SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Irish remain on the road and play at No. 12 Virginia Tech in an ACC showdown in Blacksburg, Virginia, at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 24. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX.
NOTRE DAME vs. #12 Virginia Tech
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia | Thompson Field
Stream: ACCNX
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer
Game Notes: vs. Virginia Tech
THE VIRGINIA TECH SERIES
• The Irish and Hokies will meet on the pitch for the 13th time on Friday evening.
• Notre Dame holds a narrow lead in the all-time series with a record of 6-5-1 against Virginia Tech.
• The Hokies won the most recent matchup, defeating Notre Dame by a score of 2-0 in South Bend the spring of 2021.
LAST TIME OUT
• The Irish turned in an impressive performance on the road in Ann Arbor for a midweek non-conference win, recording a 3-1 win over Michigan.
• Jack Lynn bagged a brace, scoring the first two goals for the Irish in the first half.
• Mohamed Omar registered his first goal of the season to put away the win in the 71st minute.
• Daniel Russo played the role of distributor, notching a career-high two assists.
LYNN LEADS THE LINE
• Lynn was Notre Dame’s representative on the ACC Preseason Watch List.
• Lynn paces all active Irish players in career goals with 24 in his Notre Dame career.
• The forward has three goals and two assists in the six games he has played this season.
• Lynn was clinical in the win over Michigan, scoring a first half brace to lead the Irish to the win.
• The senior scored a goal in the 2021 opener against Indiana and has now scored in two of four season openers in his career.
• In the final match of the 2020 fall regular season, Lynn recorded the first hat trick of his career, scoring three times in the first half in the 4-1 win over Louisville.
• The forward enjoyed a breakout 2019 campaign, scoring a career-high 10 goals to lead the Irish attack.
• Lynn has led the Irish in goals and points in each of the last two seasons.
STRONG STARTS
• The Irish have made it a habit of getting off on the front foot in the 2021 season, scoring first in five of seven matches.
• Notre Dame has outscored its opponents by a combined 8-4 in first halves this season.
• Lynn is responsible for some of the damage, as all three of his goals have come in the opening 45 minutes of play.
ROOU’S INSTANT IMPACT
• Freshman Matthew Roou has wasted little time getting himself acclimated to the collegiate level, as he is tied of the team lead in goals.
• Roou has scored three goals over the first seven games of the season.
• The forward has scored against NIU, Boston College and Michigan State.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
• The Irish have already received significant contributions from the 2021 freshman class.
• Five of Notre Dame’s 12 goals have been scored by freshmen.
• Roou is tied for the lead on the team in goals scored with three through seven games.
• Eno Nto has scored two goals in his freshman campaign.
• Josh Ramsey has played in all seven games, including six starts for Notre Dame this season at the center back position.
• Nto and Roou both scored goals in their first career starts, coming in the 2-0 win over NIU.
• Kyle Genenbacher and Michael Rossi have also logged minutes in multiple matches this season.
2021 CAPTAINS
• Mohamed Omar and Philip Quinton will share the skipper role for the Fighting Irish for the 2021 season.
• Omar has been a staple as a central defensive midfielder over the past three seasons. His 2020-21 campaign was cut short due to an injury that sidelined him for almost all of the spring.
• Omar has racked up 53 appearances for the Irish over four seasons, scoring three goals and adding two assists in his career.
• Quinton has been a mainstay in Notre Dame’s defense four seasons at the center back position.
• The 6-foot-6 defender has anchored the Irish back line the last two seasons. Quinton has also managed to record two assists in his collegiate career.