ND hosts UConn, Seton Hall
By NOAH AMSTADTER
Assistant Sports Editor
After overcoming early-season offensive jitters, the Irish men's soccer team (3-2-1, 1-1 in the Big East) carries a two-game winning streak into this weekend's games against conference rivals Seton Hall and Connecticut.
The Irish take on the Pirates of Seton Hall tonight at 7:30 before the No.4-ranked Huskies invade Alumni Field Sunday at 1 p.m.
"I think we have a good enough team to go 2-0 this weekend," said Irish head coach Chris Apple, "But both teams are strong enough to beat us as well."
Tonight's game matches the Irish against a Pirates squad which has shown flashes on offense but — like the Irish at the beginning of the season — have not been able to put the ball in the net. Seton Hall fell 1-0 to Boston College in its last game, despite outshooting the Eagles 17-3.
"That's the game of soccer," said Apple, "The beauty of our sport is that you can be an inferior team, get a lucky shot or a penalty kick, play good defense, and win."
The Pirates will be led on offense by junior forward Greg Strohman and senior midfielder Brian Cuddy, who have six and seven points on the season, respectively.
The Irish look to match the Pirates with a revamped offense that has outscored opponents 5-1 in the last two games.
With the return of sophomore forward Erich Braun — last year's Big East Rookie of the Year — Apple has been able to move freshman Justin Detter back to his natural position in the midfield. In addition, senior tri—captains Steve Maio and Dustin Pridmore have traded back positions, with Pridmore moving to marking back and Maio playing stopper-back.
Pridmore responded to the changes quickly, scoring his first goal of the season in Notre Dame's 3-0 shutout of Syracuse Sept. 16.
In addition, freshman Chad Riley has emerged as a scoring threat, scoring a goal at Syracuse before aiding in both of the Irish goals in Tuesday's 2-1 home win against Cleveland State.
Sunday's game against Connecticut pits the Irish against the highest-ranked team on their regular season schedule. The Huskies tied Rutgers for first in the Big East last year before advancing to the final four in the NCAA tournament.
This season's Huskie team is currently 4-1, winning four straight after losing to No. 11 Wake Forest in the season-opening game. Connecticut takes on Big East rival Pittsburgh on Friday before heading to South Bend.
Connecticut is lead by the leading scorer in the Big East in Cesaw Cuellar, who has put the ball in the net five times this season already. Darin Lewis has scored four times while taking only nine shots so far this season. In goal, Bryheem Hancock has allowed only four goals this season en route to recording three shutouts.
The Irish know that there is little margin for error against the talented Huskies.
"They're a really talented, experienced team," said Pridmore. "As long as we make sure our defense is strong, we can create some shots."
While the Irish have dominated on defense throughout the season, defensive breakdowns and penalties have led to opponents' goals. Against Cleveland State, Irish defender Andres Forstner was called for tripping, a penalty which led to the Vikings' only score off of the free kick. Pridmore stresses that there will no room for such mistakes against the Huskies.
"It's going to be one of those games where we have to play our best for 90 minutes," said Pridmore. "We're not going to be able to have slip-ups, because if we have slip-ups Connecticut is the type of that will capitalize on that slip-up and make our team pay."
All Sports Stories for Friday, September 22, 2000
