Indiana University
Notre Dame
Hoosiers Host Home Opener, Top-15 Matchup
8/28/2024 3:31:00 PM | Men's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana men's soccer on Thursday (aug. 29) hosts its home opener, a top-15 matchup with annual rival and No. 8-ranked Notre Dame in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. Tickets are on sale online or at any Armstrong Stadium ticket booth on matchday. Fans unable to attend the match can watch on the B1G+ digital platform.
Thursday's match includes four promotions as the men's team plays the second match of a doubleheader with Indiana women's soccer. Fans that check in for both matches will automatically enter to win a free RTIC cooler filled with IU soccer prizes.
In addition, IU Dance Marathon will host its annual For the Kicks Night. The promotion includes a tailgate starting at 6:30 p.m. ET at Armstrong Stadium, with free food and games for fans of all ages. Thursday is also Junior Hoosier Club Night, as IU athletics offers free admission for all Junior Hoosier Club members that show their JHC credential at the Armstrong Stadium ticket window.
Thursday's giveaway is the 2024 Hoosier Army t-shirt. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive this year's t-shirt that they can wear to Armstrong Stadium all season.
KICKING OFF
• Thursday's contest marks a rematch of the 2023 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, which sent Notre Dame to the College Cup after a 5-4 penalty shootout result.
• Bill Armstrong Stadium has given the Hoosiers a significant home-field advantage. Last season, IU men's soccer welcomed a program record 33,937 fans to "The Bill" and enjoyed an 11-1-2 record on their home pitch.
• Thursday's match is the first of Indiana's two home matches this week. The Hoosiers will welcome Yale to Armstrong Stadium on Sunday.
• IU will look to bounce back from an opening day loss to Saint Louis last week. The Hoosiers have not suffered consecutive defeats since 2013.
ABOUT THE FIGHTING IRISH
• Notre Dame is also looking for its first win of the season after settling for a draw in its opener against Akron last week.
• The Fighting Irish finished as the NCAA runner-up last season, compiling a 13-3-6 record and an undefeated 6-0-2 mark in the ACC.
• Notre Dame is led by seventh-year head coach Chad Riley, who has compiled a 64-39-18 record in South Bend and a 115-65-32 career record in 12 years as a Division-I head coach.
• Fighting Irish senior Matthew Roou, who scored Notre Dame's first goal of the season last week, will look to make an impact again Thursday. Roou has totaled 22 goals and 10 assists in his career.
SERIES HISTORY
• Indiana's first-ever varsity match was a 5-1 victory in South Bend. The Hoosiers then won 11 straight matchups to kick off a series that has been renewed 48 times.
• More recently, the two teams have met in 22 of the last 23 seasons, only missing the 2020-21 campaign due to IU's conference-only schedule. In that span, the programs have met 26 times.
• The Hoosiers hold a dominant 33-10-5 record in the all-time series and have not suffered a straight defeat in their last seven matches against the Fighting Irish, each decided by one goal or a draw. It took a penalty shootout for the Fighting Irish to push past IU in the 2023 NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal matchup after the two teams drew 1-1 through 110 minutes.
• That was the second matchup between the programs in 2023 as IU and Notre Dame also met in the season opener and played to a 1-1 draw. The Hoosiers recovered from a 1-0 deficit thanks to Collins Oduro's first-career goal.
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