#3 Notre Dame vs. #11 Michigan State 2013 NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal Game Breakdown
#3 Notre Dame vs. #11 Michigan State, 7 p.m. Saturday
Evan Panken and Harrison Shipp scored second-half goals for Notre Dame in a 4-2 win over Wake Forest, which sent the Fighting Irish into the Elite Eight for the third time in the program’s history. Notre Dame last reached the national quarterfinals in 2006 and 2007 and lost both times, but home-field may be on Notre Dame’s side this time around. This marks the first home quarterfinal match for the Fighting Irish, whose four-goal output marked the third time in history the team scored four times in a game. Notre Dame shut out Wisconsin in the second round of this year’s tournament, and it topped Milwaukee 4-1 in the second round of the 2003 tournament. As for Michigan State, the Spartans traveled to Washington D.C. and topped Georgetown 1-0 behind a goal by Adam Montague. None of these players were around the last time a Michigan State team made an Elite Eight appearance. In fact, their fathers may have been kids themselves. It was the fall of 1968 when Michigan State last appeared in the quarterfinals, and that year the Spartans earned a share of the NCAA championship. Michigan State has recorded 13 shutouts this season, which ties a team record. Notre Dame traveled to East Lansing in November to face the Spartans in a regular-season game, and the Irish scored a 2-0 victory. This could be a suspenseful contest, if not a cold one (ever try playing soccer in early December in northern Indiana?), and either way a trip to Philadelphia for the College Cup is in the cards.
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