Nov. 4, 2009
Full Notes Package in PDF Format 
2009 ND Women’s Soccer — Game 20
BIG EAST Championship — Semifinals
#4/7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (15-3-1 / 10-0-1 BIG EAST) vs. RV/- St. John’s Red Storm (13-5-1 / 6-4-1 BIG EAST)
DATE: November 6, 2009
TIME: 7:30 p.m. ET
AT: Storrs, Conn. – Morrone Stadium (5,000)
SERIES: ND leads 11-0-0
1ST MTG: ND 9-0 (9/3/95)
LAST MTG: ND 3-0 (10/7/07)
TV: CBS College Sports (live) (Ann Schatz, p-b-p / Tammy Blackburn, color)
LIVE STATS: UND.com
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Storylines
- Notre Dame is 5-1 all-time in BIG EAST Championship play at Morrone Stadium (4-0 against teams other than host Connecticut).
- During their current 13-game unbeaten streak, the Irish have led or been tied for nearly 99 percent of the total minutes played (all but 16:38 of 1,190:41).
#4/7 Irish Off To New England For BIG EAST Championship Weekend
In a season that has featured as many twists and turns as a John Grisham novel, No. 4/7 Notre Dame will turn the next page in its postseason book at 7:30 p.m. (ET) Friday when it takes on St. John’s in a BIG EAST Conference Championship semifinal contest at Morrone Stadium in Storrs, Conn. The game will be televised live to a national cable audience by CBS College Sports.
The Irish advanced to the conference semifinals for the 14th time in their 15-year BIG EAST membership last Sunday with a crisp 5-0 quarterfinal win over South Florida at Alumni Stadium. Notre Dame effectively ended the game well before halftime, potting five goals in the first 39 minutes of play, three by sophomore forward Melissa Henderson, in the program’s biggest single-half offensive display since 2006.
For Henderson, it was her second career hat trick, and the third three-goal game ever posted by an Irish player in BIG EAST tourney play.
Rankings
- Notre Dame is ranked fourth in the NSCAA poll and seventh in the Soccer America poll.
- St. John’s is receiving votes in the NSCAA poll.
A Quick Look At The Fighting Irish
Notre Dame knew this season would be a challenging one, especially with the loss of six talented seniors, including four who went in the first 21 picks of the 2009 WPS Draft. But even Nostradamus couldn’t have predicted the hurdles the Irish have encounter this year.
Injuries have been the primary albatross for Notre Dame this season, with senior midfielder/tri-captain Courtney Rosen (broken foot), senior midfielder Micaela Alvarez (torn ACL) and freshman forward Tereza Stastny (torn ACL) all likely sidelined for the year — Rosen’s injury occurred in the preseason. Add to that extended downtime for senior forward Michele Weissenhofer (hamstring), senior center back Haley Ford (hamstring) and freshman left back Jazmin Hall (quad), and you can understand why Irish trainer Dave Ludwig has more than earned his paycheck in 2009.
Notre Dame also battled through a brutal non-conference schedule that included top-three opponents North Carolina and Stanford, as well as perennial power Santa Clara and up-and-coming programs Wisconsin and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. However, following a 3-3-0 start, the Irish have been among the nation’s hottest teams, going unbeaten in their last 13 outings (12-0-1) and outscoring the opposition, 32-4 in that span.
Sophomore forward Melissa Henderson (11G-2A) leads the Irish in scoring, while junior forward Lauren Fowlkes (8G-3A) is enjoying a breakout season, fueled in part by her move to the front line at the start of the current Notre Dame unbeaten streak. Junior forward Taylor Knaack (6G-4A) and junior midfielder Rose Augustin (5G-7A) also have played a significant role in the recent Irish resurgence, as has junior goalkeeper Nikki Weiss (8-1-1, 0.44 GAA, 5 ShO), who has allowed just one goal in her last 663:08 of action.
Scouting The Red Storm
St. John’s enters Friday’s contest with a 13-5-1 overall record. The Red Storm finished the regular season BIG EAST campaign with a 6-4-1 conference mark, good for second place in the American Division and a first round bye. In the quarterfinals, St. John’s edged Georgetown in double overtime, 1-0. Senior Tara Mendoza scored at 102:05 on a long distance shot to send the Red Storm to their second all-time BIG EAST semifinal appearance. In the STJ net, sophomore Kristin Russell recorded her school-record 19th career shutout.
For the season, senior midfielder/forward C.J. Ludemann has led the Red Storm offense with two goals and seven assists for 11 points. Senior forward/midfielder Kaitlin Haas leads the team with four goals, while 12 STJ players have netted at least one goal and 14 have registered at least one point. Russell has played every minute of the 2009 season in the Red Storm net. She has recorded nine shutouts on the year while making 77 saves and posting a 0.56 goals-against average.
St. John’s is coached by Ian Stone, who is in his 16th season leading the Red Storm. He has now guided SJU to four consecutive BIG EAST tournament appearances. He carries an all-time record of 149-121-33 (.546) with the Red Storm into the BIG EAST semifinal match with the Irish.
The Notre Dame-St. John’s Series
Notre Dame has defeated St. John’s in each of the teams’ previous 11 meetings dating back to the 1995 season, when the Irish played host to the Red Storm and earned a 9-0 win on Sept. 3. In the 11 series games, Notre Dame holds an all-time scoring edge of 53-0.
Notre Dame and St. John’s have never met in the BIG EAST semifinals (or finals). The Irish have earned three BIG EAST quarterfinal wins over the Red Storm — 2001 (2-0), 2004 (7-0) and 2006 (3-0). In each of those three seasons, the Irish went on to the BIG EAST Championship match, winning the title in 2001 and 2006.
The teams last met on Oct. 7, 2007, in Jamaica, N.Y. with the Irish earning a 3-0 win on that day. Brittany Bock, Kerri Hanks and Ashley Jones each factored into two Notre Dame goals in that contest with Bock and Hanks each scoring a goal and adding an assist while Jones assisted on the game’s first two goals. A goal from Susan Pinnick provided the final margin. The Irish defense allowed only two shots on goal and one corner kick in the game. Current Irish players Amanda Clark, Michele Weissenhofer and Julie Scheidler all started for the Irish in that contest.
BIG EAST Championship Quick Kicks
- Notre Dame is competing in the BIG EAST Championship for the 14th time in its 15-year league membership (all but 2002), having won the BIG EAST postseason crown 10 times (1995-2001, 2005-06 & 2008).
- The Irish are 33-2-1 (.931) all-time in BIG EAST Championship play, including a 17-0 record at home, where Notre Dame has outscored those 17 conference foes by a combined 63-4 margin.
- Since the BIG EAST added a quarterfinal round in 1998, the Irish have played host to a quarterfinal every year they have made the tournament (all but 2002), winning all 10 of those contests by a combined 40-1 score. Former league member Miami (Fla.) pushed an injury-riddled Notre Dame squad to overtime in 2003 before Amanda Guertin secured a 2-1 victory on her golden goal 2:54 into the first extra period.
- The Irish are also competing in the BIG EAST Championship semifinals for the 14th time in its 15-year league membership (all but 2002), posting a 12-1 record in its previous 13 semifinal matches (only loss in 2003 to Boston College, 2-1). The Irish hold an all-time 44-4 scoring edge in the BIG EAST semifinals.
- Notre Dame is 3-0 all-time in BIG EAST semifinal games played in Storrs, Conn. The Irish earned wins in 1998 (5-1 vs. Syracuse), 2004 (2-0 vs. Boston College) and 2006 (2-0 vs. Marquette).
Beasts Of The BIG EAST
With a 5-0 win over South Florida in the BIG EAST quarterfinals on Nov. 1, Notre Dame now owns an NCAA Division I-record 64-game unbeaten streak (61-0-3) against BIG EAST opposition, 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), a 1-1 deadlock at No. 12 West Virginia in the 2007 BIG EAST final on Nov. 11 (WVU won 5-3 on PKs, but the game is recorded as a tie) and a 0-0 tie at Pittsburgh on Oct. 4, 2009.
Since joining the BIG EAST, the Irish are 133-8-5 (.928) all-time in regular-season conference games, 33-2-1 (.931) in the BIG EAST Championship, and hold a 709-83 scoring edge dating back to that first league season in ’95.
What’s more, Notre Dame maintains a 14-year, 94-game home unbeaten streak (93-0-1) versus BIG EAST teams, with Connecticut the lone conference team ever to defeat the Irish at home (5-4 in OT on Oct. 6, 1995 at old Alumni Field).
13 And Counting…
Since starting the season with a 3-3 record, the Irish have gone unbeaten in their last 13 games (12-0-1) dating back to a 4-0 win over DePaul on Sept. 18.
The streak is tied for the fifth-longest in Division I (through Nov. 4) and Notre Dame’s lone tie in that stretch came at Pittsburgh when the Panthers and Irish played to a 0-0 stalemate on Oct. 4. During the 13-game unbeaten streak (which includes an active seven-game winning streak), the Irish have logged a 32-4 margin and have shut out their opponents on 10 occasions (including the past four and seven of eight).
Senior Moments
The 2009 Irish senior class is tied with North Carolina as the most successful group in the country on the basis of wins, with a four-year record to date of 85-10-4 (.879) that includes three consecutive trips to the NCAA College Cup and appearances in the 2006 and 2008 national title games.
The .879 winning percentage compiled by the Notre Dame seniors is second best on the national scene behind North Carolina.
Game #19 Recap: South Florida
Melissa Henderson registered her second career hat trick, while Lauren Fowlkes added a goal and an assist, as No. 5/7 Notre Dame rolled over South Florida, 5-0 in a BIG EAST Conference Championship quarterfinal game on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.
Henderson did all her damage in the first 28:03 of the game, carving up a Bulls’ defense that had only allowed three goals in a game once all season, and converting on all three of her shots on goal in the contest.
Midfielder Ellen Jantsch netted her first goal of the season, and second of her career, in the 39th minute, as the Fighting Irish blitzed USF for all five of their scores in the opening 38:59 of play. In addition to Fowlkes’ assist, Julie Scheidler, Jazmin Hall and Rose Augustin also picked up assists.
All three Notre Dame goalkeepers saw action in Sunday’s win, with neither Nikki Weiss, Kelsey Lysander or Maddie Fox asked to make a save as the Fighting Irish recorded their 13th shutout of the season, and seventh in the past eight games. USF starting netminder Mallori Lofton-Malachi went the first 33:43 in goal, making one save and allowing four goals before giving way to Gaby Garton, who had four saves and one goal allowed during the remainder of the contest (the Bulls also were credited with a team save in the second half).
Notre Dame held a decisive 25-4 shot advantage, including an 11-0 edge in shots on goal. The Fighting Irish also earned the upper hand in corner kicks by a 4-1 count.
Henderson: Hat Trick Hero
With a hat trick versus USF in the BIG EAST quarterfinal game, Melissa Henderson recorded Notre Dame’s 10th postseason hat trick in program history, and the first since Nov. 24, 2006, when current Fighting Irish senior forward/tri-captain Michele Weissenhofer had three goals in a 4-0 NCAA quarterfinal win over eighth-ranked Penn State at old Alumni Field.
It also marked the first Notre Dame hat trick in the BIG EAST Championship in almost exactly five years (Oct. 31, 2004 – Katie Thorlakson four goals in a 7-0 quarterfinal victory over St. John’s at Alumni Field), and just the third in the program’s 15-year conference affiliation (Anne Makinen also pulled off the feat in the 1997 BIG EAST final vs. fourth-ranked Connecticut in Piscataway, N.J.).
It’s Academic For This Irish Duo
Two Notre Dame players and Kansas City-area natives — junior forward Lauren Fowlkes and sophomore defender Molly Campbell — have been named ESPN The Magazine first-team Academic All-District V selections, it was announced Oct. 29 by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Both student-athletes are first-time academic all-district honorees and now will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration. The Notre Dame women’s soccer program has produced 22 Academic All-Americans, while its 14 selections since 2002 are the most in the nation (2002 was when women’s soccer earned its own ballot separate from the at-large category).
Fowlkes has blossomed as a primary offensive threat for Notre Dame, appearing in all 19 games and starting 17 times after moving back to the forward line three weeks into the season (a position she initially started at in her college career, before moving to holding midfielder and central defender last season and earlier this year). Enjoying career-high statistical production across the board, she leads the team with 59 shots, ranks second in goals (8), points (19) and shots on goal (25), and is tied for second in game-winning goals (3).
Fowlkes currently is enrolled in the College of Science, where she has compiled a 3.657 cumulative GPA as a science-business major and was named to the dean’s list in the fall of 2007 (3.804 semester GPA).
Campbell is one of the more improved players on the Notre Dame roster this season, having seen time primarily at left back, a position she had almost never played prior to the spring of 2009. Mixed with her stints as an attacking midfielder, she has started all 19 games for the Fighting Irish this year, amassing one goal (an insurance tally vs. Loyola-Chicago on Aug. 28) and two assists, and she ranks sixth on the team in total shots (24) and fifth in shots on goal (15).
Campbell is presently studying in the College of Arts and Letters, where she has recorded a 3.667 cumulative GPA as a double major in psychology and American studies.
Taylor Made For Goal Scoring
Junior forward/midfielder Taylor Knaack has led the Irish offense as of late, scoring five goals in Notre Dame’s past six matches while also adding an assist. Her recent 11-point outburst included a career-high five-point night in Notre Dame’s 6-1 defeat of UConn on Oct. 16.
Knaack’s offensive explosion versus UConn and Providence earned the Arlington, Texas native several national awards. She was named to the Soccer America and to the Top Drawer Soccer National Teams of the Week while also being chosen as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and a CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performer.
Entering the year, Knaack had five goals and two assists in 27 games played. Through 19 games this season, Knaack has already totaled six goals and four assists for 16 points.
Nikki In The Irish Net
Junior goalkeeper Nikki Weiss has helped lead the Irish over the past eight games as the Redding, Conn. native has posted seven shutouts (5 solo) and a 7-0-1 record in those eight matches. The impressive stretch began when Weiss earned her first career solo clean sheet on Oct. 4 at Pittsburgh (a 0-0 double-overtime tie), and followed with shutouts versus No. 10/12 Rutgers and Seton Hall. In the Rutgers match, she turned in a career high six saves. She then played the first 82:00 in Notre Dame’s 6-1 win over Connecticut, with her personal 377:25 scoreless streak coming to an end in the second half (the scoreless streak had started at Santa Clara on Sept. 11). Weiss blanked Providence and Villanova, 2-0, on Oct. 18 and 23 for her fourth and fifth solo shutouts of the year. She then played the first 45:00 of Notre Dame’s wins over Georgetown (2-0 on Oct. 25) and South Florida (5-0 on Nov. 1). She carries a personal scoreless streak of 285:43 into the BIG EAST semifinals.
The Henderson Effect
Sophomore forward Melissa Henderson has made quite an impact on the Notre Dame offense since arriving on campus last fall, netting 28 goals (including 11 gamewinners) and adding four assists for 60 points in less than two full seasons with the Irish.
In fact, through her first 44 games, Notre Dame is 20-0 when Henderson scores a goal and 22-0 when she picks up a point.
Clean Sheets
In a unique twist, 16 of Notre Dame’s 19 games this season have been decided by shutout (12 for the Fighting Irish, three for the opposition and one scoreless draw). During Notre Dame’s current 13-game unbeaten streak (12-0-1), nine of the 12 Irish wins were shutout victories, while the tie was also a 0-0 draw (at Pittsburgh on Oct. 4).
Nikki Weiss has posted five solo shutouts in Notre Dame’s last eight games, while she shared the shutout win over Georgetown with senior Kelsey Lysander and then shared the shutout over USF with Lysader and Maddie Fox. Lysander also has three solo shutouts on the year.
The 2-0 Guarantee
Notre Dame is 313-0-1 all-time when claiming a 2-0 lead and is unbeaten in its past 290 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 197 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).
Three … Is The Magic Number
Scoring three goals has meant virtually an automatic win in Notre Dame women’s soccer history, with a 284-3-1 (.988) record in those games, including a 186-1-0 (.995) mark since Oct. 6, 1995. The Irish also are 386-9-15 (.960) when holding the opposition to 0-1 goals.
Golden Domers Golden In OT
Overtime has usually been the right time for Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish are 19-3-9 (.758) all-time in the Randy Waldrum era (since ’99) when going to an extra period or two, including a current seven-game unbeaten streak (5-0-2) dating back to the 2007 season.
Notre Dame went to overtime in back-to-back contests in early October. On Oct. 2 at West Virginia, Taylor Knaack scored 41 seconds into the first extra period to give the Fighting Irish a 3-2 victory over the Mountaineers. It was the fastest OT goal in the 11-year tenure of head coach Randy Waldrum, and it’s believed to be the quickest overtime score in the program’s 22-year history.
Two days later, Notre Dame went to double overtime at Pittsburgh and wound up finishing in a 0-0 tie. It was only the eighth scoreless draw in school history and the first since Aug. 31, 2007 vs. Michigan at old Alumni Field. It also was the first time the Fighting Irish played a 0-0 contest in BIG EAST play since Oct. 13, 2006 at Connecticut.
Our Fearless Leader
Eleventh-year Notre Dame head coach Randy Waldrum reached another milestone with Notre Dame’s 2-1 win over Cincinnati on Sept. 25, recording the 400th win of his NCAA Div. I coaching career (counting his stints with both men’s and women’s college teams during the past 28 seasons).
Waldrum is also one of eight active women’s Division I head coaches to record 300 career wins. He now has a record of 333-83-21 (.786) in 20 seasons (including six at Tulsa and three at Baylor). His winning percentage ranks fourth among active coaches, while his 332 wins are fifth on the NCAA Division I career list.
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 America (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.
Your 2009 Captains
The 2009 Notre Dame squad features three first-time captains, with seniors Michele Weissenhofer and Courtney Rosen and sophomore Jessica Schuveiller all selected via a vote of their teammates.
Schuveiller’s selection is noteworthy, in that she is the first non-senior to serve as a team captain since Amy Warner was one of Notre Dame’s three captains in 2002 (her junior season). This year’s triumvirate also marks the first time since 2004 (Mary Boland, Gudrun Gunnarsdottir and Melissa Tancredi) that the Irish have named three captains.
The M*A*S*H Unit
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.
Freshman forward Tereza Stastny and senior midfielder Micaela Alvarez are out for the season with a torn ACL. Stastny’s injury (right knee) occurred on Oct. 13, while Alvarez (left knee) went down one week later — both injuries were suffered during training.
Media Guide Correction
On page 53 of the 2009 Notre Dame women’s soccer media guide, the last name of senior defender/midfielder Amanda Clark’s grandfather (Joe Kopnisky) and uncle (Jack Kopnisky) was misspelled. The Notre Dame Sports Information Office regrets the error.
Our New Digs
Located just east of the Joyce Center and approximately 500 yards west of its predecessor, Alumni Stadium is the new home for Notre Dame soccer, having opened its doors Sept. 4 to an overflow crowd of 3,007 for its debut match against top-ranked North Carolina (the Irish men played three nights earlier, blanking Michigan, 5-0).
A state-of-the-art facility built at a cost of $5.7 million, Alumni Stadium has a permanent seating capacity of approximately 2,500 fans, along with grass berm seating on the east end of the grounds. The stadium also offers upgraded and expanded restroom and concession areas, elevator access to the main concourse level, as well as numerous amenities for both Fighting Irish soccer programs (expansive locker rooms with custom-made wood lockers, spacious team lounges with flat-screen plasma TVs and high-speed Internet access, and a fully-equipped athletic training center).
What’s more, Alumni Stadium features an LED scoreboard (installed by industry leader Daktronics), enhanced lighting structures and top-of-the-line sod for the pitch (cultivated in Fort Morgan, Colo., at Graff’s Turf Farms, which also has provided the turf for numerous facilities including Notre Dame Stadium, Wrigley Field, Busch Stadium and the new MLS grounds outside Denver and Salt Lake City).
In addition, media members will enjoy the spacious new air-conditioned press box, which includes power and high-speed Internet portals at every seat (along with wireless Internet capability), three individually-wired broadcast booths and an expansive, unblocked midfield vantage point, all of which make Alumni Stadium unlike any other on-campus facility in college soccer.
The construction of Alumni Stadium was made possible because of numerous generous donations, including those by lead benefactors Tom Crotty and Rob Snyder, both former Fighting Irish men’s soccer players.
Crotty was a three-year monogram winner from 1977-79, earning team MVP honors in 1979 before graduating the following spring with a degree in finance. He currently is general partner at Battery Ventures LP in Wellesley, Mass., while he and his wife, Shari, live in Southborough, Mass.
Snyder earned two monograms from 1980-83, piling up 23 goals and 22 assists (the latter figure ranking seventh in school history). He also potted a team-high 12 goals in 1981. A 1984 graduate of Notre Dame, Snyder went on to become founder and CEO of Stream Energy in Dallas, Texas.
Taking It To The Next Level
Notre Dame had 10 players appearing on opening-day rosters for the inaugural season of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) in 2009, ranking second among all colleges in that category. Four of those 10 (all members of the ’08 Fighting Irish NCAA runner-up squad) were selected in the league’s first-ever college draft back in January — Brittany Bock (first round, fifth overall, Los Angeles Sol), Kerri Hanks (first round, sixth overall, Saint Louis Athletica), Carrie Dew (second round, 12th overall, FC Gold Pride) and Elise Weber (third round, 21st overall, Saint Louis Athletica).
That quartet was joined by: Shannon Boxx (Los Angeles Sol), Jen Buczkowski and Christie Shaner (Sky Blue FC), Candace Chapman (Boston Breakers), and Amanda Cinalli and Melissa Tancredi (Saint Louis Athletica).
In addition, Kate (Sobrero) Markgraf was assigned to the Chicago Red Stars as part of the U.S. National Team draft, but sat out the ’09 season while on maternity leave (she gave birth to twins in June). Kelly Lindsey began the season as an assistant coach at Sky Blue FC, then took over as interim head coach at midseason before resigning late in the year.
Midseason trades saw Hanks sent to Sky Blue FC, while Shaner went out to Los Angeles. Shaner subsequently was sidelined for the season with a broken leg.
Of the 10 active Notre Dame alums in WPS, eight saw their teams advance to the league playoffs (all but Chapman and Dew). Led by arguably the world’s top defensive midfielder in Boxx and one of WPS’ top rookies in Bock (who played center back after never playing that position at Notre Dame), Los Angeles won the regular season title and the right to host the first-ever WPS Championship Game.
In the end, five Fighting Irish alums (tying North Carolina for the most representatives from one college) worked their way into the WPS final — Bock, Boxx and Shaner for L.A., along with Hanks and Buczkowski for Sky Blue FC. The New Jersey-based club then capped an amazing string of three playoff road wins in eight days with a 1-0 upset of Los Angeles to win the inaugural WPS Championship.
Boxx was subsequently named a starter for the first WPS All-Star Game, which took place at Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in suburban St. Louis on Aug. 30.
On Sept. 16, Buczkowski was chosen by the Philadelphia Independence with the third overall pick in the 2009 WPS Expansion Draft, with Cinalli going one selection later to the Atlanta Beat.
Offseason personnel moves at the end of September have seen Chapman released by Boston (then signed by FC Gold Pride) and Shaner released by Los Angeles, while Tancredi was declared a free agent by Saint Louis.
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/forward 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.
Bock Tapped For U.S. National Team
Former Notre Dame All-American Brittany Bock (’09) was named to the 18-player roster for the United States Women’s National Team’s Oct. 29 friendly against Germany at Impuls Arena in Augsburg, Germany. It was the second time this calendar year that Bock was chosen by U.S. coach Pia Sundhage to suit up for an international friendly. However, as was the case for a May exhibition vs. Canada in Toronto, a last-minute injury kept Bock from earning her first national team cap (international appearance), although she was on hand to help cheer her American teammates to a 1-0 win over the Germans.
Next Game: BIG EAST Final
With a victory over St. John’s on Friday night, Notre Dame would advance to the BIG EAST Championship final on Sunday at noon (ET) against either Marquette (#1 seed in American Division) or West Virginia (#3 seed in American Division) at Morrone Stadium in Storrs, Conn. The title game will be televised live to a national cable audience by the BIG EAST-Regional Sports Networks package (including Comcast SportsNet Chicago), as well as CBS College Sports, and webcast at www.bigeast.tv.
The Irish visited WVU back on Oct. 2, pulling out a 3-2 win in overtime on Taylor Knaack’s golden goal 41 seconds into the first extra period. Notre Dame has not played Marquette since last year’s BIG EAST Championship semifinals (a 2-0 Irish win at old Alumni Field).
— ND —