CHICAGO – The Irish Cup is staying in Niles.

For the second time in just under six months, Notre Dame and St. Patrick faced off in their annual rivalry match. Just like their March 24 match, the Dons came home victorious.

That game, a 3-1 Notre Dame win, had quite a different feel than Thursday evening’s matchup at Read-Dunning Field.

The Dons, listed in Chicagoland Soccer’s honorable mention section of the most recent rankings, came into the match enjoying the best start in school history. They have outscored their opponents 48-4 through 10 games.

That best start continued as Notre Dame (10-1-0, 3-0-0 East Suburban Catholic) came away with a hard-fought 1-0 win.