Ryan Finley Named Disney Soccer/NSCAA Player of the Week
Notre Dame’s Ryan Finley was named Disney Soccer/NSCAA Player of the Week for his on-field accomplishments the week of Oct. 1-7. This is Finley’s second time being honored with this award. He notched a pair of multi-goal performances in the the Fighting Irish’s 2-0 week. The senior forward from Lumberton, N.J., scored twice in Notre Dame’s 7-1 win versus Pittsburgh, then followed up with two goals in a shutout against nationally-ranked Georgetown. Finley leads the team and the BIG EAST in points (21) and goals (10).
Louisville’s Top 25 Tilt Yields Tie
Louisville finished in a 2-2 tie with No. 12/8 Indiana on Oct. 10 in Cardinal Park. Neither team allowed a shot on goal in the overtime periods forcing the first tie of the season for the Cardinals. Louisville will be back in action as they host No. 10/18 St. John’s Saturday, Oct. 13 in Cardinal Park at 7:00 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on Fox Soccer channel.
Marquette Remains Undefeated
Marquette extended the nation’s longest win streak with a 3-2 win over No. 2/2 Connecticut on Oct. 6 in a divisional clash at Valley Fields between two previously unbeaten teams. MU defeated Northern Illinois 1-0 on Oct. 9 to extend its winning streak to 12.
Hoyas Facing Tough Competition
Georgetown dropped two games to a pair of top-10 opponents last week, a 3-0 loss to No. 10/11 Notre Dame and a 2-1 loss to No. 2/2 Connecticut. GU’s No. 3 NSCAA ranking last week was the highest in program history. The Hoyas will close out nonconference play at home against Lehigh on Oct. 9.
Red Storm Shutting it Down
With a 1-0-1 week at home, St. John’s improved to 5-0-2 in seven games at Belson Stadium this season. Goalkeeper Rafael Diaz posted two shutouts during the week and now has seven on the year, including three-straight. A three-goal output against Cincinnati marked the fourth three-goal game of the season for St. John’s, all of which have come at home. The Red Storm are 8-0-0 when scoring first.
UConn’s Nonconference Finale Featured Hermann Trophy Candidates
Connecticut defeated Iona 2-0 on Oct. 9. Tuesday’s match featured six players from the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List as Iona led all teams with four selections, joining UConn’s Carlos Alvarez and Andre Blake.
Syracuse Has Record-Breaking Crowds
Syracuse’s overtime win against Rutgers on Oct. 3 snapped SU’s five-match winless streak in overtime games. It was the Orange’s first home win against Rutgers since 2004. Against Louisville, the crowd of 1,652 fans beats the previous record of 1,581, set in this season’s home opener versus Albany.
Notre Dame Making History
The seven-goal output in Notre Dame’s 7-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Oct. 3 was the largest for the Irish since a 7-1 win over Western Michigan on Oct. 14, 1997. The seven goals were the most scored by the Irish against a BIG EAST opponent. Notre Dame has reached the 10-win mark in 11 of head coach Bobby Clark’s 12 seasons with the Irish. The Fighting Irish have already surpassed their win total (9) from last season. Notre Dame has 10 wins in its first 12 matches of a season for the first time since 1988.
