Notre Dame men’s soccer opens College Cup play tonight
Given his surroundings and the intense soccer appreciation that the English hold so dearly, Notre Dame junior Eno Nto had a tough decision to make as a high school player on which direction he wanted life’s journey to take him.
Nto could’ve stayed home and continued his work as an up-and-coming professional player with the Derby County Football Club, in Derby, England.
Or, he could come to the United States to further his education and play college soccer.
Deciding to relocate 3,800 miles from home wasn’t an easy one for Nto, but he felt it was the right one.
“For my whole life to that point I had always pursued the pathway to professional soccer to try and get there as quickly as possible,” explained Nto, who had never been to the U.S. before visiting Notre Dame. “But I was somewhat familiar with the Fighting Irish program and I wanted to learn more about it.”
Nto arrived in “the States” and Notre Dame in the summer of 2021. And after a brief bout with some homesickness, his relocation became a smooth one.
“There was culture shock for sure,” recalled Nto, who is tied for first on the Irish with 10 goals this season and ranks second with 21 points. “I’m a big mommy’s food kind of guy. So getting adjusted to American food was definitely a culture shock.”
2023 NCAA MEN’S COLLEGE CUP
Notre Dame vs. Oregon State
When: Tonight, 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Lynn Family Stadium, Louisville, Ky.
Streaming: FuboTV
Network: ESPNU
Settled in, Nto and the No. 2-seeded Irish last weekend earned their second trip to the College Cup in the last three seasons where they will take on unranked Oregon State tonight in the second of two national semifinal games in Louisville, Ky. No. 5 West Virginia plays No. 9 Clemson in the other semifinal tonight at 6 p.m. ET.
The winners will meet on Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
All games can be streamed on FuboTV or watched by network on ESPNU.
And if Notre Dame is the last team standing, it will be the second-ever national championship for Irish men’s soccer (2013).
Living on the edge, Notre Dame qualified for its third-ever College Cup final-four appearance by winning its last two matches — Western Michigan and Indiana — through penalty kicks.
“We came into this season knowing our goal was to win a national championship,” said graduate midfielder Ethan O’Brien. “It wasn’t just to beat Indiana in the elite eight, it was to go all the way.”
Familiar faces, sort of
Interestingly, Irish head coach Chad Riley was expected to be coaching against a familiar face tonight.
Oregon State head coach Greg Dalby was a first-team All-American in 2005 and 2006 as a Notre Dame midfielder/defender. And when Dalby was a Notre Dame freshman in 2003, Riley was an Irish senior team captain. Unfortunately for Dalby, the Beavers head coach and his standout midfielder Javier Armas were both suspended on Thursday for the College Cup because of yellow card violations.
A four-time monogram winner for the Irish as a player, Dalby was actually hired to replace Riley as a Notre Dame assistant coach in 2012 when Riley moved on to Dartmouth. Dalby served as an Irish assistant from 2012-14 and helped guide the team to the 2013 national championship.
“Chad [Riley] is one of my closest coaching colleagues,” Dalby said before his suspension was announced. “I’m really grateful for our relationship, our friendship, He helps me all the time. I’m excited to see Notre Dame where they are.”
