Oct. 26, 2005
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Indiana’s Mike Ambersley netted a goal and assisted on another as the fifth-ranked Hoosiers topped Notre Dame 3-0 on Wednesday evening at Alumni Field. The Irish could never mount a solid offensive attack against the two-time defending national champions and were out-shot 20-7 in the match. Notre Dame (9-6-5) will now look to regroup as No. 16 Seton Hall comes into town for a match-up on Saturday to close out the regular season.
Indiana (9-1-5) opened the scoring in the 31st minute as freshman Lee Nguyen sent a perfectly placed free kick into the upper right corner of the net from 25 yards out. The score would remain 1-0 as both teams entered the locker rooms at halftime.
The Hoosiers made it a 2-0 contest early in the second half with a goal from Ambersley in the 52nd minute. The senior forward blasted a shot from 35 yards away and Irish goalkeeper Chris Cahill (Louisville, Ky./DeSales) leaped and fully extended his 6-6 frame to get a hand on it yet that deflected the ball into the net.
“Indiana is a very good team,” stated Irish head coach Bobby Clark. “They are the best college team that I’ve seen this season. They even played well for them tonight. They had it going on tonight.”
The game was put away in the 65th minute as Charley Traylor took a pass from Ambersley and blasted it in from 35 yards away to make it a 3-0 match.
Notre Dame’s best chance of the match came with just over 10 minutes remaining in the contest as junior forward Justin McGeeney (Ames, Iowa/Ames) snuck into the Hoosier defense and sent a point-blank shot on goal that was stopped by Chris Monroe, who made three saves on the night. Cahill made several diving saves on the night and finished with seven total stops.
“We had phases of the game where we played quite well,” Clark said. “I’m glad that we hung in there. We kept good morale against a very disciplined team. Now we just have to get ready for Seton Hall.”
The Irish will close out the regular season on Saturday with a BIG EAST showdown versus Seton Hall at Alumni Field at 7:00 p.m. Stay up-to-date on the Notre Dame men’s soccer team by logging on to und.com or by calling the Notre Dame Athletics Hotline at (574) 631-3000.
#5 Indiana 1 2 – 3
Notre Dame 0 0 – 0
IU: Lee Nguyen (unassisted) 30:55, IU: Mike Ambersley (unassisted) 51:58, IU: Charley Traylor (Mike Ambersley) 64:27.
Shots: IU 10-10 – 20, ND 4-3 – 7
Corner Kicks: IU 0-2 – 2, ND 2-0 – 2
Saves: IU 3 (Chris Monroe 3), ND 7 (Chris Cahill 7)
Fouls: IU 9, ND 10
Offsides: IU 4, ND 2
-ND–