#10 NOTRE DAME vs. SYRACUSE – Friday, September 25 at 7:00 PM
Location: South Bend, IN | Alumni Stadium
LIVE STATS | NOTES | WATCH ON ACCNX
The No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1-2, 2-0-0) are back at Alumni Stadium on Friday night as they host the Syracuse Orange in their Pups at the Pitch match.
The Irish lead the overall series agaisnt the Orange with an impressive series record of 15-5-2 and 7-2-1 when playing the Orange at home.
Notre Dame and Syracuse haven’t faced one another since Oct. 5, 2024, where the Irish fell 1-2 on the road at Syracuse. The Irish are 3-2 in the last fie matchups against the Orange.
#20 IRISH TAKE DOWN #1 STANFORD ON THE ROAD
• The No. 20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1-2, 2-0-0) battled to a gritty 3-1 victory at No. 1 Stanford (7-1-1, 0-1-1) on Sunday evening. The Irish advanced to a perfect 2-0 in the ACC with impressive wins at No. 17 Clemson and at No. 1 Stanford to start conference play.
• This is just Notre Dame’s third win over a top-ranked team in program history, as the Irish did it in impressive fashion on the road late Sunday night.
• This was Coach Riley’s first win over a No. 1 (he was 0-1 vs. the top team, a 2020 ACC Semifinal loss to Pitt).
• Notre Dame’s three goals at Stanford is the first time the Cardinal have allowed three goals in a match since losing 3-1 to UCLA on September 28, 2023. It is also the first regular-season loss at home for Stanford since Nov. 1, 2024.
• Senior Nolan Spicer, senior Nico Bartlett, and freshman Tristan Tropeano each scored a goal for the Irish as senior Jack Flanagan and junior Stevie Dunphy each recorded an assist in the win.
• Junior goalkeeper Blake Kelly finished with a stellar performance against the top-ranked Cardinal as he recorded a career-best 10 saves, including a crucial save on a Stanford penalty kick.
KELLY NAMED ACC CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Announced by the league office on Tuesday, junior goalkeeper Blake Kelly has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week. This is his second ACC Defensive Player of the Week honor so far this season.
• Kelly helped guide the Irish a perfect 2-0 week, which included taking down No.1 Stanford on the road in an impressive 3-1 win and a 4-0 win over Detroit Mercy for his second clean sheet of the season.
• Kelly recorded 11 saves and a .917 save percentage on the week, allowing just one goal across the pair of matches.
• The junior goalkeeper finished with a stellar performance against the top-ranked Cardinal as he recorded a career-best 10 saves, including a crucial save on a Stanford penalty kick in the 70th minute.
• He leads the ACC with a .794 save percentage and 3.86 saves per game, and is also third in the ACC with 27 saves this season.
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.
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.