Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 SEPT. 23, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS BY TODD D. BURLAGE L ooking back about 20 months ago to December 2017, Notre Dame's choice to hire Chad Riley as the successor for legendary Irish men's soccer coach Bobby Clark was an easy one. As a Notre Dame student-ath- lete, Riley played for Clark from 2000-03 and then coached under his mentor as an Irish assistant from 2006-11 before leaving to spread his wings and pursue his own head coaching career at Dartmouth. But during that uncertain time for incoming Irish freshman Jack Lynn, Clark's abrupt and some- what unexpected retirement made the three weeks before Riley's hir- ing a highly worrisome waiting game. After all, Clark — who won 216 games and a national champion- ship in his 17 years as the Irish coach — was responsible for at- tracting Lynn to Notre Dame. "Coach Clark wowed my parents and he wowed me," Lynn recalled. Ironically, Dartmouth was Lynn's second choice during the recruiting process, a school where as its head coach, Riley, had won four straight Ivy League titles and earned four NCAA Tournament appearances in his five seasons there. "I was kind of waiting to see who the new coach at Notre Dame would be," explained Lynn, who admit- ted that any choice other than Riley might have driven him elsewhere. "There were a couple [candidates] that I had no idea who they were, and then there were a couple I knew. "Once I found out it was [Coach Riley], I felt really comfortable." The circumstance of Riley leav- ing Dartmouth and coming to Notre Dame isn't lost on the second-year Irish coach. At Dartmouth, Riley recruited Lynn and most of the seven other Irish players who comprise Notre Dame's 2018 recruiting class. "There was quite a bit of over- lap, which was pretty neat the way it worked out," said Riley, who re- tained much of his Dartmouth staff when he relocated to Notre Dame. "We were disappointed when we were at Dartmouth to lose out on those guys, but then very excited when I came to Notre Dame and had them." Lynn, now a starting sopho- more forward, has been a quick study under Riley, tallying three assists with three goals as a fresh- man last season, including a dra- matic header with one second left in overtime against No. 10 Virginia that sent Notre Dame to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championships. And through only the first three games this season, Lynn had al- ready scored three goals, including a game-winner. "It's in line with my expecta- tions," Lynn said of his quick start, adding that his coaches challenged him to score 15 goals this year. A letter winner at Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis, a club soccer standout, a National Merit Scholar and one of the top high school recruits in the country, Lynn chose Notre Dame over Harvard, Indiana, Wake For- est and Dartmouth. "There was sustained success within the Notre Dame program that Coach Clark had built that at- tracted me," Lynn said. "Then hang- ing out with the guys, I could just tell there was a very good culture with the team, which was important because talent comes and goes." ✦ Men's Soccer Standout Jack Lynn Thriving Under New Staff Lynn, a sophomore forward from St. Louis, has already scored three goals — including a game-winner — in the first three games of the season. As a rookie last year, he finished with three goals and three assists. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA CROSS COUNTRY Both the men's and women's teams finished first overall at the Crusader Open Sept. 6 in Valparaiso, Ind. The No. 9 men's team captured five of the top 10 spots including all three top finishers, while the No. 11 women's team also scored five runners in the top 10. Next up, the Irish will host the National Catholic Invitational Sept. 20. MEN'S SOCCER (3-0-0, 0-0-0 ACC) The No. 11 Fighting Irish defeated Denver 1-0 Sept. 8 to claim the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tourna- ment for the ninth time in school history. They also defeated Seattle 4-2 in the opening round Sept. 6. The Fighting Irish open conference play Sept. 13 at home against No. 19 Clemson followed by a trip to Bloomington to face No. 2 Indiana Sept. 17. WOMEN'S SOCCER (6-1-0, 0-0-0 ACC) Notre Dame completed a swing through the state of Michigan with a pair of 1-0 victories over Michi- gan Sept. 6 and Oakland Sept. 8 to remain undefeated. However, the Irish dropped a 2-1 decision at No. 7 South Carolina Sept. 12 for their first loss of the season. The Fighting Irish return home to face Iowa Sept. 15. VOLLEYBALL (4-1, 0-0 ACC) The Fighting Irish completed a home sweep of Valparaiso Sept. 4 (3-0) and previously No. 18-ranked Purdue (3-2) Sept. 6. Notre Dame will travel to Northern Kentucky Sept. 13 and 14 to play Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Ball State. — Vince DeDario