to his No. 10 jersey this season, totaling four assists through seven games.
• McFadden’s four assists ranks tied for third in the ACC.
• All four of McFadden’s assists have come off crosses, including two from service on corners.
• Despite not getting credited with an assist, McFadden provided the final touch from a Notre Dame player in the double overtime own goal to help the Irish defeat the Cavaliers on Oct. 24.
BEN THERE, DONE THAT
• Junior Ben Giacobello had a career night in the win over Louisville to close out the fall regular season.
• Giacobello scored a goal and picked up two assists to record a career-high four points in the 4-1 win.
• The junior now has three goals and three assists in his Notre Dame career.
CAPITALIZING ON CORNERS
• Through seven games the Irish have scored four goals off set pieces during the 2020 campaign.
• Three of the four goals have come off corners with the service from senior Aiden McFadden on two goals and freshman Paddy Burns on the other.
• Freshman Daniel Russo headed in a goal in the opener against Kentucky to give the Irish the 1-0 win.
• In the second game of the season sophomore Michael Pellegrino half volleyed a shot from just inside the box to level the score at 1-1 against No. 4 Pitt.
• The Irish perfectly executed a training ground corner in the sixth minute, as Burns rolled a pass to Jack Lynn, sho slotted just inside the post.
KEEP IT CLEAN
• Senior goalkeeper Keagan McLaughlin has recorded five clean sheets in his 10 career starts in goal for the Irish.
• McLaughlin has helped Notre Dame record two shutout wins this season, coming in 1-0 wins over Kentucky and Syracuse.
• The senior shot stopper recorded a career-high four saves in both wins this season.
• McLaughlin kept clean sheets in all three starts during the 2019 campaign, coming in wins over Denver, Michigan State and Purdue Fort Wayne.
RILEY IN YEAR THREE AT NOTRE DAME
• Head Coach Chad Riley is in his third season at the helm of his alma mater.
• Riley has led the Irish to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances since taking the reins of the program.
• The Irish have a record of 25-18-4 during Riley’s tenure.
• Riley became the first head coach in program history to reach the NCAA quarterfinals in his debut season after earning the No. 7 overall seed in the tournament.