SOUTH BEND, Ind. – No. 2 Notre Dame opens the 2024 season against Akron as it welcomes the Zips to Alumni Stadium. The match is slated to start at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 22 and will air on ACCNX.
No. 2 NOTRE DAME vs. AKRON
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Alumni Stadium
Live Stream: ACCNX
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDMenSoccer
Game Notes: vs. Akron
THE AKRON SERIES
• The Irish and Zips will meet on the pitch for the 16th time on Thursday evening.
• The Irish trail in the series with a mark of 3-8-4.
• Since the turn of the century the Irish are 3-2-2 against Akron.
• The two sides played to a scoreless standstill last season in Akron.
2023 SEASON REWIND
• Notre Dame had one of its most successful seasons in program history last year, finishing with an appearance in the College Cup Final.
• The Irish were dominant in the ACC, claiming the Coastal Division crown and earning the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament after going undefeated in regular season conference play with a record of 6-0-2.
• Notre Dame finished the season with a record of 13-3-6 but two of the draws resulted in the Irish advancing in the NCAA Tournament in shootouts.
• The Fighting Irish defeated Kentucky (2-0) in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament before moving past Western Michigan (0-0) and Indiana (1-1) to make the College Cup.
• Notre Dame then defeated Oregon State (1-0) in the semifinal before falling to Clemson (1-2) in the final.
2024 CAPTAIN
• Bryce Boneau will serve as the captain for this year’s Fighting Irish team.
• Boneau is a senior midfielder from Texas and was selected to the 2024 ACC Preseason Watch List.
• Boneau scored four goals and added seven assists last season as a center midfielder and has four goals and 10 assists in his Notre Dame career.
• Boneau was selected by Nashville SC in the third round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft with the 75th overall pick.
OWNING THE OPENERS
• Notre Dame has historically gotten off to a good start to its seasons, posting a record of 27-11-9 in its season openers.
• The Irish have lost just twice in their last 13 openers to a season, going 6-2-5.
• Notre Dame has outscored the opposition by a combined score of 19-12 over that stretch.
• Notre Dame has been even better in home openers, recording a mark of 32-10-5.
• The Irish are 2-2-2 under Chad Riley in both home openers and season openers.
DOMINATING DEFENSE
• The Fighting Irish return three of the four…