No. 6 Irish on Deck as ACC Play Begins Friday

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Boston College men's soccer team will open its eight-game ACC slate on Friday night, hosting No. 6 Notre Dame at the Newton Campus Fields. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m., and the game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra, which is available on WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

The Eagles (2-2-0) come into the game looking to snap a quick two-game home skid last weekend. After back-to-back 4-0 victories to open the season, BC fell to UNH – now ranked No. 24 nationally – last Friday by a 2-0 score line behind an own goal and a late tally with minutes left. On Monday, BC staked a 2-0 lead against Xavier before the Musketeers rallied to claim a 3-2 win in double overtime.

Notre Dame (3-0-0) enters Friday's contest with a perfect record and a ranking inside the top 10 of all four major polls, including a No. 6 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. Notre Dame opened the season with a 2-0 win over San Diego and a 2-1, double overtime win over Cal Poly. Both games came at home, before the Irish topped Connecticut in Storrs, 1-0, last Friday.

Both teams have players who've tallied four goals so far. BC's Simon Enstrom's four goals have come in three games, including a brace on Monday against Xavier. ND's Jeff Farina's four goals have also come in three games, with a two-goal effort – including the 2OT game-winner – against Cal Poly. In fact, Farina's four goals represent 80 percent of the teams' five-goal season total.

Eagles' midfielder Heidar Aegisson has four assists, a figure that ranks fourth nationally and second in the ACC. Notre Dame's Felicien Dumas has three assists to pace the Irish.

Notre Dame has featured fifth-year goalkeeper Chris Hubbard all three games. He enters Friday's game with an 0.32 GAA and an .889 save percentage, allowing one goal in nine changes.

BC has continued to split time in goal, with sophomore Jack Bacon making three of four starts and giving way to freshman Antonio Chavez Borrelli at the half in all three games. Chavez Borrelli made the other start – the UNH game last Friday. Bacon has an 0.67 GAA and an .875 save percentage, with one goal allowed in eight shots. Chavez Borrelli has a 1.51 GAA and an .750 save percentage, with 12 saves on 16 attempts.

Boston College (2-2-0) vs. No. 6 Notre Dame (3-0-0)
Friday, September 8, 2017 | 5 p.m.
Newton Campus Soccer Field | Newton, Mass.

AGAINST NOTRE DAME

Friday's game will be the 13th meeting between the two programs
BC is 4-7-1 all-time against Notre Dame, but is 1-0-1 against the Irish in ACC play
Friday's game is the first meeting since 2014
The teams' first meeting came in 1987, a 5-0 ND win in South Bend
The next meeting wasn't until 1995 in BIG EAST play, where ND held a 6-3-0 edge in the series that ran annually until 2004, except for 2003 when the team did not play
After an eight-year break in the series, the teams met again for the first time in 2013 in ACC play when the played to a 1-1 tie in Newton
The last meeting went to the Eagles, a 1-0 victory in South Bend in 2014

ACC OPENER ON FRIDAY

The Eagles open their eight-game ACC schedule on Friday, hosting Notre Dame at 5 p.m.
This is BC's 13th season playing in the ACC ... the Eagles have an all-time mark of 41-43-15 in ACC league play
The Eagles are 3-7-2 all-time in ACC openers, but 1-4-1 of that mark is against former league member Maryland

ACC REPS TOP SCHEDULES AGAIN

The ACC once again represents the nation's toughest soccer conference
In the Sept. 6 NCAA strength of schedule report, 11 of the 12 league teams have schedules ranked in the nation's 18 toughest, including the top two schools
BC's strength of schedule is currently ranked No. 14 nationally as Virginia Tech and Duke sit 1-2, and NC State is No. 5, Pitt is No. 7, Louisville No. 8, Notre Dame No. 9, Wake Forest No. 11, Virginia No. 15 and UNC No. 18.
The lone school outside of the Top 20 is Syracuse, which is ranked No. 35.

No. 6 Irish on Deck as ACC Play Begins Friday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Heidar Aegisson

Jack Bacon

Antonio Chavez Borrelli

Simon Enstrom

No. 6 Irish on Deck as ACC Play Begins Friday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Heidar Aegisson

Jack Bacon

Antonio Chavez Borrelli

Simon Enstrom

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