It was supposed to be a duel between No. 5 West Virginia's Jarrod Smith (14 goals) and No. 7 Notre Dame's Joseph Lapira (19 goals), but Englishmen Dan Stratford and Andy Wright were the heroes Wednesday night for the Mountaineers in the much-anticipated Big East showdown.

To the delight of a sellout crowd of 2,153 fans at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, West Virginia overcame an early Irish lead and won, 2-1, on goals by Stratford and Wright to improve its record to 13-1-2. Notre Dame (11-4-2) had a seven-game winning streak snapped with the loss.

"We shattered the attendance record by a thousand," said first-year West Virginia coach Marlon LeBlanc, "and I think it proves that we're catching on in this community."

Stratford knotted the game in the 17th minute on a shot from 22 yards off a pass from Wright. Eleven minutes into the second half, Wright won the game with arguably the Mountaineers' best goal of the season, connecting from 12 yards to finish off a sequence that also involved Stratford and Smith.

Lapira, the NCAA Division I leading scorer, had his seven-game goal streak snapped. Cory Rellas scored Notre Dame's only goal.

"This was a very close game," said Notre Dame coach Bobby Clark. "We played okay. We scored early and then they got back into it. Their second goal was very good. It was a good combination play."

#1 SMU 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 1 (OT). For the second straight game, the Mustangs (13-0-3) had to settle for a tie. They gave up the tying goal with 16 seconds remaining in regulation when Ayo Akinsete pounced on a loose ball in the box and scored with Mustang goalkeeper Matt Wideman out of position. Manuel Mariel scored in the 34th minute for SMU, which remains the only unbeaten team in the NCAA Division I men's ranks.

#5 WAKE FOREST 3 UNC GREENSBORO 0. Ryan Solle opened the scoring for Wake from the penalty spot in the 19th minute after being taken down by Icelandic defender Henning Jonasson, who was red carded on the play. Within 15 minutes, the Demon Deacons (13-2-1) had put the game with goals by Zack Schilawski (snap header) and Steven Curfman (swerving shot from 25 yards). Junior Brian Edwards broke his own single-season record with his 10th shutout.

#11 CLEMSON 3 UNC ASHEVILLE 1. Jamaica international Dane Richards scored one goal, his 10th of the season, and assisted on another for the Tigers, who are now 11-3-1. Brazilian Frederico Moojen opened the scoring for Clemson with his ninth goal of the year.

DEPAUL 0 #21 CINCINNATI 1. Omar Cummings' goal in the 64th minute was the difference for the Bearcats, who lead the Big East's Red Division with 19 points with one match remaining.
 
#25 SOUTH FLORIDA 1 LOUISVILLE 1 (OT). Frank Jonke evened the score in the 86th minute, a quarter of an hour after Hunter West had put South Florida ahead. The Bulls have qualified for the Big East Tournament, while Louisville has a precarious hold on the fifth and final spot in the Red Division.