A tough stretch of matches early in the season will wrap up this weekend for Notre Dame men’s soccer. The Irish, after defeating No. 14 Oregon State on Aug. 28 and dropping this past Sunday’s contest to No. 4 Indiana, will visit No. 10 Pittsburgh in their Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opener on Friday.
Notre Dame enters league play at 1-1-2 and hasn’t yet found its offensive footing, totaling two goals in four contests played. The Irish didn’t lack opportunities against the overpowering Hoosiers in Sunday’s 1-0 loss, totaling 13 shots – 10 of them coming in the second half. However, only two made it on goal, allowing Collins Oduro’s 35th-minute tally to stand as the decider.
Sophomore goalkeeper Blake Kelly has led Notre Dame from the back through the first three weeks, and his response to the challenge of ACC opponents will be worth attention. Kelly currently leads the conference with 17 saves, and his .895 save percentage paces all ACC keepers with at least 10 saves. Last year, he didn’t make it through the duration of conference play, as Notre Dame replaced him with graduate student Collin Travasos in October. Beginning on Friday, we’ll see how much of a step Kelly has taken toward becoming an elite ACC stopper.
Pittsburgh poses a formidable challenge for the Irish, entering the weekend at No. 10 in the country. The Panthers, who have reached the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in four of the last five seasons and qualified for the College Cup in 2022, were projected to finish third in the ACC Preseason Poll. Only Clemson and Wake Forest slotted into the list higher than Pittsburgh.
The Panthers have opened the season 3-2, already playing one conference match against No. 3 Clemson last Friday. They began the year with consecutive home wins against Quinnipiac and Michigan State before falling short in road trips to Georgetown and Clemson. Most recently, the Panthers took down Butler by a 4-1 score on Monday night.
Under reigning ACC Coach of the Year Jay Vidovich, the Panthers have returned several key contributors from last season’s 14-win group. Casper Svendby, a First Team All-American and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, is back but has seen limited action with just one start so far in 2025. Elsewhere on the back line, two-time All-ACC Third Team selection Jackson Gilman has already played the full 90 minutes four times this season as he begins his third year as a captain.
Pittsburgh has also brought back two members of last year’s ACC All-Freshman Team in forward Lasse Dahl and defender Niklas Soerensen. Dahl led the Panthers to victory with a Monday brace against Butler, while Soerensen, like Gilman, has played every minute of the match on four occasions.
Graduate Spaniard Arnau Vilamitjana has emerged as a main contributor in the midfield, tallying three goals and three assists for a quick nine points. He put together an impressive three-assist night against Butler on Monday. One of the players he set up for a goal, impact Marshall transfer Marco Silva, has found the back of the net twice this year.
In goal, Pittsburgh lost Third Team All-ACC selection Cabral Carter to Los Angeles FC, bringing junior Jack Moxom into the full-time picture after he started five times last year. With an early save percentage of .588, Moxom hasn’t been great, but he still has plenty of time in the season to gain more experience and become a stronger asset for the Panthers.
First touch between Notre Dame and Pittsburgh is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
