Irish men's soccer team captures Big East title and earns No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament BY DAN MURPHY
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East crown and the first team in pro- gram history to earn the No. 1 over- all seed in the NCAA Tournament, paved their way to a 16-3-1 record by winning all eight games they played in South Bend. A year after winning only four of 11 home games, Notre Dame outscored its opponents 24-3 on its own turf this season. Head coach Bobby Clark attributes his team's new- found home-field advantage to its new home field. "The thing that haunted us most last
year was our field was in really bad shape," Clark said. "I think our field is almost the best in the country now. My biggest compliment for this year would go to the groundskeepers." Notre Dame and its visiting op-
Notre Dame men's soccer team, that is much more literal than a tired sports cliché. The Irish, recent winners of a Big
he seeds of any championship team are planted in the offseason. For the
ponents kicked up more divots than Rodney Dangerfield in "Caddyshack" last year, especially when the weather turned cold late in the season. Clark said he didn't need to ask the athletic department for help because anyone
Senior midfielder and team captain Dillon Powers helped the Irish rally to victory in all three Big East Tournament games after they had been outplayed in the first half.
PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS
