NOTRE DAME vs. #22 INDIANA – Thursday, August 20 at 8 PM
Location: Bloomington, IN | Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium
LIVE STATS | NOTES | WATCH ON B1G+
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-0-0) opens their 2026 campaign against its intrastate rival No. 22 Indiana in Bloomington at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 20 at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
| BY THE NUMBERS | |
|
32 |
Victories in home openers through 48 seasons of play. Notre Dame has compiled a record of 32-10-6 in program history. |
|
27 |
Wins in season openers in program history. The Irish have a record of 27-11-11 in the first matches of a season. Notre Dame is 6-2-7 in its last 15 openers. |
|
25 |
NCAA Championship appearances earned by Notre Dame since 1988. Notre Dame has appeared in 21 of the last 25 tournaments. |
|
14 |
Returning players that received playing time during the 2025 season. |
|
10 |
Consecutive matchups against the Hoosiers that have either ended in draws or one-goal decisions, dating back to the 2017 season. |
|
9 |
Seasons for McFarland Family Men’s Head Soccer Coach Chad Riley at the helm at Notre Dame, amassing a record of 80-51-26 during his tenure. He is the first coach to ever lead the Irish to two College Cups in program history. |
|
9 |
Freshmen added to the 2026 roster. The Irish welcome Eli Ackerman, Michael Capretto, Patrick Cuneo, Adrian Hrvojevic, Evan Lim, Maverick McCoy, Thaddeus Sawyer, Ethan Scala and Tristan Tropeano to the program. |
|
7 |
Assists from Nolan Spicer last season, leading the team during the 2025 campaign. |
|
5 |
First half goals allowed by the Irish in the 2024 season over 17 matches. The Irish outscored the opposition 14-5 in first halves last year. |
|
3 |
Captains on the 2025 team – senior midfielder Nolan Spicer, junior goalkeeper Blake Kelly, and senior midfielder Leo Brummell |
|
3 |
College Cup appearances in program history, including two in the last five seasons. |
|
3 |
Incoming transfers on this season’s squad as Noah Deitrich (Western Michigan), Lincoln Ulrich (Coastal Carolina) and Vlad Walent (Wake Forest) join the Fighting Irish for the 2026 season. |
|
1 |
Notre Dame’s incoming freshman class is the top-ranked class in the country according to TopDrawerSoccer.com. |
|
1 |
Notre Dame men’s soccer national championship, earned by way of a 2-1 win over Maryland in the final game of the 2013 NCAA College Cup in West Chester, Pennsylvania. |
THE INDIANA SERIES
- This will be the 49th matchup between the two Indiana programs.
- The Irish are 10-32-6 against the Hoosiers in the all-time series. Despite trailing in the series, the rivalry has been much more even as of late, as the Irish have recorded a mark of 5-8-5 in the last 18 meetings dating back to the 2010 season.
- Twelve of the last 13 matches have either ended in a draw or a one-goal decision. In the most recent match between the two sides in Bloomington, Notre Dame and Indiana battled to a 2-2 draw during the 2024 season.
OWNING THE OPENERS
• Notre Dame has historically gotten off to a good start to its seasons, posting a record of 27-11-10 in its season openers.
• The Irish have lost just twice in their last 14 openers to a season, going 6-2-6.
• Notre Dame has outscored the opposition by a combined score of 20-13 over that stretch.
• Notre Dame has been even better in home openers, recording a mark of 32-10-6.
• The Irish are 2-2-4 under Chad Riley in both home openers and season openers.
2026 CAPTAINS
• As the 2026 season opens up this week, McFarland Family Men’s Head Soccer Coach Chad Riley announced that senior midfielder Nolan Spicer, junior goalkeeper Blake Kelly, and senior midfielder Leo Brummell will serve as captains of the 2026 Notre Dame men’s soccer program this year.
• Spicer was a 2025 All-ACC Third Team honoree as the midfielder led the Irish in assists with seven (career high) and was tied for seventh in the ACC in total assists last season. He was also second on the team in points (11) off two goals and seven assists.
• Kelly started in all 20 matches for the Irish last season where he totaled 71 saves, allowing 25 goals for a .740 save percentage on the season. He finished the season with six clean sheets and recorded five or more saves in seven matches.
• Brummell is a senior midfielder, joining the Irish roster in the spring of 2025 as he now serves a captain in the 2026 season.
BALANCED ATTACK
• 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.
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.