#20 NOTRE DAME vs. #1 STANFORD – Sunday, September 20 at 10:00 PM ET (7:00 PM PT)
Location: Palo Alto, CA | Maloney Field at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium
LIVE STATS | NOTES | WATCH ON ACCNX
The No. 20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1-2, 1-0-0) have another road test as they take on the No. 1 Stanford Cardinal (7-0-1, 0-0-1) on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT) at Maloney Field at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
With the Stanford Cardinal joining the ACC in 2024, the two programs have only faced one another three times in program history with the very first matchup taking place on Sept. 2, 2016 (Irish won 2-1 in Bloomington, IN in 2OT). The Irish trail 1-2-0 in the overall series and are 0-1-0 at Stanford.
| BY THE NUMBERS | |
|
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. |
|
9 |
Seasons for McFarland Family Men’s Head Soccer Coach Chad Riley at the helm at Notre Dame, amassing a record of 80-5-26 during his tenure. He is the first coach to ever lead the Irish to two College Cups in program history. |
|
8 |
Freshmen added to the 2026 roster. The Irish welcome Eli Ackerman, Michael Capretto, Patrick Cuneo, Evan Lim, Maverick McCoy, Thaddeus Sawyer, Ethan Scala and Tristan Tropeano to the program. |
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7 |
Assists from Nolan Spicer last season, leading the team during the 2025 campaign. |
|
6 |
goal scorers so far this season – Vlad Walent (2), Michael Capretto (2), Tristan Tropeano (2), Stevie Dunphy (1), Ian Shaul (1), Nate Zimmermann (1) have each scored for the Irish. |
|
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. |
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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. |
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4.67 |
The Irish are first in the ACC with 4.67 saves per game (28 saves so far on the season). |
|
1 |
Goalkeeper Blake Kelly leads the ACC with 26 total saves and 4.33 saves per game so far this 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. |
|
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. |
#20 IRISH REMAIN UNDEFEATED AT HOME WITH 4-0 WIN OVER DETROIT MERCY
• The No. 20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1-2, 1-0-0) finished with a dominant 4-0 win over the Detroit Mercy Titans (1-6-1, 0-2-0) on Tuesday evening at Alumni Stadium. The Irish have now won four straight matches and remain undefeated at Alumni Stadium this season.
• The Irish finished the night with four different goal scorers. Tristan Tropeano would put the Irish in front in just the first minute of play as the freshman forward scored his third goal of the season.
• Senior Nico Bartlett and freshman Evan Lim would each score a goal in the win, which were their first goals of the season for the Irish. The win was capped off with a goal from fifth year defender Vlad Walent, who has now scored three goals this season.
• Blake Kelly finished the night with a save and his second clean sheet of the season.
VLAD WALENT NAMED ACC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Announced by the league office on Tuesday last week, fifth year defender Vlad Walent has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
• Walent helped guide the Irish to a 1-0 victory at No. 17 Clemson on Friday night in the ACC opener as he assisted on the game-winning goal.
• The defender was a key piece in the Irish’s first clean sheet of the season and the first time the ranked Tigers had been shutout in a match this season. The Irish also held Clemson to just four shots on goal, the fewest number of shots on goal for Clemson this season.
• Walent was also a key piece in Notre Dame’s game-winning goal as he delivered a beautiful pass through a pair of defenders to Tristan Tropeano for a goal in the 88th minute.
2026 CAPTAINS
• 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.