Oct. 18, 2016
by Tony Jones
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – A game Northwestern team settled in to its traditional counterattack and strong defensive front against the University of Notre Dame men’s soccer team. Instead of the customary draw that has been achieved in recent years in the series, the Wildcats found a goal in the 94th minute to upset the No. 4 Irish 2-1 at Toyota Park.
Notre Dame (10-3-1) pushed the pace early and looked throughout the opening minutes to be the most dangerous team to score. A blast from in close in the 14th minute by Jon Gallagher ripped off the post and carried back out of the goal mouth, thwarting the Irish attack.
Northwestern’s Shannon Seymour opened the game’s scoring in the 25th minute, as a deflected try from the right wing found its way into the left corner of the goal for his first of the year and the 1-0 Wildcat lead at 24:51.
Notre Dame stormed right back with the equalizer less than one minute later. A strong run by Sean Dedrick down the left sideline allowed the Irish fullback to center a pass to Mark Gormley from near the end line. Gormley calmly finished his fourth goal of the season near the left post for his fourth goal of the year to draw the match even at 1-1 at 25:27.
After Notre Dame held the run of play for large stretches of regulation time, the teams returned to overtime for the fifth time in the last seven series meetings. The Irish remained aggressive early in extra time, as a Tommy McCabe shot in the 92nd minute was blocked. A feed out in front to Gallagher later in the sequence just missed sending Notre Dame on with the winning goal.
Northwestern answered on the counterattack, as Mike Roberge streaked just beyond the Notre Dame defense and gathered a feed from Elo Ozumba, drilling his second goal of the season inside the left post for the Wildcat victory at 93:38.
Notre Dame concludes its four-game road trip with an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) match on Friday at Duke. The 7 p.m. (ET) showdown in Durham, North Carolina will air live on the Regional Sports Network (RSN) and ESPN3.
Play of the Game
Less than 40 seconds after Northwestern jumped ahead to a 1-0 lead, Notre Dame immediately responded on its next offensive possession. Great footwork by tri-captain Evan Panken kept Irish possession in the Northwestern left corner, where Sean Dedrick came out with the dribble. A solid run to the end line allowed Dedrick to feather a pass in front, and Mark Gormley slammed home the equalizer at 25:27 to square the match at 1-1.
Turning Point
Gormley’s goal shifted control of the match into Notre Dame’s favor despite the final result. The Irish finished with a 10-7 edge in shots, and controlled possession for large intervals of the match.
Note of the Game
Five of the past seven matches between Northwestern and Notre Dame have gone into overtime, dating back to 2010. The previous four contests each ended in 1-1 draws before Northwestern’s Tuesday victory.
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Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball and men’s soccer programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.