Erica Iantorno and the other Notre Dame seniors will be honored for their achievements during a ceremony prior to Sunday's nationally-televised match against Rutgers at Alumni Stadium (1 p.m. ET, ESPNU).

#5/7 Irish Wrap Up Regular Season Home Slate This Weekend

Oct. 7, 2010

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2010 ND Women’s Soccer — Matches 13-14
#5/7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1-0 / 5-0-0 BIG EAST)

vs. Seton Hall Pirates (6-6-0 / 2-3-0 BIG EAST)
DATE:
October 8, 2010
TIME: 7:30 p.m. ET
AT: Notre Dame, Ind. – Alumni Stadium (2,500)
SERIES: ND leads 15-1-0
1ST MTG: ND 5-0 (9/24/95)
LAST MTG: ND 2-0 (10/11/09)
AUDIO: UND.com (live)
STATS/BLOG: UND.com (live)
TWITTER: @NDsoccernews

vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-5-0 / 3-2-0 BIG EAST)
DATE:
October 10, 2010
TIME: 1:00 p.m. ET
AT: Notre Dame, Ind. – Alumni Stadium (2,500)
SERIES: ND leads 17-1-2
1ST MTG: Tie 1-1 (9/13/92)
LAST MTG: ND 1-0 (10/9/09)
TV: ESPNU (live) (Beth Mowins, p-b-p / Cat Whitehill, color)
STATS/BLOG: UND.com (live)
TWITTER: @NDsoccernews

Storylines

  • The Fighting Irish will be wearing special white/pink jerseys this weekend in honor of Kicks Against Breast Cancer, with the game-worn, autographed uniforms to be auctioned off and the proceeds going to that charity.
  • Notre Dame has won 10 of 11 Senior Day matches in the Randy Waldrum era, falling only in 2003 to Michigan (3-2).

No. 5/7 Irish Wrap Up Regular Season Home Slate This Weekend
With three weeks left in the regular season, No. 5/7 Notre Dame can take a giant step towards locking down the BIG EAST National Division title as it closes out its home schedule against Seton Hall (7:30 p.m. ET, Friday) and Rutgers (1 p.m. ET, Sunday) at Alumni Stadium, with the latter contest televised live nationally on ESPNU.

The Fighting Irish (11-1, 5-0 BIG EAST) hold a six-point edge in the National Division after convincing victories at home last weekend over Syracuse (3-0) and St. John’s (4-1).

Junior forward Melissa Henderson sewed up the Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week award with nine points on the weekend, including two goals in each of the wins, while freshman midfielder Elizabeth Tucker enjoyed a five-point weekend (2G-1A).

Rankings

  • Notre Dame is No. 5 in the latest NSCAA poll and No. 7 in the new Soccer America poll.
  • Seton Hall is not ranked.
  • Rutgers is not ranked.

A Quick Look At The Fighting Irish
Like a backyard barbecue, it took a little while for Notre Dame to get its offensive fires stoked, but now it appears the Fighting Irish coals (and goals) are blazing, as Notre Dame has found the back of the net 16 times in the past four matches, surging to an 11-1 record and a 5-0 mark in the BIG EAST. The Fighting Irish also have held steady at No. 5 in the NSCAA poll and No. 7 in the Soccer America poll, although Notre Dame is No. 1 where it matters — in the first NCAA RPI rankings released Oct. 5.

Junior forward Melissa Henderson (10G-6A) has been the lighter fluid for the Fighting Irish offensive firepower of late, racking up 14 points (six goals, two assists) in her last three matches. Freshman midfielder Elizabeth Tucker (6G-2A) also continues to stake her claim as the top rookie in the BIG EAST, adding to her resume with five points in two matches last weekend.

On the defensive side, Notre Dame continues to be one of the nation’s best, ranking second in the land in shutout percentage (0.75, nine total), third in goals-against average (0.33) and fifth in save percentage (.909) while allowing only four goals all year (one an own-goal). Co-captains/center backs Lauren Fowlkes and Jessica Schuveiller have teamed with goalkeeper Nikki Weiss to form the core of the Fighting Irish defense, with Weiss having allowed just one goal in 12 BIG EAST regular-season matches since becoming the full-time starter a year ago.

Scouting Seton Hall
Seton Hall (6-6, 2-3) already has exceeded its win totals from last year, when they went 5-12-1 and 1-9-1 in the BIG EAST. However, SHU has lost three in a row coming into Friday’s match, having been shut out in all three matches. Most recently, the Pirates dropped a 3-0 decision at home to Connecticut last Sunday.

Freshman forward Katie Ritter is a prior BIG EAST Rookie of the Week selection and leads Seton Hall with six goals and 13 points this season. Sophomore goalkeeper Jennifer Pettigrew (who has a BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week citation to her credit this year) has started 10 of 12 matches, posting a 1.50 GAA with two shutouts.

Head coach Kazbek Tambi is in his fourth season at SHU with a 23-36-5 (.398) record, including an 0-3 mark against Notre Dame.

The Notre Dame-Seton Hall Series
Notre Dame is 15-1 all-time against Seton Hall, including a 7-0 record in South Bend, where it has outscored the Pirates, 38-2. The Fighting Irish also have won the past 12 matches in the series.

Last season, Notre Dame posted a 2-0 victory over Seton Hall in South Orange, N.J., behind a goal and an assist from Melissa Henderson. The teams will be meeting in South Bend for the first time since Oct. 26, 2008, when Notre Dame earned a 6-0 win at old Alumni Field on an emotional Senior Day behind a pair of goals from oft-injured senior midfielder Kerry Inglis (the only two scores of her career).

Other Notre Dame-Seton Hall Series Tidbits

  • Seton Hall head coach Kazbek Tambi also serves as the head coach of the United States Under-17 National Team, a position he has held since 2005. In that role, he has seen a number of current Notre Dame players come through the U.S. U-17 program, including junior midfielder Courtney Barg, junior forward Melissa Henderson, sophomore goalkeeper Maddie Fox, freshman midfielder Mandy Laddish, freshman defender Kecia Morway, and freshman midfielder/defender Rebecca Twining.

Scouting Rutgers
Rutgers (8-5, 3-2 BIG EAST) has been in and out of the national rankings this season, rising as high as 17th in the NSCAA poll and 24th in the Soccer America poll on Aug. 23. The Scarlet Knights came into this weekend among a group of three teams tied for second place in the BIG EAST’s National Division behind Notre Dame with nine points apiece — one of those other tied teams was Rutgers’ opponent on Friday, DePaul.

The Scarlet Knights had won three of their last four matches heading into their Midwest swing, having swept a BIG EAST home series last weekend against Connecticut (2-0) and Providence (4-1).

Redshirt freshman forward Jonelle Filigno leads Rutgers with 11 points and is tied for the team lead with four goals, along with redshirt sophomore forward April Price and redshirt junior forward Karla Schacher. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Emmy Simpkins has seen the bulk of time in the RU net, posting a 0.73 GAA with five shutouts.

Head coach Glenn Crooks is his 11th season at Rutgers with a 121-79-26 (.593) record at the school entering this weekend’s play, including a 1-10-1 record against Notre Dame.

The Notre Dame-Rutgers Series
Notre Dame is 17-1-2 all-time against Rutgers, with an 8-0-1 record in South Bend. The Fighting Irish also have won the past seven series matchups and are unbeaten in the past 10 contests with the Scarlet Knights, the lone exception being a scoreless draw against a defensive-minded RU side on Oct. 22, 2004 at old Alumni Field (the lone blemish on Notre Dame’s current 15-year, 97-match unbeaten streak at home against BIG EAST teams coming into this weekend).

Last year, the Fighting Irish earned a hard-fought 1-0 win at Rutgers on Lauren Fowlkes’ goal in the 84th minute. The teams will be meeting in South Bend for the first time since Oct. 24, 2008, when Notre Dame posted a 3-1 victory at old Alumni Field behind a goal and assist from Kerri Hanks.

Other Notre Dame-Rutgers Series Tidbits

  • Notre Dame freshman forward Adriana Leon and Rutgers redshirt sophomore defender Shannon Woeller were teammates with the Canada Under-20 Women’s National Team that competed in the 2010 CONCACAF U-20 Championships back in January in Guatemala. Leon scored a team-high two goals in the tournament for Canada, which advanced to the semifinals.
  • Prior to transferring to Rutgers for the 2009 season, RU junior defender Julie Lancos played one year at Florida State. Her last match in a Seminole uniform came on Nov. 28, 2008, when Notre Dame defeated FSU, 2-0, at old Alumni Field in the NCAA quarterfinals (Lancos did not play in the match).

Match #12 Recap: St. John’s
Junior forward Melissa Henderson continued her recent offensive explosion with two goals and an assist, while freshman midfielder Elizabeth Tucker chalked up her second game-winning goal of the weekend and added an assist as No. 5/7 Notre Dame charged past St. John’s, 4-1 in a nationally-televised BIG EAST Conference match last Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 1,331 fans at Alumni Stadium.

Senior forward/midfielder Rose Augustin chipped in with her sixth goal of the season for the Fighting Irish midway through the second half before the Red Storm averted the shutout on a late own-goal, the first allowed by Notre Dame in nearly six years.

Henderson, who also became the 18th player in school history with at least 100 career points, posted her third consecutive two-goal outing in the win over St. John’s, while tallying her second consecutive five-point Sunday (she had a similar two-goal, one-assist afternoon at No. 24/18 Louisville on Sept. 26). In her last three matches, Henderson has registered 14 points (6G-2A), and she is the first Notre Dame player with three consecutive multi-goal matches since Monica Gerardo pulled off a similar feat from Oct. 4-11, 1998.

The Fighting Irish (11-1, 5-0 BIG EAST) dominated the statistical totals once again, outshooting St. John’s by a 20-5 margin, including a 10-3 edge in shots on goal. Notre Dame also had a wide 12-1 spread in corner kicks, as well as a 6-4 difference in fouls.

Senior goalkeeper Nikki Weiss worked the first 62:27 in the Fighting Irish net, making two saves. Sophomore Maddie Fox came on in relief for the final 27-plus minutes to complete the Notre Dame victory.

Match #11 Recap: Syracuse
Junior forward Melissa Henderson scored two goals for the second consecutive match, and freshman midfielder Elizabeth Tucker netted the third game-winning goal of her rookie season as No. 5/7 Notre Dame rolled to a 3-0 BIG EAST Conference victory over Syracuse on Oct. 1 at Alumni Stadium.

Notre Dame rang up a season-high 27-1 shot advantage over Syracuse, including a 13-1 edge in shots on goal. The Fighting Irish also took all 10 corner kicks in the match (also a season best), while the Orange were whistled for 14 of the 22 combined fouls and added to their conference-leading yellow card total with three more bookings.

In addition to the massive shot discrepancy, Notre Dame spread around the offensive wealth, with a season-high four players recorded assists in the match. Junior defender/co-captain Jessica Schuveiller set up Tucker’s decisive score, with a trio of seniors — forward Rose Augustin, defender Julie Scheidler and forward Erica Iantorno — combining to create Henderson’s two goals.

Senior goalkeeper Nikki Weiss didn’t see a whole lot of action on the night, but did turn aside the one Syracuse shot on goal during her 87-plus minutes between the pipes. For the third consecutive match, sophomore netminder Maddie Fox spelled Weiss late in the contest and was not tested in preserving Notre Dame’s ninth shutout of the season.

Henderson, Tucker Cop Weekly Honors
Junior forward Melissa Henderson and freshman midfielder Elizabeth Tucker both added more honors to their ever-growing trophy cases on Monday, earning accolades on the BIG EAST Conference and national level for their play last week.

Henderson was a double award recipient, coupling her selection as the Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week with her second consecutive citation as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week. Meanwhile, Tucker joined Henderson in garnering recognition from the conference office, as she was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week for the second time this season (with both citations coming in the past three weeks).

Henderson is the first two-time BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week this season, and the first Notre Dame player to receive that award twice in one year since Kerri Hanks was a four-time honoree in 2008. Henderson also earned the Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week award for the second time in her career, having previously collected that honor on Nov. 16, 2009.

Like Henderson, Tucker is the first two-time BIG EAST Rookie of the Week this year. She also is the first Fighting Irish player to receive that award more than once since Henderson twice took home the hardware in 2008.

This past weekend, Henderson turned in a strong offensive performance by scoring four goals and adding an assist in Notre Dame’s BIG EAST wins over Syracuse (3-0) and St. John’s (4-1) at Alumni Stadium. Henderson netted two goals in each match, and set up Tucker’s game-winning score in the first half against St. John’s while becoming the first Fighting Irish player with three consecutive multi-goal matches (she previously had two goals on Sept. 26 at No. 24/18 Louisville) since Monica Gerardo pulled off that feat from Oct. 4-11, 1998, in wins over Georgetown, Boston College and Providence.

Tucker tallied five points last weekend, scoring both game-winning goals in the victories over Syracuse and St. John’s, while assisting on Henderson’s second goal in the latter match. For the season, Tucker now has four game-winning goals, tying Henderson for the team lead and putting her just three away from the Notre Dame freshman record set by Jenny Streiffer in 1996.

Mel-Rose Place
No signs of Billy, Jane, Michael or Sydney, but so far this season, Notre Dame has taken on the look of Mel-Rose Place. Specifically, the offensive duo of junior forward Melissa Henderson and senior forward Rose Augustin have combined for more than half (16) of the 29 Fighting Irish goals and 41 of 80 points through 12 matches this season.

Quickstrike Offense, Part I
Junior forward Melissa Henderson and senior forward Rose Augustin scored 47 seconds apart (at 23:51 and 24:38) midway through the first half of the Sept. 5 win over Texas Tech at Alumni Stadium. It was the fastest two-goal flurry for Notre Dame since Sept. 28, 2008, at Cincinnati, when Henderson scored 33 seconds after Courtney Rosen found the back of the net.

Quickstrike Offense, Part II
Junior forward Melissa Henderson’s goal just 1:11 in Notre Dame’s win at Loyola Marymount on Sept. 12 was the fastest opening tally by the Fighting Irish since Dec. 7, 2008, when Kerri Hanks scored only 16 seconds into the NCAA national championship match against North Carolina in Cary, N.C. (setting an NCAA College Cup record in the process).

Henderson’s goal against LMU also was the sixth-fastest opening score in the 12-year Randy Waldrum era (1999-present).

Getting The Jump On The Opposition
In six matches this season (including four of the past five matches), Notre Dame has scored the opening goal inside the first 12 minutes of play.

In addition, the Fighting Irish have scored within the opening 30 minutes in nine of their last 10 matches, after waiting until the second half to find the back of the net in their first two contests of the year.

Lead, Follow Or Get Out Of The Way
With the potency of the Notre Dame offensive attack, most opponents have chosen the third option. In fact, the Fighting Irish have led or been tied for 1,058:56 of 1,084:02 minutes this season (97.7% of the elapsed game time). The only time Notre Dame has trailed this season was for a grand total of 25:06 (19:09-44:15) at No. 13 UCLA on Sept. 10.

Henderson A Trend Setter
If you’re looking to spot a trend in Notre Dame’s success during the past three seasons, look no further than junior forward Melissa Henderson. Since the Garland, Texas, native arrived in South Bend, she has scored 45 goals (third-most among active Division I players, and tid for 13th in school history) and added 13 assists, good for 103 career points (17th in school history).

Those markers have been particularly valuable to Fighting Irish fortunes. In fact, during Henderson’s career, Notre Dame is 30-0 when she scores a goal and 37-0 when she tallies a point, the latter of which she has done in 10 of 12 matches this year and 17 of the past 22 contests, dating back to last season.

Department of Defense
Notre Dame opened this season with four consecutive shutouts, marking the second time in three years (but just the third time in school history) that the Fighting Irish have started with four clean sheets. The other instances occurred in 1995 (eight in a row) and 2008 (four in a row).

Looking at the larger picture, Notre Dame has allowed 0-1 goals in 26 of its last 27 matches, dating back to Oct. 4, 2009, at Pittsburgh. Prior to a 2-1 overtime loss at 13th-ranked UCLA on Sept. 10, the Fighting Irish had a 19-match streak of allowing one goal or fewer, the fifth-longest streak in the program’s 23-year history and its longest since Oct. 25, 2002-Oct. 26, 2003, when the Fighting Irish yielded a goal or fewer in 24 consecutive matches.

During this current 27-match defensive run (which coincided with the installation of senior Nikki Weiss as Notre Dame’s full-time starting goalkeeper), the Fighting Irish are 24-2-1 with 19 shutouts (13 solo and six shared by Weiss), a 67-11 scoring margin and a 0.40 goals-against average (GAA).

In the program’s 23-year history, Notre Dame is 401-10-15 (.959) when holding the opposition to 0-1 goals.

Sunday School
Notre Dame is unbeaten in its last 14 matches on Sunday (13-0-1) and owns a 32-2-2 (.917) record in the past 36 contests when closing out the weekend, dating back to September 2007 (when the Fighting Irish lost three consecutive Sunday matches to nationally-ranked Stanford, Oklahoma State and Penn State, all by 2-1 scores and the first two in overtime).

ND Seniors Among Nation’s Best
The 2010 Notre Dame senior class is tied with North Carolina as the most successful group in the country on the basis of total victories, with a four-year record to date of 77-11-3 (.863) that includes three consecutive trips to the NCAA College Cup and an appearance in the 2008 national title match.

The .863 winning percentage compiled by the Fighting Irish seniors is fourth-best on the national scene.

And Juniors Aren’t Half Bad Either
Like their senior teammates, the Fighting Irish juniors are tied with North Carolina for the most wins among all junior classes, with a three-year record to date of 58-6-1 (.900), including two trips to the NCAA College Cup and a berth in the 2008 title match. The Notre Dame junior class also currently ranks third in the nation with a .900 winning percentage.

That record could be even more impressive when one considers that three of those six losses occurred in a nine-day span (Sept. 4-13) last season. The only other losses were late-game one-goal setbacks to North Carolina in the past two College Cups (2-1 in the ’08 final, 1-0 in the ’09 semifinals) and earlier this season at 13th-ranked UCLA (2-1 in OT on Sept. 10), along with a 0-0 draw at Pittsburgh last year (a match in which Notre Dame outshot the Panthers, 25-7).

Fresh-Faced Contributors
Part of Notre Dame’s success this season can be traced to the poised and rapidly maturing play of its freshmen, four of whom are now among the starting XI for the Fighting Irish.

Midfielders Mandy Laddish and Elizabeth Tucker wasted little time in getting their feet wet at the college level, having earned starting nods in virtually every match this season (Laddish all 12, Tucker 11). Laddish ranks third on the team in total minutes (991) by a field player, while Tucker (a two-time BIG EAST Rookie of the Week selection) is tied for second on the team with six goals and stands third with 14 points, while sharing the team lead with four game-winning goals (all three marks are among the top 10 in the BIG EAST).

Last month, defender Kecia Morway became the third rookie in the starting lineup, while forward Adriana Leon got her first starting nod on Oct. 1 vs. Syracuse, with Leon potting her first career goal on Sept. 24 against Cincinnati.

One other Notre Dame freshman note: during the final 10 minutes of the first half at Northwestern on Sept. 19, the Fighting Irish had five freshmen on the pitch at the same time, as starters Laddish, Tucker and Morway were joined by Leon and midfielder Rebecca Twining, the latter of whom was making her college debut.

Irish Thinking Pink In October
Following the success of this past spring’s jersey auction at the Mexico exhibition match to benefit Camp Whatcha-Wanna-Do (which raised nearly $3,000 for the Fort Wayne camp for children with cancer), the Notre Dame women’s soccer team once again is prepared to give fans the shirts off their backs.

During both matches this weekend, the Fighting Irish will be wearing special white/pink uniforms to support Kicks Against Breast Cancer, a national soccer initiative to raise funds for breast cancer research. From now through 5 p.m. (ET) on Monday, Oct. 11, fans will have the opportunity to bid on these autographed, game-worn jerseys by going to the official Notre Dame athletics auction web site at www.UND.com/auctions.

Proceeds from this auction will go directly to Kicks Against Breast Cancer. For more information on Kicks Against Breast Cancer, visit www.kicksagainstbreastcancer.org.

We Love The New Digs
Alumni Stadium is quickly earning a reputation as not only one of the nation’s finest college facilities, but also a truly intimidating place for visiting teams. In fact, following Notre Dame’s loss to top-ranked North Carolina in its first match at the new stadium (Sept. 4, 2009), the Fighting Irish have reeled off 21 consecutive victories, outscoring their opponents, 57-3 in that span while recording 18 shutouts.

The only opposing players to find the back of the Notre Dame net at Alumni Stadium since Opening Night have been Connecticut’s Linda Ruutu (Oct. 16, 2009) and Central Michigan’s Molly Gerst (Nov. 15, 2009 – NCAA second round), both being the lone scores in 6-1 Fighting Irish victories. The other goal allowed by Notre Dame was a late second-half own-goal last Sunday against St. John’s.

Beasts Of The BIG EAST
With a 4-1 win over St. John’s on Oct. 3, Notre Dame now owns an NCAA Division I-record 71-match unbeaten streak (68-0-3) 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 scoreless draws at Connecticut (Oct. 13, 2006) and Pittsburgh (Oct. 4, 2009), and a 1-1 deadlock at No. 12 West Virginia in the 2007 BIG EAST final (won by the Mountaineers on penalties, 5-3, but the result is recorded as a tie).

Not only is Notre Dame’s current conference unbeaten streak an ongoing NCAA Division I record, but it also is threatening some other marks in other NCAA divisions. The present Fighting Irish string is tied for the fifth-longest in NCAA history across all divisions, with Notre Dame in position to move two spots up that ladder this weekend.

Division III member Hardin-Simmons (Texas) is the current record holder with a 105-match unbeaten streak against conference opponents, dating back to 2003 (the Cowgirls also have an active 124-match unbeaten run in regular season league play).

Since joining the BIG EAST 15 years ago, the Fighting Irish are 139-8-5 (.931) all-time in regular-season conference matches, 35-2-1 (.934) in the BIG EAST Championship, and hold a 731-86 scoring edge dating back to that first league season in 1995.

What’s more, Notre Dame maintains a 15-year, 97-match home unbeaten streak (96-0-1) against BIG EAST teams, with Connecticut the lone conference team ever to defeat the Fighting Irish at home (5-4 in overtime on Oct. 6, 1995, at old Alumni Field). The only result separating Notre Dame from a 97-match conference home winning streak has been a 0-0 draw with Rutgers on Oct. 22, 2004, also at old Alumni Field.

Our Fearless Leader
Now in his 12th season at Notre Dame, head coach Randy Waldrum ranks fourth on the NCAA Division I all-time winning percentage list with a .791 (350-85-21) mark in his 21 years in the women’s game. He also is third among active coaches for career winning percentage, while his 350 career wins rank fifth on the all-time NCAA Division I charts — Waldrum earned his 350th career victory last Sunday vs. St. John’s.

A two-time National Coach of the Year (2008 by the NSCAA, 2009 by Soccer America), Waldrum has led Notre Dame to seven NCAA College Cups, four NCAA finals and the 2004 national championship. He is second in NCAA Division I history with seven College Cup appearances and four title-game berths in his storied career.

The 2-0 Guarantee
Notre Dame is 323-0-1 all-time when claiming a 2-0 lead and is unbeaten in its past 300 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 212 Fighting 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 old 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 old Alumni Field (Irish won 3-2), and most recently, Villanova on Oct. 12, 2008 in Villanova, Pa. (ND 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 291-3-1 (.988) record in those games, including a 193-1-0 (.995) mark since Oct. 6, 1995.

Golden Domers Golden In OT
Overtime has usually been the right time for Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish are 20-4-9 (.742) all-time in the Randy Waldrum era (since 1999) when going to an extra period or two, with the Sept. 10 loss at 13th-ranked UCLA snapping a seven-game unbeaten streak (5-0-2) in added time, dating back to the 2007 season.

Last year, Notre Dame went to overtime on three occasions, defeating West Virginia (3-2 on Oct. 2) and St. John’s (2-1 on Nov. 6 in the BIG EAST semifinal in Storrs, Conn.) and ending in a scoreless draw at Pittsburgh (Oct. 4).

Four current Fighting Irish players have scored “golden goals” in their college careers — senior midfielder Rose Augustin (Oct. 12, 2008 at Villanova), junior forward Melissa Henderson (Nov. 9, 2008 vs. Connecticut in BIG EAST final), senior forward Taylor Knaack (Oct. 2, 2009 at West Virginia) and junior defender Jessica Schuveiller (Nov. 6, 2009 vs. St. John’s in BIG EAST semifinal).

Captains’ Choice
Senior defender/midfielder Lauren Fowlkes and junior defender Jessica Schuveiller have been selected to serve as Notre Dame’s captains this year, according to a preseason vote of their teammates. Fowlkes is in her first season as a team captain, while Schuveiller is a second-year captain after becoming the first non-senior to wear the armband for the Fighting Irish since Amy Warner in 2002.

New Ways To Follow The Fighting Irish
The Notre Dame women’s soccer program has expanded its reach this season through a number of media outlets. Most notably, the Fighting Irish have created three Twitter accounts for fans to follow the team on a daily basis — one is operated by head coach Randy Waldrum (@NDCoachWaldrum), a second by assistant coach Ken Nuber (@NDSoccer) and a third by associate media relations director Chris Masters (@NDsoccernews).

In addition, the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.UND.com) is featuring live in-game blogs for all Fighting Irish home matches this season, allowing fans to ask questions, make comments and share in the excitement of Notre Dame women’s soccer right from their own computers.

These blogs, along with live in-game stats (courtesy of the CBSSports.com College Gametracker) and other special features, are available through the UND.com Women’s Soccer Gameday Central page, which is posted on-line within 24 hours of each home contest.

ND Supporters Group Debuts In 2010
Fans are encouraged to be a part of the new Notre Dame soccer supporters’ group, The Rakes of Mallow. This student-based organization is attending all Fighting Irish home games this year and aims to create a special home pitch atmosphere unlike any in college soccer. To learn more, visit The Rakes of Mallow web site (www.rakesofmallow.net).

Next Up: Connecticut/Providence
Notre Dame kicks off a four-match road trip next weekend with a visit to New England for BIG EAST cross-divisional contests at Connecticut (4:30 p.m. ET, Friday) and Providence (1 p.m. ET, Sunday).

Those two teams — among three tied for third in the American Division — play host to divisional leader Marquette and South Florida (the other tied third-place squad) this weekend.

— ND —