Time to dispel the luck of the Irish

The No. 1 ranked IU men's soccer team faces what the team is calling their biggest opponent on the schedule thus far this season: No. 17 Notre Dame (3-0-1).\n"At this point, every game in front of you is the biggest game of the season," IU junior back Drew Moor said. "It's an inter-state game, a big rivalry, they're playing well ... it's going to be a battle, and fortunately, we are at home."\nIU looks for revenge against the Fighting Irish at 7 p.m. tonight at Bill Armstrong Stadium, after Notre Dame downed IU 1-0 in double overtime last season at Alumni Field in South Bend. Last season's matchup between the two teams marked the last time IU dropped a match.\nThe Hoosiers have since gone 22 matches without losing a contest, which includes a 20-game winning streak, and are 4-0-0 on the season. IU is coming off a successful weekend with victories against Cal-State Fullerton (0-3-1) and Evansville (1-2-1) last weekend in the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament in South Bend.\nThe last time IU lost at Armstrong Stadium was Oct. 17, 2001, when Notre Dame defeated the Hoosiers 1-0. That is a span of 29 games, including Big Ten and NCAA tournament play, in which IU has either won or tied a match on its home pitch.\n"We've been trying to stay focused because the Notre Dame game is always over the edge," IU senior midfielder Danny O'Rourke said. "Notre Dame at home -- we're hoping for a little payback. We had a great game (in South Bend) last year. Unfortunately they scored in overtime on kind of a lucky goal, but we're probably the top two teams in the Midwest, or in our region, so it should be a battle come Wednesday."\nIU coach Mike Freitag said that with the team facing Notre Dame tonight and the No. 9 University of California-Santa Barbara and No. 19 New Mexico this coming weekend, it will be a "hell week" because of the strength of each team.\n"That should be a hell of a game on Wednesday night, and hopefully we'll get a good crowd like we have because it will be a very important game for the rest of the season," Freitag said.\nThe Irish played host to last weekend's Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament and recorded a win and a tie. Notre Dame defeated Evansville 2-1 with goals from senior back Christopher High and sophomore forward Justin McGeeney. Cal-State Fullerton tied Notre Dame Sunday afternoon 0-0, a team IU defeated Friday night 2-1 in two overtime periods. \nIU is 21-3-1 lifetime against Notre Dame in a series that dates back to 1973. Since 2001, IU has been 1-2 against the Irish, while the Golden Domers hold only a one-goal differential over the Hoosiers in that same three-year span.\n"It's going to be a challenging week for our guys, and I know our boys are up for it," Freitag said. "They are all very quality opponents."\nThe importance surrounding the game is not the only thing occurring at Armstrong Stadium tonight, as fans have the opportunity to purchase boxes of popcorn for $1 and the first 500 fans through the gates receive a men's soccer keychain featuring the distinct "Six Stars" logo designated for each of IU's six men's soccer national championships.\n-- Contact staff writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.