Aug. 20, 2009
Full Notes Package in PDF Format 
2009 ND Women’s Soccer — Game 1
#3/5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-0-0 / 0-0-0 BIG EAST) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (0-0-0 / 0-0-0 Big Ten)
DATE: August 21, 2009
TIME: 7:30 p.m. ET
AT: Notre Dame, Ind. – Alumni Field (2,500)
SERIES: ND leads 11-1-1
1ST MTG: UW 6-0 (9/9/89)
LAST MTG: ND 1-0 (11/14/04)
LIVE STATS: UND.com
TEXT ALERT: Sign up on women’s soccer page at UND.com
TICKETS: (574) 631-7356 / UND.com / At gate on game night
Storylines
- All-time, Notre Dame holds an 18-2-1 (.881) record in season openers including an 11-1-1 (.885) record at home.
- In the Randy Waldrum era, Notre Dame owns an 8-1-1 mark in season openers with a 56-8 scoring margin.
Third-Ranked Notre Dame Welcomes Wisconsin To Town Friday For 2009 Season Opener
Following a win and a tie in two exhibition games, No. 3/5 Notre Dame gets going for real on Friday when it plays host to Wisconsin in a 7:30 p.m. (ET) contest at Alumni Field. The former home of Irish soccer will host Notre Dame’s first two regular-season games before the new state-of-the-art Alumni Stadium debuts Sept. 4 when the Irish face rival North Carolina.
The Irish are coming off a 1-0 win over the Ireland National Team on Aug. 11 in Indianapolis, and a 3-3 tie with ninth-ranked Virginia in their exhibition finale last Friday in Maple City, Mich.
In the exhibition opener, sophomore midfielder Ellen Jantsch potted the game’s lone goal in the 37th minute as Notre Dame dealt the Ireland side its lone loss in five games during a 10-week U.S. training trip.
Three days later, Notre Dame erupted for three goals in the first 14 minutes, before UVa salvaged a draw with three late tallies against the Irish second and third units. Sophomore forward Melissa Henderson scored twice to pace the Notre Dame attack.
Rankings
- Notre Dame is ranked No. 3 in the preseason NSCAA poll and No. 5 in the preseason Soccer America poll.
- Wisconsin is not ranked in either poll.
Setting The (Golden Dome) Standard
When it comes to powerhouse programs in women’s college soccer, one need look no further than Notre Dame. The Irish have won two NCAA titles (1995, 2004) to highlight a resume that includes seven NCAA national championship game appearances and 10 trips to the NCAA College Cup semifinals (tied for second-most in tournament history). Notre Dame has earned 16 consecutive NCAA Championship berths (1993-2008) and is one of only two schools to reach the final-32 every year since 1993.
In their history, the Irish have developed four Hermann Trophy winners and 45 All-Americans, including 17 first-team selections. Now in its 22nd season in 2009, Notre Dame owns an all-time record of 411-68-19 (.844).
A Quick Look At The Fighting Irish
After driving all the way to the doorstep of history in 2008 with a magical 26-1-0 season that culminated just short of a national championship, Notre Dame returns many of the same players that helped propel the Fighting Irish to the top of the college soccer world for much of last year.
Not only does Notre Dame bring back 19 monogram winners and seven starters, but of those 19 returnees, 15 of them have starting experience under the belt. What’s more, the Fighting Irish have more than 60 percent of their goalscoring (52 of 83) back in the fold, along with many of the defenders that were responsible for registering 18 shutouts and a 0.44 goals-against average (both among the top five marks in school history).
Sophomore forward Melissa Henderson (17G-2A in 2008) was tabbed the BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and is one of 45 preseason candidates for the Hermann Trophy after a stellar rookie campaign that included five gamewinning goals, the last coming in overtime of the BIG EAST Championship game against Connecticut.
Junior midfielders Rose Augustin (6G-2A) and Erica Iantorno (5G-7A) also likely will factor in Notre Dame’s offensive attack this season. Meanwhile, junior holding midfielder Lauren Fowlkes (1G), another preseason Hermann Trophy choice, and sophomore defender Jessica Schuveiller (1G-1A) will anchor the Fighting Irish backline.
They will be supported by senior goalkeeper Kelsey Lysander, who set a single-season school record with 26 victories last season (and shared another record with 18 total shutouts). Lysander also ranked sixth in the nation last season with a 0.44 GAA and was named to the ’08 NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team.
Badger Bits
Friday night’s contest marks the first regular season game of Wisconsin’s 2009 season, though it played Marquette on Aug. 15 in an exhibition game. The Badgers and Golden Eagles’ match ended in a 2-2 tie. Wisconsin jumped out to a 2-0 lead after goals from sophomores Erin Jacobsen and Lauren Cochlin. But Marquette rallied to net goals in the final minute of regulation play and in a previously-agreed upon overtime period.
After finishing with a 9-9-1 record a season ago (3-7-0/10th Big Ten), the Badgers welcomed 13 newcomers to the team this past summer. The Badger offense does return its leading point scorer from a season ago in sophomore Laurie Nosbusch, who finished the 2008 campaign with seven goals and seven assists for 21 points. Jacobsen, a midfielder, was the third leading scorer last year, netting four goals and adding four assists for 12 points as a freshman.
Paula Wilkins (UMass ’94) enters her third season as head coach of Wisconsin. In her first two years at the Badgers’ helm, her squad has posted a 15-20-2 record. Overall, Wilkins sports a 134-39-13 record in eight seasons as a head coach (also including a six-year stint at Penn State).
The Notre Dame-Wisconsin Series
Notre Dame holds an all-time series advantage of 11-1-1 versus the Badgers (7-0-1 at home), dating back to the 1989 season when the Irish were defeated 6-0 at Madison, Wis. After that loss, the Irish went on to post 10 consecutive wins over Wisconsin before registering a 2-2 tie at Alumni Field in 2001.
Most recently, Notre Dame knocked off the Badgers at Alumni Field on November 14, 2004 by a score of 1-0 in NCAA Championship second round action. In that contest, Jill Krivacek scored at 89:07 (with an assist from Kate Thorlakson). With the win, Notre Dame advanced to the third round and eventually went on to capture the National Championship.
Season Openers
All-time, Notre Dame holds an 18-2-1 (.881) record in season openers including a 11-1-1 (.885) record at home. Additionally, under 11th-year head coach Randy Waldrum, Notre Dame carries an 8-1-1 mark in season openers and has outscored the opposition by a 56-8 margin in those 10 games.
Pick Three For The Hermann Watch
Sophomore forward Melissa Henderson, junior defender/midfielder Lauren Fowlkes and senior midfielder Courtney Rosen have been named to the 45-player watch list for the 2009 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, it was announced by the National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA).
The Hermann Trophy is presented annually to the nation’s top Division I women’s soccer player, with Notre Dame’s Kerri Hanks earning the prestigious crystal ball trophy last year. In the process, Hanks became the fourth Fighting Irish player to collect the award, not to mention just the fourth two-time Hermann Trophy honoree since the award debuted in 1988, as well as the first two-time national player of the year (in any sport) in the 122-year history of Notre Dame athletics.
Schuveiller Goes To Camp
Sophomore defender Jessica Schuveiller was among a group of 24 players invited by head coach Bill Irwin to compete at the United States Under-23 Women’s National Team Training Camp in suburban Cleveland this past summer (June 12-19).
Schuveiller made her first appearance at a U.S. National Team training camp, joining an extensive list of Notre Dame players who have competed for Team USA at the U-23 level. Most recently, three current Irish players — senior forward Michele Weissenhofer, junior defender/midfielder Lauren Fowlkes and sophomore forward Melissa Henderson — were part of the U-23 player pool, along with two recent Notre Dame graduates and current WPS players Brittany Bock (now with the Los Angeles Sol) and defender Elise Weber (competing for Saint Louis Athletica). Fowlkes also struck gold with the U.S. U-20 National Team at last December’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Chile.
Dude, We’re Going Streaking
With its 3-0 win at home over South Florida on Oct. 3, Notre Dame set a new school record for consecutive regular-season victories, with an active winning streak at 28 games heading into the clash with Wisconsin. The last time the Irish dropped a regular-season contest was Sept. 23, 2007, when they gave up two second-half goals in a 2-1 loss to 14th-ranked Penn State at Alumni Field.
Notre Dame’s 28-game regular-season unbeaten streak also is tied for the third-longest in school history.
Quite A Stretch
Since beginning the 2007 season with a tough 3-4-1 start, the Irish are 42-2-1 in their last 45 games overall, with the only losses coming to No. 14 Florida State (3-2) in the 2007 NCAA College Cup semifinals and to No. 5 North Carolina (2-1) in the 2008 NCAA College Cup final. The lone tie occured at No. 12 West Virginia (1-1) in the ’07 BIG EAST tournament final (WVU won the title on penalty kicks, 5-3).
With a victory over Toledo in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Championship on Nov. 14, Notre Dame matched the best 40-game stretch in school history (38-1-1), previously set from Oct. 2, 2005-Dec. 1, 2006. The 40-game record can not be improved upon unless the Irish roll off 10 consecutive wins to start the 2009 season.
Beasts Of The BIG EAST
With a win over Connecticut in the 2008 BIG EAST title game (1-0 in ot), Notre Dame now owns a school-record 52-game unbeaten streak (50-0-2) against BIG EAST opposition (second-longest in NCAA Division I history) dating back to a 4-1 loss at No. 15 Marquette on Sept. 30, 2005. In that time, the only ties were a 0-0 draw at Connecticut (Oct. 13, 2006) and a 1-1 deadlock at No. 12 West Virginia in last year’s BIG EAST final on Nov. 11 (WVU won 5-3 on PKs, but the game is recorded as a tie).
Since joining the BIG EAST, the Irish are 123-8-4 (.926) all-time in regular-season conference games, 32-2-1 (.929) in the BIG EAST Tournament, and hold a 682-81 scoring edge dating back to that first league season in ’95.
What’s more Notre Dame maintains a 13-year, 87-game home unbeaten streak (86-0-1) versus BIG EAST teams, with Connecticut the lone conference team ever to defeat the Irish at Alumni Field (5-4 in OT on Oct. 6, 1995).
Senior Moments
The ’09 Irish senior class ranks among the most successful in the country, with a three-year record to date of 70-7-3 (.894) that includes three trips to the NCAA College Cup and appearances in the 2006 and 2008 national title games.
Rosen Sidelined
Senior midfielder/tri-captain Courtney Rosen is out indefinitely after breaking her left foot during preseason training. Rosen underwent successful corrective surgery on Aug. 13 and is in the midst of rehabilitating her injury.
Our Fearless Leader
Eleventh-year Notre Dame head coach Randy Waldrum reached a career milestone with last season’s 3-1 win over No. 17/16 Penn State on Sept. 21. With the win, he became the eighth active Division I head coach to record 300 career wins. He now has a record of 318-80-20 (.785) in 20 seasons (including six at Tulsa and three at Baylor). His winning percentage ranks fourth among active coaches, while his 318 wins are fifth on the NCAA Div. I career list.
Three … Is The Magic Number
Scoring three goals has meant virtually an automatic win in Notre Dame women’s soccer history, with a 278-3-1 (.988) record in those games, including a 180-1-0 (.994) mark since Oct. 6, 1995. The Irish also are 374-9-15 (.959) when holding the opposition to 0-1 goals.
Most impressively, Notre Dame is 302-0-1 all-time when claiming a 2-0 lead and is unbeaten in its past 279 contests when going ahead 2-0 (dating back to a 3-3 tie with Vanderbilt on Sept. 15, 1991, in Cincinnati). In fact, just two of the past 191 Irish opponents to face a 2-0 deficit have forced a tie, something achieved by four 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), Duke on Nov. 30, 2007, in the NCAA quarterfinals at Alumni Field (Irish won 3-2), and most recently, Villanova on Oct. 12, 2008 in Villanova, Pa. (Irish won 3-2 in OT).
You Can Put It On The Board
Notre Dame has scored a goal in 52 consecutive games, dating back to a scoreless draw with Michigan to open the 2007 season. The current 52-game goal streak is the second-longest in school history, trailing only a 55-game run from Aug. 29, 1997-Sept. 17, 1999.
Temporary Home
Notre Dame will play its first two games at Alumni Field (its former home) while construction is completed on the $5.7 million Alumni Stadium. Patrons attending games at Alumni Field are asked to park in the Hesburgh Library parking lot (northwest of the Guglielmino Athletics Complex) and enter the Alumni Field grounds from the north end (via Courtney Lane, across from the Eck Tennis Pavilion).
— ND —