Boston College Athletics
Men's Soccer Travels To #1 Notre Dame Friday
October 02, 2014 | Men's Soccer
Match Notes
Watch On ESPN3
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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The Boston College men's soccer team travels to No. 1 Notre Dame on Friday night for a match that will be aired live on ESPN3.
BC FACES TOP-RANKED NOTRE DAME
• Boston College heads back on the road Friday night as it faces No. 1 Notre Dame at Alumni Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
• The match will be televised on ESPN3.
• The two teams played to a 1-1 draw last season in Chestnut Hill.
• BC started the season 3-0-1 but has dropped its last four matches to Clemson, Harvard, Louisville and Duke. Its last three losses have been by one goal and two have been in overtime.
• The Fighting Irish have not lost in their last four outings and most recently beat VCU in overtime on Tuesday night. They are unblemished in ACC action.
SANDGREN EMERGES
• Junior Phil Sandgren is playing his first season with Boston College and he exploded for seven points in two matches on October 16 and 19.
• He played a part in all four goals that the Eagles scored that week.
• The Kristinstad, Sweden product recorded a goal and an assist in a 3-2 overtime loss at Harvard.
• Sandgren then scored both goals in a 3-2 overtime loss to No. 9 Louisville.
• Sandgren ranks second on the team in both goals and points. He ranks eighth in the ACC in goals.
LAST TIME vs. NOTRE DAME
• Isaac Normesinu scored for Boston College as it played No. 2 Notre Dame to a 1-1 draw on September 21, 2013 in front of a capacity crowd of 2,000 at Newton Campus Field.
• Normesinu notched his first collegiate goal in the 17th minute to put the Eagles on top, 1-0. Notre Dame scored 12 seconds later to tie the match. Boston College played the last 50 minutes with 10 men after a red card was issued.
• The first 45 was played at a frantic pace with Notre Dame having a 6-1 edge in shots. BC only needed one shot to score first in the 17th minute. Normesinu used unbelievable footwork on the right side of the pitch to beat the man on him and get open. When he was at the top of the box, he ripped a low shot past the keeper to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
• Notre Dame responded 12 seconds later as the BC goal announcement was still being read. The Irish took the kickoff down the field where Vince Cicciarelli handled the ball on the right side. He sent a low cross into the box to Harrison Shipp who finished it off for the equalizer.
• Notre Dame controlled much of the second half possession but it was BC who had the first quality chance. Derrick Boateng sent a corner kick into the box that Nick Corliss put a head on. The ball bounced towards the goal, but a ND defender kicked it to safety.
• Disaster struck in the 61st minute for the Eagles when a red card forced them to play with 10 men. BC had to play defensively for the last 50 minutes and allowed seven Notre Dame shots.
• Keady Segel made his two saves of the match in the last half hour of regulation. Max Lachowecki dribbled through two BC defenders on the left side to create a chance with 16:31 left. He sent a cross inside to Shipp, but his shot was not on target.
• Five minutes later, he sent in another cross that found the foot of Patrick Hodan. He blasted a shot toward goal from 12 yards out, but it was right at Segel who did not allow a rebound.
• Notre Dame took all of its shots in overtime in the first extra session. The Irish nearly put in the golden goal with three minutes left when Hodan sent a cross into the box. An Irish member missed the ball but it bounced right to Nick Besler who had an open net. His low shot missed the far post by inches.
• Neither side attempted a shot in the second overtime.
LAST TIME OUT
• Nick Palodichuk scored on a free kick in the 65th minute to lead Duke past Boston College, 1-0, last Friday night at Koskinen Stadium.
• BC held a 14-9 advantage in shots in the match. Sophomore Zeiko Lewis led the team with three attempts. The Eagles also had a 4-0 edge in corner kicks.
• Boston College had a few quality chances to score in the first half beginning with Lewis 15 minutes into the match. He found some open space at the top of the box during a break and fired a low shot towards goal, but it sailed just wide of the right post.
• BC had another good chance when sophomore Isaac Normesinu was taken down right outside the box on the left side. Junior Dylan Pritchard took the shot for the Eagles but it was saved.
• On the ensuing corner kick, Lewis sent a short cross into the corner of the box. Pritchard lobbed a shot on goal that hit the crossbar and came back into play. Senior Giuliano Frano put a header on net, but a Duke defender kept the ball out of the net and the keeper was finally able to corral the loose ball.
• Duke's best chance came on the next possession when BC committed a foul 30 yards out. The Blue Devils sent a pass into the box to Nat Eggleston who found plenty of open space. The ball was just out of reach with an open shot waiting.
• The Blue Devils had another good opportunity with 13 minutes left in the half when Luis Rendon took a blast from the right side. Junior Alex Kapp stopped the shot and then grabbed the loose rebound to thwart the attack.
• BC also created danger early in the second half but couldn't find the net. Its best chance came when Lewis was fouled right outside of the box. Junior Phil Sandgren lined up for the free kick and put a hard shot on net, but it was right at the keeper who punched it away.
• Despite all of the BC chances, it was Duke that cashed in on a free kick in the 65th minute. A Duke player was fouled 25 yards out and Palodichuk stepped up for the shot. He sent a ball over the wall and just inside the left post to give the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead they would hold on to the rest of the way.
• Kapp made four saves for the Eagles while Joe Ohaus made three for Duke.
ABOUT THE DEFENSE
• Boston College had allowed just one goal in the first four matches this season - an own goal in the season opener against Iona.
• Junior Alex Kapp recorded three shutout victories in that span and had a shutout streak of 337:19 end at the Clemson game.
• Boston College had just one shutout last season.
• It was the first time BC recorded three consecutive shutouts since the 2012 season. It was also the first time since 2007 that the Eagles notched three clean sheets in the first four games.
• In the last four outings, BC has allowed nine goals and lost all four.
• The Eagles outscored opponents, 8-1, in the first four matches. They are being outscored 9-4 in the last four outings.
STRONG OFFENSE
• Boston College controlled the pace of play against its first four opponents and outscored them, 8-1.
• The Eagles have significant advantages in shots (112-86) and corner kicks (42-24) this year.
• Sophomore Isaac Normesinu is one of seven players in the ACC to score four goals this season and ranks fourth in that category. He is also tied for fifth in points.
• No player on Boston College scored more than two goals last season.
• Junior Phil Sandgren is second on the team with three goals and seven points. All of his point scoring came in two matches.
• Junior Derrick Boateng is third on the team with six points on two goals and two assists. He and senior Diego Medina-Mendez are tied for the team lead with a pair of assists.
• Sophomore Zeiko Lewis also has a pair of goals this year.
NORMESINU'S START
• Sophomore Isaac Normesinu has led the Boston College offense so far this season with four goals, an assist and nine points.
• Normesinu has hit the back of the net in four of the last seven matches. He had a goal and an assist against Rhode Island on September 7.
• He is also third in the conference with 24 shots.
• As a freshman last season, Normesinu had two goals and four assists.
NANA
• Junior Derrick Boateng, better known as Nana, was an ACC All-Freshman Team selection in 2012. Last season, he recorded two goals and two assists.
• He has already matched his offensive output from last year, notching two goals and two assists in seven matches this season.
• All six of his points have come in the last five games he played and he contributed to both goals in a 2-0 win at Quinnipiac.
LEWIS' FRESHMAN CAMPAIGN
• Sophomore Zeiko Lewis led Boston College with 11 assists and 17 points last season.
• He earned numerous accolades including: NSCAA All-South Atlantic Second Team, ACC Freshman of the Year, All-ACC Second Team, All-ACC Freshman Team and Soccer America All-Freshman First Team.
• Lewis led the ACC in assists (11) and assists per game (0.61) and ranked 10th in the conference in points (17).
• He ranked third in the country in assists per game and fourth in assists.
• Lewis was the only freshman in the top 15 in the country in total assists and in the top 20 in assists per game.
• The only other Eagle to reach 10 or more assists in less than 20 matches was Jorge Montoya in 1983.
• This season, Lewis has two goals and an assist.
NEWCOMERS MAKING IMPACT
• Five newcomers have seen time on the field in the first eight games.
• Freshmen Henry Balf and Mohammed Moro have started all eight matches. Classmate Len Zeugner has started seven contests. Zeugner, a defender, scored a goal in the 2-0 win against Fordham.
• Junior Phil Sandgren and freshman Idrissa Bangura have also played in all eight games. Sandgren has seven starts while Bangura has two.
• Sandgren is second on the team with three goals and seven points.
THREE CAPTAINS NAMED
• Junior Atobra Ampadu, senior Giuliano Frano and sophomore Zeiko Lewis have been named captains for the 2014 season.
• This is Ampadu's second season serving as a captain. Last year, he scored a pair of goals while adding two assists for six points.
• Frano led the team last year with four goals and was second with 10 points. He also recorded two assists.
• Lewis led the team with 11 assists and 17 points while adding three goals in 2013. His assist total ranked fourth in the nation and he earned numerous accolades including ACC Freshman of the Year.
REVS JOIN SOCCER STAFF
• Former Boston College soccer standout Charlie Davies and Lee Nguyen were named assistant coaches for the Eagles.
• Davies and Nguyen currently play for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. Davies starred for the Eagles from 2004-06 while Nguyen played one year at Indiana before turning professional.
• Davies played three seasons for the Eagles and earned numerous accolades. As a junior, he was an NSCAA first team All-American and the ACC Offensive Player of the Year. He was also one of three finalists for the Hermann Trophy, given to the nation's top collegiate soccer player. As a freshman, Davies was the Big East Rookie of the Year. The Manchester, N.H., product played with Hammarby (Sweden), Sochaux (France), D.C. United and Randers FC (Denmark) before joining the Revs.
• Davies has recorded three goals and three assists in 14 matches. He has 10 starts.
• Nguyen played one year for the Hoosiers and was named the National Freshman of the Year by Soccer America. He was also a first team freshman All-American, a third team All-America selection and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Nguyen started his professional career with PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) and also played for Randers FC, Hoang Anh Gia (Vietnam) and Becamex Binh Duong FC (Vietnam) before coming to New England.
• Nguyen leads the Revs with 13 goals while adding five assists. He ranks seventh in MLS in goals scored.
BEDOYA IN THE WORLD CUP
• Former Boston College men's soccer standout Alejandro Bedoya and the United States Men's National Team advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup before falling in extra time to Belgium, 2-1.
• The United States finished second in Group G with four points and advanced over Portugal on goal differential.
• Bedoya played in all four matches in the midfield and started three of them, including the contest against Belgium.
• The US and Belgium were scoreless in the first 90 minutes which forced 30 more minutes of extra time. Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne broke the tie in the 93rd minute and then the Red Devils added to the lead 12 minutes later with a Romelu Lukaku goal. The United States responded in the 107th minute when young Julian Green scored on his first touch of the game. A flurry of late equalizing chances for the stars and stripes fell short, and Belgium advanced to the quarterfinals.
• Bedoya's star continued to shine when he scored the only goal of the match to lead the United States Men's National Team to a 1-0 victory against the Czech Republic on September 3 at Generali Arena.
• Bedoya scored unassisted in the 39th minute which proved to be the game-winner. Mix Diskerud picked up a loose ball in the midfield to start the U.S. attack. He shot from 17 yards out and the Czech keeper made the initial save. The rebound fell to Bedoya, who slipped the shot past a defender and into the open net.
• Bedoya emerged for the USMNT during the CONCACAF Gold Cup as the U.S. won its fifth title on July 28, 2013 at Chicago's Soldier Field.
• Bedoya was instrumental in the semifinal and final matches, recording three assists on four American goals. He assisted on both of Landon Donovan's goals - including the game-winner - in the semifinal against Honduras, a 3-1 victory on July 24 in Dallas. Watch the two goals by clicking here and here.
• He also sparked the only goal in a 1-0 triumph over Panama in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on July 28.
• The two assists against Honduras were the first two of his international career.
• Bedoya has 33 career caps and currently plays for FC Nantes in France's Ligue 1.
