June 27, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Seniors Andrew O’Malley (D), Harrison Shipp (F) and Grant Van De Casteele (D) have been named captains for the 2013 University of Notre Dame men’s soccer season. All three are first-time team captains for the Fighting Irish.
O’Malley (West Chester, Pa./Salesianum School) started all 15 matches in which he played during the 2012 campaign. He missed seven games due to injury. O’Malley teamed up with Van De Casteele in the central defense and the Fighting Irish notched nine shutouts last season. O’Malley was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Irish blank Duke, 1-0, in the 2012 season opener.
Shipp (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) tallied six goals and six assists in 22 matches last season and was named third team all-BIG EAST in addition to being on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Great Lakes Region Second Team. The forward also was tapped as an NSCAA Scholar All-American and earned Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America. Shipp has not missed a game during his first three seasons at Notre Dame and his career marks in goals (11) and assists (14) are the most for any current Irish player.
Van De Casteele (Plano, Texas/Frisco Centennial) has started every match over the past three seasons and is back for a fifth year with the Fighting Irish. The central defender never left the field last season and earned third team all-BIG EAST honors in addition to being selected to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Third Team. Van De Casteele was named the 2012-13 American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He has four career goals, including the lone score in last season’s 1-0 victory at Indiana.
“Grant (Van De Casteele) has played nearly every minute for the last three years and he has been a leader on the field and I think he’ll be a terrific leader off the field,” Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark said. “Andrew (O’Malley) has been Grant’s partner on the backline so we have really good leadership at the heart of our defense, which is a good position to be a captain. Harry (Shipp) is such a smart player and such a smart person and has tremendous credibility within the group. He’s not a guy that says a lot, but when he opens his mouth everyone listens. We have three great captains and we’ll need them because this will be a testing season, but everyone is very excited about it.”
Notre Dame opens its 2013 exhibition slate Aug. 18 at Creighton. The Fighting Irish commence regular-season play Aug. 30 against UCLA at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington, Ind. Notre Dame is entering its first season of Atlantic Coast Conference play and will begin league action Sept. 8 with a home match against North Carolina.
The Fighting Irish posted a 17-4-1 record last season. The 17 wins were the most for the program since 1988. Notre Dame won the BIG EAST Championship title and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Championship for the first time ever.
To purchase tickets for the 2013 Fighting Irish men’s soccer season, call the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office at (574) 631-7356, visit the official Notre Dame athletics ticketing web site, UND.com/tickets or stop by the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office windows during normal business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday). Tickets also can be purchased at Alumni Stadium on match days.
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