BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-1-0) fell 3-1 in their season opener on the road against the No. 22 Indiana Hoosiers (1-0-0) on Thursday night.
Senior goalkeeper Blake Kelly finished with five saves on the night. Fifth year defender Vlad Walent scored the first Irish goal of the season and his first goal in an Irish uniform.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hoosiers put the ball in the back of the net first in the 2026 season opener in Bloomington. Indiana took the 1-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of play, scoring in the 14th minute at the top of the box off a Notre Dame turnover.
While the Irish continued to battle defensively, the Hoosiers scored their second goal in the 37th minute as they fired it to the top right corner from the middle of the box.
Notre Dame had few looks as the Hoosiers outshot the Irish 11-4 in the first 45 minutes of play. The best scoring chance for the Irish came from Karson Baquero, who had an opportunity in the 25th minute on a shot from the top of the box that resulted in a Hoosier save.
While Nate Zimmermann was able to get a look in the 47th minute to start the half, another Hoosier save would keep the Irish off the board.
Ten minutes later, Indiana went on to extend their lead to 3-0 with another goal in the 57th minute.
On the counter attack, Michael Capretto had an opportunity in the 63rd minute. He attacked the left side of the box and fired his right-footed effort into the hands of the Hoosier goalkeeper.
Continuing to battle, another opportunity would arise for the Irish in the 83rd minute. After an official review, Walent drew a penalty on the Indiana goalkeeper where he then converted on the penalty kick for the first Irish goal of the season to make it 3-1.
The Irish would have one last shot from senior Jack Flanagan in the 85th minute, but the Irish would go on to fall 3-1 in the season opener.
McFARLAND FAMILY MEN’S HEAD SOCCER COACH CHAD RILEY’S TAKE
On the match…
“We’re obviously disappointed with the result. I thought we started the game very well, but IU capitalized on a mistake and that shifted the momentum. We had a difficult time finding our way back into the game after that. Credit to IU—they played well and deserved the result tonight. We don’t play these games because they’re easy; we play them because they challenge us and make us better. We’ll learn from tonight, get back to work, and be ready for Sunday.”
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish open at home this Sunday, August 23 as they host Northwestern at 7:30 PM at Alumni Stadium.