NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s soccer program and head coach Chad Riley released the 2019 schedule, a slate that features nine matches at Alumni Stadium.
“We are excited to announce our 2019 schedule,” said Riley. “We strive to create a challenging schedule that will prepare us well and our 2019 schedule is no different. We look forward to the competitions and can’t wait to get started.”
The Irish have reached the NCAA Championship in 17 of the last 18 seasons. Last season during the 2018 campaign, Notre Dame advanced to the quarterfinals during last season’s tourney, after moving past Michigan and No. 10 Virginia in its first two matches.
CHALLENGING SLATE AHEAD
Notre Dame never shies away from playing one of the toughest schedules in the country and the 2019 slate will be no different. Ten of Notre Dame’s 2019 opponents qualified for the NCAA Championship last season.
NINE-MATCH HOME SLATE
Three of the first four matches of the regular-season schedule will take place at Notre Dame. The Irish will host four ACC foes at Alumni Stadium, welcoming Clemson (9/13), Virginia (9/27), Duke (10/11) and Pittsburgh (11/1).
MIKE BERTICELLI MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
Seattle, Denver and Indiana come to town in the first weekend of September to play in the 16thinstallment of the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament. The Irish will play Seattle on September 6 and Denver on September 8.
The tournament is held in memory of former Notre Dame soccer head coach Mike Berticelli, who died unexpectedly in January of 2000 at the age of 48. The inaugural Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament was held in 2002 at old Alumni Field.
B1G NON-CONFERENCE BATTLES
Three of Notre Dame’s eight non-conference games will be played against teams from the Big Ten. The Irish will play Michigan (10/22) at Alumni Stadium. Notre Dame travels to Indiana (9/17) and Michigan State (9/24) in midweek matchups.
ROAD WORK AHEAD
The Irish are set to face a daunting road schedule in the upcoming season. Six of the seven matches on the road come against teams that played in the 2018 NCAA Championship, four of which earned a national seed.
REGULAR SEASON HOME FINALE
The Irish seniors will take the field of Alumni Stadium for their final regular season match on Nov. 1, as Notre Dame faces Pittsburgh in the finale.
TOURNEY TIME
The ACC Championship will run from Nov. 5 through Nov. 17. The first, quarterfinal and semifinal rounds will take place on college campuses with the final being held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
PRESEASON EXHIBITIONS
The Irish will play a total of three exhibitions in preparation for the season opener at Saint Louis on August 31. Notre Dame will host two of the preseason matches, taking on Bethel University on August 19 and Western Michigan on August 26.