Following a 2-1 defeat in Upstate New York at the hands of Syracuse last Saturday, the Notre Dame men’s soccer team returned home to Alumni Stadium to play host to the Michigan Wolverines for their annual rivalry tilt. The Irish have dominated the Wolverines historically, holding a 16-3-4 edge in the series, including a 3-0 win in Ann Arbor a year ago.
Saturday’s loss to Syracuse dropped the Irish to 5-3-3 on the campaign, while the Wolverines entered Tuesday’s match sitting at 5-1-4. Michigan’s first loss of the season came last Friday night when No. 2 Ohio State put six in the back of the net en route to a dominating victory. With the NCAA Tournament rapidly approaching and in need of a resume-building victory, the Irish looked for their fourth consecutive triumph over their bitter rivals.
Quiet first half for both sides
The first 45 minutes of Tuesday night’s fixture came and went without many chances from either side. Notre Dame held a 7-4 shot advantage in the opening frame, including three shots that required saves from Michigan senior goalkeeper Hayden Evans. The best opportunity for the Irish arose in the 36th minute when a miscommunication in the Wolverine backline led to a failed clearance. Junior midfielder KK Baffour was gifted a golden opportunity from roughly 8 yards out, but Evans did well to turn away the right-footed strike.
In an interview with the ACC Network broadcast crew before heading to the halftime locker room, Notre Dame head coach Chad Riley addressed the steady improvement of his side throughout the first half, saying, “I thought we got better as the half went on, and we became more dangerous offensively.” Riley did express his displeasure with his squad’s discipline offensively however, noting, “We need to have more composure in the attacking third in order to finish off some of these runs.”
Michigan finds the back of the net
The Wolverines struck early to begin the second half, as a 48th-minute push was capitalized when graduate student Beto Soto’s pass found fellow fifth-year senior Bryce Blevins, whose shot took a wicked deflection before arcing over freshman goalkeeper Blake Kelly’s head and into the right corner of the net. It was Blevins’ fourth goal of the season, and it also gave Soto his ninth assist, good for the second-most in the country.
The Irish nearly leveled a minute later, but a miraculous full-extension save from Evans denied sophomore forward Jack Flanagan the equalizer. The Irish continued to press the Wolverine defense in the following minutes, but after the embarrassing defensive performance last Friday, Michigan held strong.
Evans continued to stand on his head in the 60th minute, as he turned away a twirling shot from midfielder Will Schroeder, denying the freshman of his first collegiate goal by pushing the volley above the crossbar.
The Irish continued to dominate possession in the final half hour of the match, but they failed to test Evans prior to a flurry of chances in the closing moments. First, it was Flanagan who was rejected by Evans, marking his eighth and final save, before two successive Irish corner kicks were also cleared out by the Wolverine backline. Michigan then took possession to the corner to close out the impressive 1-0 road rivalry victory.
Despite a 16-10 shot advantage and 6-1 edge in corner kicks, the Irish have now dropped consecutive matches for the first time this season as they have sunk to 5-4-3 overall. Tuesday night also marked Notre Dame’s first loss to Michigan since 2019, another 1-0 loss at Alumni Stadium. The defeat also saw the end of forward Matthew Roou’s goal streak. The senior had scored 10 goals in the last five outings, catapulting him into the national lead.
What’s next
The Irish will be back in action on Friday night as No. 7 North Carolina comes to South Bend for Notre Dame's second match against a top-10 team at Alumni Stadium in as many weeks. The 7-1-3 Tar Heels make the journey to South Bend following a convincing 3-0 home victory over Charleston.
Summarizing Tuesday’s loss and looking ahead to Friday, Riley said postgame, “When their keeper makes eight saves, it means you're keeping things on frame, so we need to continue to do that. The big thing is staying calm, and not playing in a rush, and trusting that goals will go in moving forward.”
Currently sitting at eighth in the ACC table, Notre Dame will need a strong finish in the concluding four conference matches to secure a top-eight spot and a first-round home match in the ACC Tournament. Friday night’s contest is set for a 7 p.m. first touch and can be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
