Sept. 11, 2008
2008 ND Women’s Soccer — Game 6
#2/2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-0-0 / 0-0-0 BIG EAST) vs. SMU Mustangs (1-2-1 / 0-0-0 C-USA)
DATE: Sept. 12, 2008
TIME: 7:30 p.m. ET
AT: Notre Dame, Ind. – Alumni Field (2,500)
SERIES: Tied 2-2-0
1ST MTG: SMU 3-1 (10/17/92)
LAST MTG: ND 3-0 (9/10/06)
WEBCAST: UND.com (live) (Tom Staudt, p-b-p / Drew Spada, color)
LIVE STATS: UND.com
TEXT ALERT: Sign up at UND.com
TICKETS: (574) 631-7356
Storylines
- Notre Dame has risen to No. 2 in all the national polls, marking the sixth consecutive season the Irish have been ranked either first or second in the country at some point.
- In three home games thus far, Notre Dame has outscored its opponents, 13-0, and has led for more than 90 percent (243:38) of the 270 minutes played.
#2 Irish Back Home Friday To Face SMU
Riding a wave of momentum generated by an impressive performance at last weekend’s Carolina Classic, second-ranked Notre Dame makes a brief pit stop Friday for a 7:30 p.m. (ET) game against SMU at Alumni Field. The Irish are in the midst of a stretch where they play four out of five on the road.
Notre Dame (5-0) won the Carolina Classic title with victories over then-No. 3/2 North Carolina (1-0) and No. 12/11 Duke (3-1). Brittany Bock scored the game-winner against UNC in the 51st minute, while Lauren Fowlkes and Rebecca Mendoza scored four minutes apart in the second half to take down Duke. Bock also assisted on a goal by Kerri Hanks to open the scoring against Duke, while Erica Iantorno assisted on the goals by Fowlkes and Mendoza.
No stranger to tough opponents, the Irish defense was razor sharp last weekend, holding UNC and Duke to a combined six shots on goal, with Kelsey Lysander earning both wins between the pipes.
Rankings
- Notre Dame is ranked second in the latest NSCAA and Soccer America polls.
- SMU is not ranked.
A Quick Look At The Fighting Irish
Notre Dame rolls out one of its deepest teams in years, with 19 monogram winners (including nine starters) back from last season’s squad that went 19-5-2 (11-0-0 in the BIG EAST) and advanced to the NCAA College Cup semifinals for the ninth time in the past 14 years. The Irish also bring back a powerful offensive punch, with 83.3 percent of their goalscoring (55 of 66) returning.
As if that weren’t enough, Notre Dame welcomes a highly-regarded nine-player freshman class to campus, with three of those incoming players having earned multiple national All-America honors during their prep or club careers.
Leading the way for Notre Dame this season are two of the country’s premier front-line players (and ’07 NSCAA first-team All-Americans) in senior forward Kerri Hanks and senior forward/midfielder Brittany Bock.
A three-time All-American and the ’06 Hermann Trophy recipient, Hanks (5G-1A) continues to blaze new trails through the NCAA and Notre Dame record books, having led the nation in assists the past two seasons, and aiming to become the third Division I player ever to log 70 goals and 70 assists in her career (69G-59A entering Friday’s game). She earned national honors on Sept. 1 from Top Drawer Soccer (Player of the Week) and Soccer America (Team of the Week) after garnering her second consecutive Offensive MVP award at the Inn at Saint Mary’s Classic with her school record-tying sixth career hat trick vs. Loyola Marymount.
Bock (1G-1A), one of the Irish co-captains in 2008, emerged as a genuine offensive threat last season, leading the team in goals and finishing second with 36 points (16G-4A). The reigining BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Bock earned the league’s Offensive Player of the Week honor on Monday, as well as a spot on the Soccer America National Team of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory at No. 3/2 North Carolina on Sept. 5.
Another key player for the Irish this season is senior center back and co-captain Carrie Dew (2G-3A), the 2006 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year who made a successful recovery from an ACL injury late in the ’06 regular season with a solid ’07 campaign. She is the two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week and Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week honoree, after leading Notre Dame to four consecutive shutouts to open this year (the first time the Irish have done that since ’95).
A Quick Look At SMU
SMU is 1-2-1 this season, following a 1-0 loss at home to 25th-ranked Kansas last Sunday. The Mustangs will be playing their first road game of the year at Notre Dame, following other home games against No. 23 Oklahoma State (L, 0-3), Ole Miss (T, 2-2) and Prairie View A&M (W, 5-1). While its season goal margin is even at 7-7, SMU holds a slight edge on its opponents in shots on goal (29-23) and corner kicks (15-12).
Senior forward Caitlin Carter has a team-high three goals and six points for the Mustangs this season, potting all three of her scores in a 20-minute span in the first half against Prairie View A&M; Carter had a total of three goals in her first three seasons at SMU. Three different goalkeepers have seen action for SMU this season, with senior Ashley Gunter (0-2-1, 1.86 GAA, 16 SV, 6 GA), earning the bulk of the minutes while appearing in three of four games.
Head coach Brent Erwin is in his second season at SMU with a record of 10-9-2 (.524) at the school; he has a career mark of 23-26-5 (.472) in four years (the first two as the men’s coach at Central Florida).
The Notre Dame-SMU Series
Friday will mark the fifth game in the series between Notre Dame and SMU, with the teams splitting the first four contests (and alternating wins and losses to date). The Irish won the last meeting between the squads on Sept. 10, 2006 in Dallas, downing the Mustangs, 3-0, behind two goals from Dallas-area native Kerri Hanks. Notre Dame also won the only other time the Mustangs visited Alumni Field, taking a 5-2 victory on Sept. 26, 1993.
An individual game listing for this series can be found on page 101 of the 2008 Irish women’s soccer media guide.
The Last Time Notre Dame And SMU Met
Kerri Hanks delivered in her home city, scoring twice in the second half to give the top-ranked Irish a 3-0 win on Sept. 10, 2006, at Westcott Field in Dallas. The victory propelled Notre Dame to a 6-0-0 start for the ninth time in program history.
Following a scoreless first half, Hanks got the Irish going, collecting a rebound off her own left-side corner kick and finding the far right side-netting at 48:38. Hanks struck again in the 70th minute, converting a penalty kick after teammate (and current Notre Dame volunteer assistant) Amanda Cinalli was pulled down in the penalty box. Another Dallas-area product — Claire Gallerano — then set up the final Irish goal, feeding Molly Iarocci for the score at 87:49.
Goalkeeper Lauren Karas, who hails from suburban Flower Mound, Texas, posted three saves in the shutout. As a team, Notre Dame outshot SMU, 15-5 (9-2 in the second half) and had a 10-3 edge in shots on goal.
Other Notre Dame-SMU Series Tidbits
- The Notre Dame women’s soccer program has deep roots in the state of Texas, with two coaches and a team-high seven current players from the Lone Star State.
- Head coach Randy Waldrum is a native of Irving, graduated from Midwestern State University (in Wichita Falls) in 1981, then coached at Austin College (men-1982), Texas Wesleyan (men-1988) and Baylor (women-1996-98), posting a 46-14-3 (.754) in his final stop at BU. He also was director of coaching for the Texas Longhorns Soccer Club (based in Dallas) from 1987-89.
- One of Waldrum’s players at Baylor was current Irish assistant coach Dawn Greathouse, who tended goal for the Bears from 1997-2000. Greathouse posted a 1.20 GAA in 7,121 minutes (then the sixth-highest total in NCAA history), and was a three-time All-Big 12 Conference selection, as well as a second-team NSCAA All-American in 1998 when she led BU to its first Big 12 title in any sport. Greathouse graduated from Baylor in 2001.
- The seven current Notre Dame players from Texas include: seniors Kerri Hanks (Allen/Allen) and Rebecca Mendoza (Garland/North Garland), junior Haley Ford (Midland/Midland), sophomore Taylor Knaack (Arlington/Martin) and freshmen Courtney Barg (Plano/Plano West), Melissa Henderson (Garland/Berkner) and Jessica Schuveiller (Plano/Plano West).
- Barg and Schuveiller were classmates at Plano West High School with SMU midfielders Melissa Cowle and Jordynn Prado, while Mustang senior defender Carley Phillips also attended the school.
- SMU athletics director Steve Orsini is a 1978 Notre Dame graduate who was a three-year monogram winner and captain on the 1977 Irish national championship football team. Orsini went on to serve as the University’s assistant athletics business manager and athletics ticket manager from 1981-84, and he is married to a South Bend native, the former Amy Kertesz.
Gone In 60 Seconds
Senior forward Kerri Hanks is on the verge of adding another feather in the cap of an already-brilliant career. The Allen, Texas, native is just one assist shy of becoming the sixth NCAA Division I player ever to amass 60 goals and 60 assists in her career (Hanks has 69G-59A entering Friday’s game against SMU). The five current members of this elite sorority (two of which are Notre Dame alums) are listed in the accompanying chart.
The national leader in assists the past two seasons (22 in ’06; 21 in ’07), Hanks could blow right by the 60-60 milestone and head straight for 70-70, a landmark achievement that only two players in the history of Division I women’s soccer have managed to attain.
Hanks actually could hit as many as six milestones in a single night, if everything broke her way. In addition to the above-listed note, here’s a look at the other five landmarks Hanks is closing in on:
- 1A for 60 career (t-10th NCAA D-I history)
- 1G-1A for 70G-60A (4th in D-I history)
- 3 pts for 200 career (18th in D-I history)
- 1 GWG for 19 (tie Heft/McCarthy ND record)
- 2 GWP for 57 (break Thorlakson ND record)
Setting The Table
Set plays and dead-ball situations now have accounted for 61 (20G-21A) of Kerri Hanks’ 195 career points (68G-59A), representing nearly one-third (31%) of her points with the Irish. Her 20 goals have come on free kicks (10), penalty kicks (9-for-9, including 2-for-2 this year), or directly on a corner kick (1), while her 21 assists have been via corner-kick (13) or free-kick (8) services.
Staying A-Head Of The Game
Nearly half (20) of the 41 career goals scored by senior forward/midfielder Brittany Bock have come on headers, including eight last season (seven of her final eight scores came via headers). Bock also has four rare header assists in her career.
Lead, Follow Or Just Get Out Of The Way
With the potency of the Notre Dame offensive attack, most opponents opt for the third option. In fact, the Irish have not trailed at any point this season and have led for 327:10 of 450 minutes this season (nearly 73 percent of the elapsed game time). In addition, Notre Dame has been tied in the second half just three times (0-0 at No. 3/2 North Carolina, 0-0 and 1-1 against No. 12/11 Duke) for a combined total of 12:49, taking no more than 7:04 to break any of the three ties and move back in front.
Getting The Jump On The Competition
Notre Dame’s quick start this season has been fueled by its lightning-fast beginning to either the first or second half.
In their first three games, the Irish scored a goal in the first 17 minutes of play each time, with senior forward Kerri Hanks owning the fastest strike of the season (penalty kick at 2:39 vs. Loyola Marymount on Aug. 29). That marked the 11th-fastest goal of the Randy Waldrum era, and the quickest since Nov. 5, 2006, when Hanks struck 57 seconds into the BIG EAST final against Rutgers (a game the Irish ultimately won, 4-2).
In the past two games, Notre Dame has been scoreless at halftime, but bolted to the lead less than five minutes into the second half. Against No. 3/2 UNC, senior forward Brittany Bock scored at 50:21, then against No. 12/11, Bock fed Hanks for a score only 69 seconds after emerging from the locker room.
No Soup For You
For the second time in program history, the first time since 1995 and the first time in the Randy Waldrum era, Notre Dame opened its season with four consecutive shutouts, blanking Michigan (7-0), Loyola Marymount (4-0), No. 21/12 Santa Clara (2-0) and No. 3/2 North Carolina (1-0). The Irish actually put together a string of 419:44 scoreless minutes to begin this season (437:44 dating back to the end of last year), before the run was snapped on Sept. 7 when Duke scored at 59:19 off a corner kick that deflected in off senior defender/co-captain Carrie Dew.
The 1995 squad reeled off eight consecutive shutouts to begin what would be a 21-2-2 season, culminating with the program’s first national championship.
Spreading The Wealth
In an early example of the incredible depth of this year’s Notre Dame squad, the Irish had seven different players score goals in the season-opening 7-0 whitewash of Michigan (including three who tallied their first career goals). That matched the largest number of goalscorers in one game during the 10-year Randy Waldrum era (since ’99), and the most since the 2005 season opener (an 11-1 rout of New Hampshire on Aug. 26 in the TD Banknorth Classic at Burlington, Vt.).
For the season, 10 different Notre Dame players, representing all four classes, have scored at least one goal, with only one individual multi-goal game thus far (Kerri Hanks’ hat trick against Loyola Marymount on Aug. 29).
Game #4 Recap: North Carolina
Senior All-America forward Brittany Bock scored less than six minutes into the second half and No. 5/4 Notre Dame withstood a late challenge for a 1-0 win over No. 3/2 North Carolina on Sept. 5 in the opening round of the Carolina Classic at Fetzer Field. The Irish now have won three of their four games against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, including each of their past two visits, following last year’s 3-2 victory in the NCAA Championship round of 16.
While UNC outshot Notre Dame, 10-9, Notre Dame held a 6-3 edge in shots on goal and limited the Tar Heels to one shot on goal in the second half (although they had six total shots in the period). The Irish also held a slim 5-4 advantage in corner kicks, while North Carolina was whistled for 12 fouls and Notre Dame was called for 11 infractions. Each team also picked up two yellow cards during the physical contest that, at times, had the feel of a postseason game, despite persistent rain that was a precursor to Tropical Storm Hanna.
Bock’s goal was her first of the season (and 41st of her career), and was a combination of sustained Notre Dame pressure and some fortunate timing. Sophomore forward Taylor Knaack played a through-ball that sprang senior All-America forward Kerri Hanks on a breakaway down the center channel, but Hanks was met just outside the top of the box by UNC goalkeeper Anna Rodenbough, who seemingly played the ball out of danger. However, after a deflection, the ball ended up at Bock’s feet on the right wing in front of the Irish bench, where the Hermann Trophy candidate took one dribble and delivered a curling 30-yard shot that arced over a furiously backpedaling Rodenbough into the upper left corner of the net at 50:21.
Junior goalkeeper Kelsey Lysander profited from another steady performance by the Notre Dame defense, making three saves to record her second consecutive solo shutout.
Game #5 Recap: Duke
Sophomore midfielder Lauren Fowlkes picked the perfect time for her first goal of the season, scoring midway through the second half, and senior midfielder Rebecca Mendoza added her first goal a little more than four minutes later as No. 5/4 Notre Dame locked up the Carolina Classic title with a 3-1 victory over No. 12/11 Duke on Sept. 7 at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Sophomore forward Erica Iantorno continued her impressive start to the 2008 season, assisting on the scores by Fowlkes and Mendoza, while senior All-America forward and Hermann Trophy candidate Kerri Hanks got the Irish on the board with her fifth goal of the year only 69 seconds into the second half. Junior goalkeeper Kelsey Lysander picked up her fifth consecutive win between the pipes, making two saves while allowing the lone Blue Devil goal (the first score by an Irish opponent this season).
After a scoreless first half, it didn’t take long for the Irish to break on top, as Notre Dame’s two senior All-America forwards and Hermann Trophy candidates hooked up. Brittany Bock ran on to a ball down the right flank and just before reaching the endline, she chipped a pass into the six-yard box, where a brief scramble ensued before Hanks pounced on the ball and flushed it home for her fifth goal of the season at 46:09.
Duke rallied back and pressed for the equalizer, with Jane Alukonis getting off a pair of shots, one of which had to be saved by Lysander. Alukonis then played a role in the Blue Devils’ tying goal, sending a corner kick into the box that deflected off Duke’s Lorraine Quinn and Irish senior defender Carrie Dew before sailing into the top left corner of the Irish goal at 59:15. Quinn was credited with the goal, her first of the year.
Notre Dame then got the go-ahead score in a flash, shortly after Hanks left the field for a quick breather and junior forward Michele Weissenhofer’s corner kick pinballed through the Duke defense before landing at Iantorno’s feet near the top right edge of the box. She quickly shoveled a pass to Fowlkes, who muscled a shot through the Blue Devil restraining line and into the top left corner of the net (66:19).
Order finally was restored (at least for Notre Dame fans) in the 71st minute, and again, Iantorno had a pivotal role in the goal. After Weissenhofer had taken two shots on goal of her own, she played a supporting role, taking a pass 40 yards out with her back to goal and dropping off a pass to a slashing Mendoza in the left channel. The diminutive midfielder then worked a pretty give-and-go with Iantorno, who was parked a few yards outside the left corner of the area, and Mendoza did the rest with a superb left-footed shot that looped over Duke’s charging goalkeeper, Cassidy Powers, and started off frame before curling back nicely into the top left corner of the net (70:32).
More Honors For Irish Players
In the wake of last weekend’s victories over North Carolina (1-0) and Duke (3-1), Notre Dame players earned numerous national and conference honors for their play.
Senior forward/co-captain Brittany Bock was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and earned a spot on the Soccer America National Team of the Week after scoring the game-winner against UNC and assisting on the first score against Duke.
Senior defender/co-captain Carrie Dew was named to the Top Drawer Soccer and Soccer Buzz national teams of the week after helping the Irish defense hold the nationally-ranked Tar Heels and Blue Devils to one goal and a combined six shots on goal.
Freshman defender Jessica Schuveiller joined Dew on the Soccer Buzz squad, the first Irish rookie to be honored nationally since Oct. 3, 2006, when Michele Weissenhofer was the Soccer America and Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week. Schuveiller started both games over the weekend as the other center back alongside Dew.
Junior goalkeeper Kelsey Lysander rounded out Notre Dame’s award-winning crew this week by taking home the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week honor for the first time in her career. Lysander made three saves in shutting out UNC (only the seventh visiting team to whitewash the Tar Heels since 1979), then stopped two shots in the win over Duke.
The Magic Number
Scoring three goals has meant virtually an automatic win in Notre Dame women’s soccer history, with a 265-3-1 (.987) record in those games, including a 167-1-0 (.994) mark since Oct. 6, 1995. The Irish also are 362-9-15 (.957) when holding the opposition to 0-1 goals.
Most impressively, Notre Dame is 288-0-1 all-time when claiming a 2-0 lead and is unbeaten in its past 265 contests when going ahead 2-0 (dating back to a 3-3 tie with Vanderbilt on Sept. 15, 1991, in Cincinnati). In fact, just one of the past 178 Irish opponents to face a 2-0 deficit have failed to even force a tie, something achieved by three opponents in Notre Dame history: Duke on Oct. 17, 1993, in Houston (Irish won 3-2), Connecticut on Nov. 10, 1996, in the BIG EAST final at Alumni Field (ND led 2-0, later tied 2-2 and 3-3, ND won 4-3), and Duke on Nov. 30, 2007, in the NCAA quarterfinals at Alumni Field (Irish won 3-2).
You Can Put It On The Board
Notre Dame has scored a goal in 30 consecutive games, dating back to a scoreless draw with Michigan to open last season. The current 30-game goal streak is the fifth-longest in school history and longest since a 49-game run from Oct. 24, 2004-Oct. 8, 2006. Next up for the current Irish: a 31-game skein from Oct. 24, 2000-Sept. 1, 2002. The school record is 55 straight games with a goal from Aug. 29, 1997-Sept. 17, 1999.
A Little Added Face Time
Notre Dame is slated to play on television twice during the 2008 regular season. The Irish will visit Penn State on Sept. 21 with that game airing live on the Big Ten Network. Then, on Oct. 19, Notre Dame travels to Storrs, Conn., for a BIG EAST matchup with Connecticut which will be shown live on CBS College Sports.
In addition to its commercial TV coverage, Notre Dame enjoys an extensive broadcast footprint on the Internet. All of the Irish regular-season home games are slated to be broadcast live on the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.UND.com), with supplemental live stats information provided by CBS College Sports Online’s GameTracker service.
Fans also can follow the Irish on their cell phones by signing up for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system. This free service is available by logging on the women’s soccer page at www.UND.com and scrolling down the right-hand sidebar.
Finally, the Notre Dame Sports Hotline (574-631-3000) remains a reliable resource for all the latest Irish athletics information. Regular updates on the Notre Dame women’s soccer program can be found by calling the Hotline, then selecting option 4 and pressing “2”.
Captains Courageous
Senior midfielder/forward Brittany Bock and senior defender Carrie Dew have been selected as team captains for the 2008 season.
The Golden Girls
Former Notre Dame standouts Kate (Sobrero) Markgraf (’98) and Shannon Boxx (’99) helped the United States successfully defend its Olympic gold medal with a 1-0 overtime win over Brazil in the 2008 title game on Aug. 21 in Beijing, China. Both players started and played all 120 minutes in the final on the way to earning their second consecutive gold medal.
The duo join fencer Mariel Zagunis (’10) as Notre Dame Olympians with multiple gold medals. Markgraf also matches Zagunis’ career total of three medals (Markgraf won silver with the USA at the ’00 Sydney Games), a standard also equalled by former track & field great Alex Wilson (’32).
Parking Changes
Due to ongoing construction within the Notre Dame Athletics Quad (including the new Irish soccer stadium tentatively set for completion in June 2009), parking for Irish soccer games this year is limited to the Eck Baseball Stadium and Joyce Center lots. Fans may ride the complimentary shuttle bus from the Eck Stadium lot, or walk around the south end of Eck Stadium, then proceed north between the stadium’s right-field wall and the soccer practice field before entering at the south end of Alumni Field.
Next Game: DePaul
Notre Dame will open its 2008 BIG EAST Conference schedule next Friday, Sept. 19, when it travels to Chicago for a 4 p.m. (CT) National Division match against DePaul at Wish Field. The Irish have won all three meetings with the Blue Demons, each coming since DePaul joined the conference in 2005, with an aggregate score of 15-0.
The Blue Demons (1-5-0) are coming off their first win of ’08, a 3-1 victory over Western Illinois last Sunday (Sept. 7). DePaul is slated to visit Miami-Ohio (Friday) and Northwestern (Sunday) before returning home to face the Irish.
— ND —