Notre Dame men’s soccer continued their seven-game homestand against Division III opponent Hope College on Tuesday evening. Freshman defender Alex Rosin opened the scoring first for the No. 23 Irish, only to be met with a Flying Dutchmen goal shortly after by sophomore forward Jackson Mindling. The Irish led 2-1 going into the second half thanks to a goal by freshman forward Luke Burton. Soon after, Hope junior defender Michael Dietz scored, allowing the Flying Dutchmen to tie the game at 2-2. In the 83rd-minute, freshman forward Ren Sylvester scored the game-winner for Notre Dame, allowing the Irish to scrape by with the win.
Last Saturday, the Irish fell short in an unexpected loss to Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent SMU at home. The Mustangs outscored the Irish 2-0, with junior forward Milton Lopez scoring both goals of the night. Despite the loss, the Irish took the weekend to recuperate and work on fundamental aspects of their success coming into Tuesday’s game against Hope.
The Irish offense went to work right away, earning two corner kicks in the first 10 minutes. Senior midfielder KK Baffour directed both, making brilliant deliveries to the six-yard box just in front of the net. After three phenomenal passes, freshman forward Ren Sylvester assisted on the opening goal for Rosin, who landed a shot in the bottom left of goal at the 10-minute mark. This was the first career goal for Rosin, who had two assists in the game against Omaha.
The Flying Dutchmen did not want to be counted out early and got on the board shortly thereafter. Mindling dribbled past the Irish defense to score an unassisted equalizer into the bottom left of the goal. Mindling is Hope’s top scorer, accounting for six of the team’s 25 goals coming into tonight’s match.
Both defenses had to endure an eventful first half. While Notre Dame placed an emphasis on breaking up passes and anticipating the offensive structure of Hope, the Flying Dutchmen defense utilized a physical form of play. Each team earned a yellow card in the first half, but Hope gave up six corner kicks they could not afford against Notre Dame.
Despite corners being a weakness for this Notre Dame team so far this season, they capitalized on opportunities in the first half. Senior defender Mitch Ferguson took the corner for Notre Dame in the 42nd-minute, making a direct pass to freshman forward Luke Burton to score a header on the left side. Burton has been making a significant impact in his first campaign, especially when working alongside classmates Rosin and Sylvester, as seen tonight.
The second half was off to a slow start, with both teams working to establish plays on offense. Hope was successful 15 minutes in, with a goal by junior defender Michael Dietz. Dietz was set up with two beautiful passes by junior defender Caden Chenlo and Mindling, beating Irish sophomore goalkeeper Blake Kelly clean on the top left side. Hope capitalized on the scattered Notre Dame defense, which had been messier and less organized than in recent games.
It was a big night for Notre Dame freshmen, with Sylvester scoring the game-winner on the left side in the 83rd-minute. The Ann Arbor, Michigan native was assisted by junior midfielder Wyatt Lewis and sophomore midfielder Ian Shaul to give the Irish the go-ahead.
Notre Dame was able to hold onto the one-goal advantage, although the Hope offense was adamant in making a last-ditch effort to score as the clock ticked down. Although they lost, tonight’s game was a massive success for Hope College. Notre Dame is the toughest opponent they will play all season, and they were able to keep the game close despite the heavy total of fouls and yellow cards drawn throughout tonight’s match.
The Irish emerged victorious, but there were aspects of tonight’s play they will undoubtedly want to improve before their next game. Their defensive line, which has been notable this season, did not appear as synchronized and fluid as they had previously. Their communication on the pitch and camaraderie off the pitch is what makes them such a reliable unit, so the Irish will definitely want to ensure they can return to their earlier success.
The Irish offense tonight was not as structured as it has been, especially compared to facing ACC opponents, and they cannot rely solely on improvised plays to score. Nevertheless, the Irish offense was able to pull it off once again and will hopefully have fallen back into their successful stride by Friday.
The Notre Dame freshmen have been making a massive impact on the team, and Ren Sylvester demonstrated that excellence tonight. When speaking about his class’ impact on the team, he explained, “I think we’ve been able to contribute a lot, which is great, and it’s been really good to see.” If this is just the success of these players during their first season, their talent as upperclassmen will be outstanding.
Looking ahead past tonight’s victory, Notre Dame will face Virginia Tech at Alumni Stadium Friday, Oct. 3. The Irish will have a primary opportunity to maintain their priorities on defense and work toward offensive cohesiveness, which will be crucial to racking up victories over the remainder of the ACC season.
