Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 SEPT. 16, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS BY TODD D. BURLAGE W hether it was the chance to play at the best soccer academy in the country during his high school years, playing in the elite United Soccer League (USL) for a season before college or becoming a star on the Notre Dame team this year, the sport that Matthew Roou gives so much to is paying him back tenfold. In a 5-0 win over Indiana Uni- versity-Purdue University In- dianapolis (IUPUI) Aug. 27, the junior forward scored his first ca- reer hat trick to earn ACC Offen- sive Player of the Week honors. "Scoring a hat trick in only the second game of the year, that was amazing," Roou said afterward. "Scoring 3 goals gives you a lot of confidence. So hopefully just keep it going into the next game and score some more." He did. Five days and one game after his hat trick, Roou delivered the only goal of the game in a 1-0 Irish win over Northern Illinois. "For goal scoring in soccer, there is a big momentum piece to it," Roou added. "Hopefully this will be something to build on." Through four games and a 3-0-1 start for Notre Dame, Roou had already exceeded his goal total (4) from the 17 games all last season with 5 this fall. Before his arrival to Notre Dame, Roou was one of the best youth play- ers in the country. The Roou family — which resides in Germantown, Wis. — believed it was best for Matthew to relocate in order to find better coaching and competition. They settled on Shat- tuck St. Mary's, a prestigious boarding school near Minneapolis that special- izes in the development of soccer and hockey players. The plan paid off. Roou thrived there and helped carry Shattuck St. Mary's to a No. 1 national ranking following the 2019 soccer season. It was there that schools around the country, including Notre Dame, took notice and gained in- terest in recruiting Roou to campus. Roou said one visit to Notre Dame made his college choice an easy one. "At Notre Dame, you could just tell that there was such a genuine care from everybody," said Roou, a three-year Irish starter who has appeared in every game since his arrival in 2021. "The culture is just unbe- lievable." Already committed to play at Notre Dame, Roou left Shattuck St. Mary's to spend a year before college playing in Indianapolis with the Indy Eleven of the USL, an elite soccer league made up of both professional and top ama- teur players. "It was a great group of guys and a great team," Roou said. "Indy Eleven definitely helped me make the transition to college and be ready to go right away." Roou will eventually get the chance to pursue his own profes- sional soccer career. But in the meantime, there's some unfin- ished business to address after the disappointment of an 8-7-2 season in 2022. "We have so much potential," Roou said. "It's just a matter of getting all the pieces to come together. The group this year is really special." ✦ Roou tallied 3 goals — his first career hat trick — in Notre Dame's 5-0 victory versus IUPUI Aug. 27 and has already exceeded his goal total from last season (4) with 5 through four games this year. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS Soccer Standout Matthew Roou Off To Strong Start Irish Roundup CROSS COUNTRY At the Windrow Valparaiso Open Sept. 1, the Fighting Irish women notched a first-place finish while men came in second … Notre Dame will host the National Catholic Invite Sept. 15 for its next outing. MEN'S GOLF Notre Dame opened its fall slate with a first-place finish at the Folds of Honor Collegiate Sept. 4-6 in East Lansing, Mich. … The Irish will compete at the Gopher Invitational Sept. 11 in Minneapolis. WOMEN'S GOLF The Fighting Irish posted fifth-place showing at the Boilermaker Classic Sept. 4-5 in West Lafayette, Ind. … Notre Dame will play in Mary Fossum Invitational Sept. 17-18 in East Lansing, Mich. MEN'S SOCCER (3-0-1) Notre Dame defeated Northern Illinois 1-0 Sept. 1 and topped Detroit Mercy 1-0 Sept. 5 … The Irish will open their ACC slate Sept. 9 at home against Clemson. WOMEN'S SOCCER (3-1-2) The No. 11-ranked Fighting Irish notched a 2-1 victory at No. 14 Michigan State Sept. 3 but lost to Michigan 1-0 at home Sept. 7 … Notre Dame travels for a match at Bowling Green Sept. 10. VOLLEYBALL (3-2) Notre Dame split its two matches the Catholic Challenge Sept. 1-2 in Philadelphia, beating Villanova 3-0 before losing to Santa Clara 3-2 … The Fighting Irish posted a 3-0 victory versus Illinois at home Sept. 7 and also hosted Oklahoma Sept. 9, prior to playing a home-and-home series with Toledo Sept. 15 and 17.