Notre Dame men’s soccer saw their four-match winning streak come to an end on Saturday night, with the visiting SMU Mustangs walking out of Alumni Stadium with a 2-0 victory. The 21st-ranked Irish fell to 5-2-2 on the season, and also had their unbeaten mark atop the ACC table spoiled.
The Mustangs endured an up-and-down non-conference slate, but also rolled into South Bend with an unbeaten ledger in ACC competition. In just their second season in the nation’s best soccer conference, SMU began their campaign with 1-1 draws against No. 2 Clemson and perennial powerhouse North Carolina.
The Irish struggled to score throughout the first few weeks of the season, but the group has developed some chemistry since and started to rattle off victories. Their winning streak began on Sept. 12 at Pittsburgh with a 2-0 win to open the ACC slate, before continuing with triumphs over Omaha (3-1), No. 12 Louisville (3-0) and Wright State (3-2).
On the pitch, it was an even first 45 minutes, with both sides splitting possession but failing to create any meaningful opportunities at goal. Coming out of the intermission, it was the Irish who threatened at net, but the Mustangs who broke open the scoring.
Junior forward Milton Lopez beat Notre Dame sophomore goalkeeper Blake Kelly from just outside the 18-yard box in the 66th minute to put SMU up 1-0. The Irish then had to attack from behind, a strategy they hadn’t had to employ much over the previous two weeks.
The Mustangs’ back line held firm, limiting Notre Dame’s chances to equalize, before sealing the deal with an empty-net 90th-minute winner. The Irish had to push all 11 men into the box for a last-gasp corner kick, which the Mustangs cleared, allowing Lopez to easily complete his brace with just 28 seconds remaining. The assist was credited to fellow junior forward Mukisa Emmanuel.
Kelly was tested all night long, as he was forced to make six saves during the defeat. SMU outshot the Irish 14-9 throughout the evening, and also outnumbered Notre Dame 6-4 on corner kicks.
Notre Dame’s long homestand now rolls on with two more matches at Alumni Stadium set for this week. The Irish will welcome Division III Hope College to South Bend on Tuesday, before continuing the ACC slate Friday evening against Virginia Tech.
The Hope Flying Dutchmen are a highly successful Division III program, winning at least 11 games in each of the last two seasons, including an NCAA Tournament appearance last year. They have struggled a bit to start 2025, sitting at just 4-4-1 on the campaign. Similarly to last year’s contest with Trine in late September, this match will serve as an opportunity for head coach Chad Riley to experiment with different lineups and allow younger players to tally more minutes on the pitch.
The Hokies also have a .500 record, currently boasting a 2-2-3 record with a 0-2-1 mark within the ACC. Much like Notre Dame, Virginia Tech has faced a grueling schedule, collecting early-season results against No. 3 Ohio State (1-0) and No. 2 Marshall (2-2). They also hold a rivalry draw against now-No. 12 Virginia (2-2). Both of this week’s Notre Dame matches will kick off at 7 p.m., with streaming on ACCNX only available for the Virginia Tech showdown.
