Notre Dame men’s soccer looking to cap tremendous 2021 season with College Cup
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (BVM) — A strong late-season run has put the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s soccer team in position to do something they have not since 2013: win a College Cup.
The last couple of seasons have been a struggle for the Fighting Irish, as they went just 8-9 last year, playing in both the fall and the spring as the result of adjustments made to the schedule due to COVID-19. The spring portion of the schedule was particularly tough, as Notre Dame ended the year with four straight losses.
“We all knew we played well in the fall, and I think spring was a dark period for us,” senior Jack Lynn said about last season after this year’s ACC Championship. “We had a team meeting at the end of the spring talking about what we wanted to build in the fall.”
With the rough finish, Notre Dame did not make it back to the NCAA Tournament as they had the season prior when they suffered a first-round exit at the hands of Wright State. Before last season, they had made the tournament 18 times since 2001.
However, the 2021 fall season has revitalized the program, which has had a tremendous campaign thus far. The season began with a loss to in-state rival and defending national runner-up Indiana, and the Fighting Irish continued to struggle out of the gates, beginning the campaign just 1-3-1.
“That definitely was a point in the season where we had to look ourselves in the mirror,” midfielder Dawson McCartney said after the ACC Championship game. “We knew how good we were and we weren’t getting the results we wanted at that point.”
From there on, Notre Dame suffered just two losses the rest of the season, with the most recent coming against North Carolina on Oct. 29.
In a tough ACC Conference that features powerhouses in Pittsburgh, Duke and Clemson, the Fighting Irish more than held their own. Although they were picked to finish last in the conference in the preseason poll, a 2-0 road win at Clemson in October followed up by an overtime home victory against Pitt a week later proved Notre Dame was a legitimate threat this season.
Entering the ACC Conference tournament as a top-25 team, Notre Dame impressed yet again, first taking down NC State and then beating Louisville on penalty kicks. That set up a rematch with Pitt in the ACC semifinals which the Fighting Irish dominated in a 2-0 win. The same result would occur when Notre Dame traveled to play Duke in the final, as the Irish brought home their first ACC Conference title in program history.
🏆 𝗔𝗖𝗖 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗦! 🏆
For the first time in program history the Fighting Irish have won the ACC Championship title!#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/Zik2CmtfRX
— Notre Dame Men's Soccer (@NDMenSoccer) November 14, 2021
“We turned it around,” McCartney said. “We were overlooked at the beginning of the season, but there’s no better group than this.”
“I think it means everything,” Lynn added. “It’s our first ACC championship, hopefully the first of many. We’re looking to keep the awards coming. We have a big NCAA Tournament coming up and we’re looking to win that too.”
how it started: picked last in the preseason poll.
how it’s going: the first ACC CHAMPIONSHIP in program history.
Now that’s how you do it, @NDMenSoccer.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/zfvDsFWCV2
— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) November 14, 2021
For the first time in a while, the Fighting Irish are a legit threat to win it all, and they finally earned the respect they deserve when they were named the No. 4 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament — the highest of any ACC team.
The Fighting Irish will begin their title push this weekend against former Big East rival Villanova. Should they advance, Notre Dame will meet either FIU or Wake Forest in the third round. While the team will take things one game at a time, many fans can’t help noticing a potential quarterfinal matchup that could await with No. 5-seeded Pitt.
Should the Fighting Irish make a run all the way to the national semifinals in December, they could see another ACC rival in Duke, or have a chance for revenge against the Indiana Hoosiers.
While the rest of the schedule will figure itself out, all Notre Dame can do is control how it plays on the pitch. As they have all season, the Fighting Irish will look to hang their hats on the defensive side. Allowing under 15 goals all year with 11 clean sheets, Notre Dame held opponents scoreless throughout the entire ACC Championship.
Although sophomore goalkeeper Bryan Dowd has been strong throughout the year — also being named to the ACC-All Tournament team — there have been several players that have contributed to this defensive effort and the team’s impressive success overall.
All-Freshman ACC players Matthew Roou and Josh Ramsey have both been huge additions to the team, each playing in all 18 contests. Ramsey has thoroughly impressed on defense, while Roou has provided the offense Notre Dame has been searching for, with multiple goals and assists on the year.
Meanwhile, 6-foot-6 defender Phillip Quinton has also been a tremendous presence in helping Notre Dame record the numbers they have. The senior from Oregon also scored his first two career goals this season as a third team All-ACC player.
However, the senior leader of this squad is Lynn, who earned his second consecutive first team All-ACC honor this fall. The team leader in goals, Lynn provides a presence on both ends that has led the Irish to a 12-5-3 overall record.
As a perfect complement to Lynn, Dartmouth grad transfer McCartney has also emerged for Notre Dame. McCartney scored both goals in the Irish’s ACC title game to put him at seven on the season, and he was also named the conference tournament’s MVP.
“If you would have told me last fall when I heard my season was canceled that I would be standing here as an ACC champion at Notre Dame, I wouldn’t have believed you,” McCartney said. “Sometimes God works in crazy ways and puts you in the right position.”
McCartney followed the path of Notre Dame head coach Chad Riley, who has been with the Fighting Irish since 2018 after leaving the Dartmouth program. A former player and assistant in South Bend, Riley returned home and had the most successful season for a first-year head coach in program history in 2018. Three years later, that success is back, and he has already turned the Irish into a true title contender.
The arrow continues to point up for the Notre Dame men’s soccer program, but in the midst of what has truly been a special season, the Fighting Irish will hope to prove themselves yet again in the NCAA Tournament. Plenty of big matchups may await, but first, it’s all about taking care of business against Villanova on Sunday at 5 p.m. EST.
Sunday’s matchup is set!
We take on Villanova at 5 p.m. on Sunday at Alumni in the NCAA Second Round.#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/6BAMXdLxAN
— Notre Dame Men's Soccer (@NDMenSoccer) November 19, 2021
