Oct. 22, 2011
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A career-high two-goal effort from sophomore forward Harrison Shipp led the way as the No. 15 Notre Dame men’s soccer team defeated Pittsburgh, 3-1, on Saturday evening in BIG EAST Blue Division play at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
Notre Dame (7-3-4, 3-2-1) jumped on top in the 33rd minute on an own goal and Shipp gave the Irish a 2-0 lead in the 44th minute. Seniors Aaron Maund and Brendan King assisted on the tally.
The Fighting Irish led 2-0 at halftime.
Shipp upped Notre Dame’s lead to three just 2:14 into the second half. Juniors Ryan Finley and Dillon Powers collected assists on the score. Shipp’s four goals this season rank second among all Irish players.
“Harry (Shipp) could have had three goals tonight,” said Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark. “His shot resulted in the own goal because their goalie saved it off the post and then one of their defenders knocked it in.”
Pittsburgh (4-11-1, 2-5-0) cracked the scoring column in the 90th minute on a Dan Prete goal. The tally put an end to an Irish scoreless streak that was over 254 minutes in length.
Notre Dame outshot Pittsburgh 24-7, which included a 14-2 advantage in shots on goal. The Irish gained 10 corner kicks compared to just three for the Panthers. Senior goalkeeper Will Walsh made one save for the Irish, while Lee Johnston had 11 stops for Pittsburgh. Walsh has all 14 decisions for Notre Dame this season.
The Fighting Irish have tallied three goals in each of their last two games. The Irish topped Georgetown, 3-0, last Saturday. Prior to the last two games, the last time Notre Dame posted three or more goals in consecutive matches was last season when the Irish defeated Pittsburgh, 3-2, and Georgetown, 3-0.
“It was a very good result for us tonight,” added Clark. “We played superb, especially in the first half. We got our third goal quickly in the second half and then we kind of took our foot off the gas.”
Tonight’s win marked Notre Dame’s 100th regular-season BIG EAST victory. The Fighting Irish are 100-57-19 (.622) all-time in BIG EAST regular-season play.
Notre Dame will conclude its 2011 regular-season road slate on Wednesday at BIG EAST Blue Division foe Providence. Kickoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. (ET) at Glay Field.
Ambrose Urbanic Field – Pittsburgh, Pa.
October 22, 2011
#15 Notre Dame (7-3-4, 3-2-1) 2 1 – 3
Pittsburgh (4-11-1, 2-5-0) 0 1 – 1
Scoring: ND: (own goal) 32:28; ND: Harrison Shipp (Aaron Maund, Brendan King) 43:04; ND: Harrison Shipp (Dillon Powers, Ryan Finley) 47:14: UP: Dan Prete (Andy Clifford) 89:36
Shots: ND 15-9 – 24, UP 1-6 – 7
Corner Kicks: ND 4-6 – 10, UP 1-2 – 3
Goalkeepers: ND: Will Walsh – 1 SV, 1 GA, 90:00, W
UP: Lee Johnston – 11 SV, 3 GA, 90:00, L
Fouls: ND 4, UP 9
Offsides: ND 2, UP 0
–ND–