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SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Irish will play their third straight match at Alumni Stadium to open the 2023 season when they take on NIU at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 1. The match will air on ACCNX. NOTRE DAME vs. NIU Location: South Bend, Indiana | Alumni Stadium TV: ACCNX Live Stats: Click Here Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer Game Notes: vs.
NIU THE NIU SERIES • Notre Dame and NIU will face each other on Friday evening for the fifth time in series history. • The Irish and Huskies are currently deadlocked in the matchup history with a mark of 1-1-2. • Notre Dame is an unbeaten 1-0-2 when facing NIU in South Bend. • The most recent matchup came in South Bend during the 2021 season with the Irish winning by a score of 2-0. • Current players Matthew Roou and Eno Nto each scored a goal in the 2021 win while Bryan Dowd was in goal for the clean sheet. LAST TIME OUT • Notre Dame turned in a decisive display in its 5-0 victory over IUPUI on Sunday. • The five goals mark the most the Irish have scored against a DI opponent since winning 8-0 against Purdue Fort Wayne during the 2019 season. • Matthew Roou led the Irish attack with a three-goal hat trick. • Eno Nto and KK Baffour each found the back of the net as well to help the Irish secure three points. • In goal Bryan Dowd made two saves on the evening en route to his clean sheet. ROOU’S CAREER NIGHT • Matthew Roou’s hat trick was the first of his career and the first of the season for the Irish. • The junior forward finished with seven points off three goals and an assist, becoming the first Notre Dame player to record seven or more points in a match since Dave Donohue also had seven points against Marquette on Sept.
11, 2008. • Roou currently has 14 career goals to go along with eight career assists, totaling 36 career points for the forward. EXPERIENCE IN GOAL • Bryan Dowd is back for his senior season after being the team’s primary goalie for each of the last two seasons. • The shot stopper has 43 career starts while appearing in 44 matches over his previous three seasons in South Bend. • Dowd has amassed 106 career saves and has recorded 14 clean sheets over his time in South Bend. 2023 CAPTAINS • Paddy Burns and Ethan O’Brien will serve as the captains for this year’s Fighting Irish team. • Burns is a senior defender from Northern Ireland and was selected to the 2023 ACC Preseason Watch List. • Burns scored five goals last season as a left back and has nine goals and six assists in his Notre Dame career. • After missing the entire 2022 season to an injury, O’Brien returns to the Irish midfield this fall. • O’Brien had a breakout 2021 season with two goals and five assists, playing an integral role in the team’s College Cup run. FRESH FACES • The Irish welcome seven freshman to the 2023 squad, totaling a 34-man roster. • The seven freshman are Nico Bartlett (M), Jack Flanagan (F), Lukas Kamrath (D), Sean McDowd (D), Jack Ross (D), Nolan Spicer (M), Nate Zimmermann (F). • Also joining the team is midfielder Wyatt Lewis, who was a practice player last season before making the 2023 team.
