Oct. 30, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Ryan Finley, a senior forward on the Notre Dame men’s soccer team, copped national and conference honors for his performance in two Irish matches last week. Finley combined to score three goals in a win and a draw against No. 3 Marquette.
Finley (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley/Duke) was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season in addition to being tapped as the national player of the week by both College Soccer News and TopDrawerSoccer.com.
The senior forward tallied two goals in less than two minutes in a 3-1 home victory over Marquette. The first score was a converted penalty kick that gave the Fighting Irish a 2-1 lead in the 60th minute. He gave Notre Dame a two-goal advantage just 1:32 later. It was his fifth multiple-goal game of the season.
On Saturday, Finley produced the equalizer in the 88th minute in a 1-1 draw at Marquette. He ranks second nationally in goals (17) and third in points (37). Finley has deposited 11 goals in the last seven matches.
TopDrawerSoccer.com and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) have named Finley the national player of the week twice this season, while he has received the honor once from both College Soccer News and Soccer News Net.
The fifth-ranked Fighting Irish (13-3-1, 5-2-1) will face Syracuse (12-5-0, 5-3-0) Saturday in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Championship. The match is slated for 7 p.m. (ET) at the SU Soccer Stadium in Syracuse, N.Y.
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