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Sept. 17, 2003

NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SOCCER

Game Notes – Santa Clara adidas Classic (Buck Shaw Stadium)

Friday, Sept. 19 – vs. Stanford (5:00 p.m. PDT), live on CSTV and WHME

Sunday, Sept. 21 – at Santa Clara (1:30 p.m. PDT), live CSTV, delayed WHME

The Notre Dame women’s soccer team (6-0-0; 27-3 scoring edge) – ranked 2nd in all the national polls, behind UNC – heads west this weekend for showdowns with 16th-ranked Stanford (Fri., Sept. 19, 5:00 p.m. PDT) and No. 10 Santa Clara (Sun., Sept. 21, 1:30 p.m. PDT) at the SCU adidas Classic, with the above rankings from the Soccer America poll … both games will be telecast live nationally by College Sports Television, with South Bend’s WHME providing a live feed of the Stanford game and a delayed broadcast of the ND-SCU tilt … Stanford – which entered the 2002 postseason as the nation’s top-ranked team and went on to edge ND in the NCAA round of 16 – was ranked 2nd in Soccer America’s 2003 preseason poll but is 3-2-0 after 1-0 losses to Portland and Pepperdine … SCU – coming off the 2001 NCAA title and ’02 runner-up – was the top-ranked team in the 2003 NSCAA preseason coaches poll but now is 2-1-3 after a 4-1 loss to Virginia and ties vs. UCLA, California and Penn State … ND has been ranked in the top two of the NSCAA poll nine of the last 11 years (all but ’01 and ’02), earning No. 1 in ’94, ’95, ’96 and ’00.

SCHEDULE & RESULT NOTES – After the SCU Classic, the Irish will play eight straight home games, including key BIG EAST battles vs. West Virginia, Villanova and UConn … ND opened with impressive wins at the UConn Classic over Hartford (9-1) and Wake Forest (3-0), with junior F Mary Boland earning BIG EAST offensive player of the week (3G-1A) … the Irish added ND Classic wins over #13 Arizona State (3-1) and Oklahoma (5-1), followed by last week’s BIG EAST cross-divisional victory at St. John’s (2-0) and a 5-0 win over Western Kentucky … freshman M Jen Buczkowski and 5th-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky received the respective offensive and defensive MVP awards at the ND Classic, with Buczkowski named BIG EAST rookie of the week (Soccer America and Soccer Buzz named her to their 11-member national player-of-the-week teams) … Pruzinsky was named BIG EAST defensive player of the week for the 5th time in her career after the wins over SJU and WKU.

PERSONNEL UPDATE – Notre Dame returned 12 of its top 13 players (two recently were lost for the season and a third also has been injured) from the ’02 squad that closed with a 5-1-0 record and battled top-ranked Stanford in a 1-0 NCAA round-of-16 loss … junior All-America D Candace Chapman (ACL) and senior M Randi Scheller (hip surgery; 2nd team all-BIG EAST in ’02) are out for the year following preseason injuries while junior starting central D Gudrun Gunnarsdottir could return to action after missing the last four games with a broken arm.

INFORMATION HIGHWAY – Live stats will be provided by SCU, with a link available via the main page at www.und.com … for schedule and result information on all 26 Notre Dame varsity sports, call the ND Sports Hotline at (574) 631-3000 (press “4” for soccer information and then ‘2″ for women’s soccer results) … see www.gostanford.com and www.santaclarabroncos for info. on ND’s opponents.

INTERNET AUDIO – Four ND women’s soccer regular-season games (plus possible postseason) will be available via internet audio broadcasts at www.und.com … the audio is available to SportsPass subscribers (see und.com audio/video link), who also can listen to audio from other ND sports and from other schools that are part of SportsPass (Santa Clara will provide a SportsPass broadcast of the ND-SCU game, see link on und.com) … the ND broadcast schedule includes games vs. West Virginia (Oct. 3), Villanova (Oct. 5), UConn (Oct. 17) and Michigan (Oct. 29).

CSTV TO AIR SCU CLASSIC – All four games at the SCU Classic will be telecast live by College Sports Television, currently available on DirectTV channel 610 and via Insight cable systems in several Midwest states (see cstv.com) … longtime soccer commentator Jack Edwards will handle play-by-play, Tom Stone will provide analysis, Dan Moriarty will be the sideline reporter and Ken Neal – a veteran of many collegiate and professional soccer broadcasts – will be the producer.

ND WOMEN’S SOCCER – BY THE NUMBERS (see PDF)

PRUZSINKY DRAWS NATONAL MEDIA ATTENTION – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky will be spotlighted in an upcoming feature on CSTV while the new Sports Illustrated On Campus is slated to highlight the high achiever in next week’s issue … Pruzinsky – the national high school player of the year and a 2002 invitee to U.S. Under-21 National Team tryouts – wrapped up her undergrad studies last May with a 4.0 cumulative GPA, becoming just the third chemical; engineering major (and first since ’74) to graduate from Notre Dame with a 4.0.

LINEUP NOTES

FURIOUS FORWARDS – Notre Dame’s system includes a pressuring “forecheck” from the team’s frontrunners and the Irish currently boast a 4-5 player rotation at the forward position … four of those players – Mary Boland (2), Amanda Guertin, Maggie Manning and Katie Thorlakson – already have posted multiple-goal games this season while Amy Warner has scored in every game but the 5-0 win over Oklahoma (she has points in all six games).

FIRE & ICE – Veterans Amanda Guertin (41 career goals, 4 in ’03) and Amy Warner (32; 5 in ’03) rank as one the nation’s premier pairs of senior forwards, with their many clutch plays including 26 combined game-winning goals (16 by Guertin) and five OT goals (3 by Guertin).

BOLAND STEPS FORWARD – Junior Mary Boland spent most of her prep soccer days playing as a forward but her ND career also has included time at outside back and in the midfield … Boland’s quick start to the 2003 season (3G-1A in opener vs. Hartford; 6G in first 3 games) ignited the surging ND offense and solidified her return to forward.

MEET YOU IN THE MIDDLE – Despite the graduation of 4-year starter/defensive ace Ashley Dryer and the season-ending hip surgery to senior Randi Scheller (2nd team all-BIG EAST in ’02), the Irish midfield has been energized by the emergence of two “newcomers” in sophomore Annie Schefter (3G-4; missed all of ’02 with ACL knee injury) and freshman Jen Buczkowski (2G-4A) – with the pair ranking 4th and 5th on the ND scoring charts.

LORENZEN SETTLES INTO BACK – Versatile freshman Kim Lorenzen (Naperville, Ill.) was impressive in preseason training at forward but has found a home in the defense, with strong play as a starter both centrally and at outside back.

OTHER QUICK NOTES ON THE IRISH

* Notre Dame enters the week as the No. 3-scoring team in the nation (min. 3 GP), averaging 4.50 goals/gm while the 27 total goals are nearly double ND’s total at the six-game mark in 2002 (15).

* Senior F Amy Warner ranks 8th nationally with 16 points (5G-6A) and is tied for 2nd in assists (6).

* Sophomore G Erika Bohn has allowed just 6 goals in her last 11 fall games with ND (5 shutouts, 6 games with 1 GA).

* ND players have combined to miss 99 games due to injury spanning the ’02 and ’03 seasons (27 games; 19-8 record).

*The Irish are unbeaten in their last 13 overtime games (10-0-3).

* Senior F Amanda Guertin is tied for 3rd in ND history with 16 career GWGs (with an ND record 3 in OT) … Guertin’s 10-game goalscoring streak in ’01 ranks 3rd in NCAA history (former SCU great Brandi Chastain holds the record of 15).

* ND’s all-time playing roster includes 20 California natives (most from any state), led by All-Americans LaKeysia Beene, Cindy Daws, Jen Renola and Rosella Guerrero (plus current World Cup team member Shannon Boxx).

* 5th-year D Vanesssa Pruzinsky graduated last May with a 4.0 cumulative GPA as a chemical engineering major, becoming just the third Notre Dame student (first since ’74) ever to complete that feat.

* ND’s freshman class was ranked #5 by Soccer America, with M Jen Buczkowski (6th) and D Christi Shaner (22nd) rated in the top 25.

* Three ND freshmen – Buczkowski, fellow M Jill Krivacek and D Kim Lorenzen – helped lead Team Illinois to the 2003 ODP national title, defeating New Jersey and future ND teammate Lizzie Reed in the title game.

* ND has been ranked 1st or 2nd in the NSCAA poll during nine of the last 11 seasons (ranked 1st in four seasons).

* Irish players already have combined for seven multiple-goal games this season: Mary Boland vs. Hartford (3) and ASU (2), Maggie Manning and Amanda Guertin vs. Hartford (both with 2), Jen Buczkowski vs. Oklahoma (2), and most recently Katie Thorlakson and Annie Schefter vs. Western Kentucky (both with 2).

* The trip to the SCU Classic will serve as a homecoming for sophomore D Miranda Ford (Portola Valley/Palo Alto HS) while first-year ND assistant coach Dawn Greathouse was a goalkeeper with the WUSA’s San Jose CyberRays during the past two seasons.

* ND’s 2003 roster includes players from 14 states, two Canadian provinces and Iceland … the program’s all-time roster canvasses 30 states and three foreign countries … ND’s student-athlete population during the 2002-03 academic year included nearly 800 individuals who hailed from 47 states (all but Idaho, Mississippi and Nevada) and 20 foreign countries.

* The current senior class carries a 24-8-1 career record when playing in the postseason and/or facing an opponent ranked in the NSCAA top-25.

PRUZINSKY PICKS UP FIFTH BIG EAST WEEKLY AWARD – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky (Trumbull, Conn.) was named the BIG EAST Conference women’s soccer defensive player of the week for the fifth time in her career, after playing a lead role in last week’s wins over St. John’s (2-0) and Western Kentucky (5-0) … Pruzinsky – who played sparingly in the fall of 2002 due to an ankle injury before graduating last May with a 4.0 GPA as a chemical engineering major – has sparked the ND defense in the last four games since making her full-time return to the lineup, as the Irish continued to cope with the absence of two other injured defensive starters in Candace Chapman and Gudrun Gunnarsdottir … the two-time Academic All-American started at outside back last week while leading an Irish defense that shut down SJU and WKU to the tune of a 7-0 scoring edge, a 39-9 combined shot margin (13-3 in shots on target) and a 16-4 corner-kick edge … since returning to the starting lineup, Pruzinsky has been named defensive MVP of the ND Classic while helping hold the last four opponents to a total of 2 goals, 24 shots (7 on target, or 1.8 per game) and 8 corner kicks … she also was BIG EAST defensive player of the week three consecutive times as a sophomore in 2000 (Oct. 3-17) and on Oct. 30, 2001, during her junior season.

PERFECT RECORDS BEGIN TO DWINDLE – The first three weeks of the ’03 season have taken their toll on many top teams, as only 13 Division I teams currently sport perfect records … the BIG EAST leads the nation’s conferences with three unbeaten/untied teams (ND, Boston College and Villanova) while the Southeastern Conference (with Florida and Mississippi) is the only other league with multiple teams on that list … the other eight teams that have yet to suffer a loss or tie include three that are in the current national rankings – top-ranked North Carolina, Ohio State and Princeton – plus Cal Poly, East Tennessee State, Navy, Oklahoma State and Oregon.

INSIDE THE ND-STANFORD SERIES – Notre Dame holds a 4-3-0 series edge versus Stanford, with wins in four meetings (dating back to ND’s 1995 NCAA Championship season) prior to last season’s loss in the NCAA round of 16 .. .the Irish hold a slim scoring edge in the series (10-8), with the last three games decided by one goal … here’s a look at the previous seven games:

1992 – The young Irish program (fifth season) drops a 3-0 game to #2 Stanford at the Golden Dome Classic, with goals by Sarah Rafanelli and Jennifer Stephan (2).

1993 – Third-ranked ND’s 14-game win streak ends in 3-1 OT loss to #9 Stanford, at the Cardinal Classic … Michelle McCarthy gives Irish early lead but Rafanelli ties the game and scores in OT, as does Carmel Murphy.

1995 – The #2-ranked Irish set a team record with a 6th straight shutout (2-0), holding #3 Stanford to 4 shots while extending nation’s longest regular-season unbeaten streak (32) … ND opens scoring on rare goal from assist master Holly Manthei while Shannox Boxx (ND Invitational MVP) adds a goal before halftime … the game marks the return of ND star midfielder Cindy Daws from injury (she helped set up Manthei’s goal, minutes after entering).

1996 – Freshman sensation Jenny Streiffer scores twice for the top-ranked Irish in 4-0 win over #18 Stanford, extending ND’s road win streak to 14 (24 overall) … Daws and Monica Gerardo score to cap a three-goal in flurry in a nine-minute, second-half stretch.

1999 (NCAA round of 16) – Mia Sarkesian scores off the bench in the 81st minute – stopping a clearance and sending 18-yard crossing shot to the upper right corner – as #5 ND holds off #8 Stanford … the Cardinal were poised to tie in the 83rd minute but Ronnie Fair’s PK (after a hand-bal) hits off the left post and stunningly smacks off the right post as well … Stanford’s Kelly Adamson had two near-goals in the 1st half (Vanessa Pruzinsky cleared one off the line, LaKeysia Beene saved a diving header) … ND posts a 15-9 shot edge (9-6 CKs).

2000 – The #4 Irish beat #10 Stanford at the ND Classic, on an own goal in OT (2-1) … ND’s constant pressure (18-3 shot edge) forced the GWG … Carly Smolak makes 15 saves while the Cardinal lose Callie Withers to a red-card in the 82nd minute (after reacting to a foul by pushing down an ND player) … the regulation goals come on similar sequences, with ND’s Amy Warner one-touching her score off a pass from Ashley Dryer in the 35th minute while Kelly Carlson and Celine DeLeon set up a Marcia Wallis’ quick counter in the 56th minute … the game ends when an Anne Makinen pass springs Warner down the right flank … her low cross is swept away near the right post but the ball deflects off a Stanford player angling back on the play (sliding inside the post with 0:18 left in the first OT).

2001 – A 16-yard crossing shot from Marcia Wallis provides the game’s only scoring in the 81st minute, as top-ranked Stanford edges #15 ND in the NCAA round of 16, with a Maloney Field-record 2,629 looking on … ND All-American Candace Chapman is lost midway through the first half due to a knee injury while Stanford finishes with a narrow 6-5 edge in shots on goal (19-6 in total shots).

VS. THE PAC-10 – Notre Dame owns a 9-3-0 all-time record vs. Pac-10 schools, with all but one of those games coming vs. Stanford (4-3-0) or Washington (4-0-0) – plus the 8-0 win over UCLA in the 1997 NCAA quarterfinals … Randy Waldrum’s career as a women’s soccer coach includes a 4-4-2 record vs. the Pac-10 (2-1 vs. Stanford, 1-1 vs. UW, 0-1-1 vs. UCLA, 0-1 vs. USC, 0-0-1 vs. Cal and 1-0 vs. Oregon.

FRIEND OR FOE? (part I) – Several Notre Dame and Stanford players are former teammates or opponents … ND sophomore G Erika Bohn was a teammate of Stanford G Nicole Barnhart with the Olympic Developmental Region I team that toured Europe in 2000 … Bohn also played club soccer with Stanford junior M Amy Grady …ND senior F Amanda Guertin and former Stanford D Katherine Harrington (’03) were teammates on the Texas Image club team … Guertin also played on ODP with teams with current Stanford senior D Allison Pabon … ND junior F Mary Boland and sophomore M Annie Schefter are products of the U.S. Under-19 national-team program, as are the following Stanford players: sophomore D Haley Hunt, junior F Natalie Sanderson and freshman D/M Nicole Buehler … Boland also has played in the national-team program with Stanford sophomore F Jennifer Farenbaugh while Schefter played with Farenbaugh and two other Stanford players (sophomore M Leah Tapscott and sophomore D Lindsey Hunt) in the ODP Region IV program … ND freshman D Christie Shaner earlier was a teammate of Farenbaugh and the Hunt sisters on the U.S. under-16 and u-17 national teams … two injured players – ND senior M Randi Scheller and Stanford senior F Marcie Ward – were on the U.S. Under-18 national team.

PLAYING THE BEST – ND has played some of its best soccer vs. ranked opponents, with a 21-10-2 record vs. ranked teams in the Waldrum era (since ’99) … that trend held true in 2001 (5-1-0): 2-1 vs. Penn St., 2-0 vs. Hartford, 2-1 vs. WVU, 3-0 vs. Miami, 0-3 at UConn, 2-1 vs. Michigan … the Irish then posted 2002 wins over #25 Maryland (5-2), #8 UConn (3-1) and #13 Michigan (1-0) … over the course of the 2001 and ’02 seasons, ND owned a 9-6-0 record vs. NSCAA top-25 teams (21-5-1 vs. unranked teams).

ON THE OPPONENT’S FIELD – Notre Dame has posted some noteworthy wins on the road during the past two seasons (8-3-0), with the high points including a pair of wins at the 2000 Portland Classic (5-0 vs. Washington, 1-0 vs. the Pilots), 2002 wins at Maryland, Michigan and Boston College (plus vs. Hartford, at Maryland) and the 2003 season-opening wins over Hartford and Wake Forest (at the UConn Classic).

THEY KNOW THE WAY TO SAN JOSE – The SCU Classic will mark ND’s sixth and seventh games in the Bay Area during the past five seasons, with those games including the 1999 (runner-up) and 2000 NCAA College Cups (held at San Jose’s Spartan Stadium) … the Irish actually were slated to play a pair games in the San Jose area during the 2001 season (at Santa Clara and Stanford) but those games were cancelled after the Sept. 11 national tragedy … last year’s Stanford game (1-0 loss) marked the 6th time that ND has played an NCAA game in the Bay Area, with the others including: at Santa Clara in the 1996 semifinals (3-2 vs. Portland) and the title game vs. UNC (0-1 vs. UNC, in OT), the 1999 final weekend at Spartan Stadium (1-0 vs. SCU, 0-2 vs. UNC), and the 2002 semifinals (1-2 vs. UNC).

ND ALL-TIME IN CALIFORNIA – Notre Dame owns a 4-7-0 all-time record in games played in the state of California (all in the Bay Area) … in addition to the NCAA games in the above note, the other five games include: the ’93 Stanford tournament (1-3 vs. Stanford, 4-0 vs. Santa Clara), the ’96 SCU tournament (4-0 vs. Stanford, 1-3 vs. SCU) and a 4-2 loss at SCU in ’99.

GOING BACK TO CALI: Notre Dame’s widespread player roster includes one player from Northern California – sophomore D Miranda Ford – plus a Southern California native in junior M/D Sarah Halpenny (Glendale/Immaculate Heart HS) … ND’s all-time roster includes more players from California (20) than any other state, led by some of the top players in the program’s history:

* G LaKeysia Beene (Gold River), played with San Jose CyberRays and U.S. National Team

* M Shannon Boxx (Torrance), top player with WUSA’s San Diego Spirit, N.Y. Power’s ’03 MVP and member of U.S. World Cup squad, also first-year assistant at Cal State Dominguez Hills

* M Cindy Daws (Northridge), the 1996 national college player of the year

* F Monica Gerardo (Simi Valley), played two-plus seasons with WUSA’s Washington Freedom, now an assistant at University of Pittsburgh

* F Rosella Guerrero (Sacramento), clutch goalscorer and one of senior leaders of ’95 NCAA title team

* G Michelle Lodyga (Mission Viejo), one of early leaders of Irish program

* G Jen Renola (Los Gatos), shutouts in all four 1995 NCAA games, NSCAA ’96 player of the year, now an assistant at Texas

* D Ashley Scharff (Danville), starter on back line for ’95 NCAA champs

Four of the above players – Guerrero, Daws, Renola and Beene – earned All-America honors with the Irish.

CYBER RAYS STARS – Two key former starters with the WUSA’s San Jose CyberRays – G LaKeysia Beene and D Kelly Lindsey (now an assistant coach at the University of Colorado) – were teammates at Notre Dame in the late 1990s … both ended their college careers in the College Cup at Spartan Stadium (Beene in 1999, Lindsey in 2000).

NCAA STAT LEADERS

Notre Dame – 3rd in goals per game (4.50), 21st in goals-against avg. (0.50), one of 13 teams without a loss or tie

Sr. F Amy Warner – 8th in total points (16) and tied for 2nd in assists (6)

Jr. F Mary Boland – 15th in goals per game (1.00; 6 total) and 21st in points per game (2.33)

So. G Erika Bohn – 24th in GAA (0.55)

Stanford – 30th in team GAA (0.60)

Santa Clara – 14th in goals per game (3.17)

INJURY WOES CONTINUE – ND’s ’02 season was hampered by injuries to several top players (totaling 64 games missed, plus 35 thus far in ’03 for a total of 99) … the Irish now must play the ’03 season minus two top players – as junior All-America D Candace Chapman suffered a torn ACL knee injury while training with the Canadian National Team (in preparation for the World Cup) while senior M Randi Scheller is underwent preseason hip surgery … four others – junior starting central D Gudrun Gunnarsdottir (broken arm in all-tournament effort at UConn Classic), sophomore M Jenny Walz (ACL), freshman D Kari Kennedy (foot) and junior D Kate Tulisiak (back) – are nearing their respective returns after being sidelined for several weeks while veteran D Vanessa Pruzinsky (ankle) made a full-time return at the ND Classic … Scheller will have the option to apply for a 5th year of eligibility in ’04, as will central D Melissa Tancredi (she missed ’00 with an ACL injury) … Pruzinsky is a current 5th-year player (out most of ’02 with ankle injury) while Chapman will be a senior in ’04 and then have her own option at a 5th year in ’05 … here is the updated injury report:

Candace Chapman (Jr., D) … torn ACL while training with Canada for World Cup (out for year)

Randi Scheller (Sr., M) … hip capsule surgery in late Aug. (out for year)

Gudrun Gunnarsdottir (Jr., D) … broken arm at UConn Classic (missed last four games, could return this week)

Jenny Walz (So., M) … rehabbing from ACL knee surgery (could return mid-season)

Kari Kennedy (Fr., D) … preseason foot injury (could return next week)

Kate Tulisiak (Jr., D) … nagging back injury (out indefinitely)

ND-SCU SERIES QUICK NOTES – ND owns a 4-3-0 series record vs. Santa Clara (3-1 at home, 2-0 in NCAAs) … the teams played regular-season games in ’99 (4-2 SCU win) and ’00 (6-1 ND win, at Keybank Classic), with the Irish winning rematches in the NCAAs (1-0 in ’99 semifinal, 2-1 in OT of 2000 quarterfinal, thanks to Meotis Erikson goal, assisted by then-freshmen/current seniors Randi Scheller and Amanda Guertin) … other meetings include ND’s 1-0 home win in ’95, SCU’s 3-1 home win in ’96 and SCU’s 4-0 win at the ’02 ND Classic (scoreless 1st half).

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REUNION – The ND-SCU game will feature several players who competed in the 2002 Under-19 World Championship … the exciting tournament was capped by a 1-0 U.S. win over Canada in the title game, with 47,000 fans in attendance at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium … current ND sophomore F Katie Thorlakson was a key playmaker for Canada while current ND junior D Candace Chapman (out for ’03 with ACL injury) was named all-tournament, playing mostly right back with Canada while also shifting into the central midfield … three current SCU juniors – forwards Leslie Osborne and Megan Kahadelas and D Jessica Ballweg – played for the U.S. squad that racked up a 26-2 scoring edge … current ND sophomore M Annie Schefter was on track to be a starter for the U.S. team but was sidelined with a season-ending ACL knee injury in late July of 2002.

BOHN ON A ROLL – Sophomore G Erika Bohn (Brookfield, Conn.) is 17-2 in her last 19 starts with the Irish (15-1 in last 16), allowing just 13 goals in that 19-game stretch (with 8 shutouts and 10 games with 1 GA) … her only losses in that stretch include: a 3-2 game vs. BYU that included a fluke goal (after a clearance deflected off the referee) and a rare late-game PK to break the 2-2 tie; and the season-ending loss at top-ranked Stanford, with the game’s only goal coming in the 81st minute as Bohn logged possibly her top all-around game of the ’02 season … Bohn now has logged 16 consecutive games with the Irish (11 fall, 5 spring) without allowing multiple goals (last vs. BYU on Oct. 19, 2002).

MAGIC NUMBERS – The three-goal mark has been virtually an automatic win in the program’s history, with the Irish now owning a 192-3-1 all-time record (.982) when scoring three-plus, with losses to N.C. State in the ’92 opener (4-3), to UConn in ’95 (5-4, OT) and at Georgetown in ’02 (4-3), plus a 3-3 tie vs. Vanderbilt in ’91… the Irish had won 88 straight when scoring 3-plus, before the GU loss (now 96-1-0 since Oct. 6, 1995) … ND also is 262-8-10 (.954) in all-time games when holding the opponent to 0-1 goals, including tough 1-0 losses last season to eventual NCAA champ Portland and top-ranked Stanford … prior to the Portland loss, the Irish had been 56-0-3 in the previous 59 games when allowing 0-1 GA (dating back to 1-0 loss to SMU in ’99, with ND playing minus Finnish national teamer Anne Makinen in that game) … the ND women’s soccer program’s 16-year history includes just 279 goals allowed in 348 games (0.80 GA per game) … the Irish have allowed more than one goal in only 68 all-time games (20%) and have yielded 3-plus goals in just 32 all-time games (9.2%; including two 6-goal games by the opponent, four 5-goal and six 4-goal) … 90% of ND’s all-time games have seen the Irish hold the opponent to 0-2 goals (ND is just 4-27-1 all-time when allowing 3-plus).

GOING THE DISTANCE – ND is unbeaten in its last 13 overtime games (10-0-3), since the 3-2, double-OT loss to UNC in the ’99 opener … that team went on to post a 2-1, double-OT win at UConn and played to a 1-1 tie at Nebraska in the NCAA quarter’s (adv. on PKs) … the 2000 team had OT wins over Stanford, at West Virginia and vs. Santa Clara in the NCAA quarter’s (all 2-1), also playing to 0-0 at UConn … ’01 featured an unprecedented five OT games (2-1 vs. Indiana, Villanova, WVU and Michigan; 2-2 vs. Wisconsin) while the ’02 team added 1-0 OT wins over Rutgers and BC.

OT MASTERS – Senior Amanda Guertin holds the ND record for career OT goals (3), with her classmate Amy Warner and ’96 national player of the year Cindy Daws ranking second with two (including Daws’ goal vs. Portland in the ’95 NCAA title game) … Guertin (3G-2A) owns eight career points in OT, followed by Warner (6; 2G-2A) … Guertin’s other OT goals came at WVU in 2000 and at home vs. WVU in ’01 (both 2-1) … in addition to her double-OT goal on Sept. 20, 2002, vs. Rutgers (1-0), Warner scored in OT vs. Villanova (’01) and had the primary assist on Kelly Tulisiak’s OT goal in ’01 vs. Indiana (both 2-1) … she also had the cross that produced an OT own-goal to beat Stanford in ’00 and assisted on Guertin’s OT goal in ’02 at BC (1-0), playing a key role in five of ND’s last nine OT goals (Guertin on five of the last eight).

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky in May 2003 became the third chemical engineering major (and first since ’74) to graduate from ND with a 4.0 cumulative GPA … Pruzinsky is a two-time Academic All-American, with ND’s other top candidates for that award in ’03 including junior F/M Mary Boland (3.87, psychology), sophomore M/D Annie Schefter (3.67, College of Science) and sophomore G Erika Bohn (3.67, College of Business).

HEAD COACH Randy Waldrum: The Irish are 80-16-3 (.823) in the tenure of head coach Randy Waldrum (since ’99), including a 69-13-3 mark in the last 85 games (since losing 4-2 at SCU on Oct. 17, 1999) … Waldrum’s ND record spans the career of fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky … Waldrum – who repeated as BIG EAST coach of the year in 2000 – in ’99 became the only coach in the 18-year history of the NCAA women’s soccer championship to lead a team to the title game in his first season as that team’s head coach … he was the fourth first-year coach to take his team to the NCAA semi’s, with the Irish beating top-ranked and previously unbeaten Santa Clara in their backyard of San Jose … Waldrum’s 21-plus-year record as a college head coach (with both men’s and women’s teams) is 263-121-22 (.675) … he owns a 187-66-15 (.726) record in 12-plus seasons as a Division I women’s coach, including 61-36-9 in six years at Tulsa (.580) and 46-14-3 in three seasons at Baylor … Waldrum entered 2003 ranked seventh among active women’s coaches for career winning percentage (min. 10 Div. I seasons).

NOTES FROM 5-0 WIN OVER WESTERN KENTUCKY (Sept. 13)

SOPHOMORE SURGE – Second-year players Annie Schefter (who added an assist) and Katie Thorlakson both scored twice while senior Amy Warner had a part in three of the Irish goals to complete ND’s sixth win of the season.

RECHARGED – Notre Dame broke open the game with a three-goal flurry to start the second half, sparked by the insertion of Thorlakson and fellow forward Maggie Manning …Thorlakson headed in a cross from Manning for the 3-0 lead and knocked home a thru-ball from Warner moments later before being taken down in the box to set up Schefter’s penalty-kick score – as the Irish turned a 2-0 game into a 5-0 runaway in the span of just three minutes and 33 seconds.

BOUNCING BACK – The Irish avoided the second-game letdown that has plagued the team in recent years, with ND actually playing at a considerably higher level in the win over WKU than in the 2-0 win at St. John’s two days earlier … ND went just 4-4-0 (outscored 14-12) in the ’02 regular season when playing two days after a previous game but the Irish have turned the tables this season, with a 13-1 scoring edge in second-game situations.

NO GOALS ALLOWED – Since yielding an early goal to ASU on Sept. 5, the ND defense has allowed just one goal in its last 350 minutes of action.

STAT UPDATE – The surging ND offensive continues to deliver with great efficiency, scoring once per every 4.5 shots (compared to once every 7.3 shots in ’02) … the Irish also are averaging 4.5 goals per game (2.2 in ’02) … updated season stats include a 121-39 shot edge (20-6 avg.), a 68-20 edge in shots on target (11-3 avg.) and a 37-13 corner-kick edge (6-2 avg.).

6-0 STARTS – The ’03 squad is the seventh ND team to win its first six games (also ’93-’97, ’00) while the 27 goals represent the 4th-most ever scored by an Irish team at the six-game point, trailing only the potent 1996 squad (37), the ’93 team (31) and the ’95 national-title unit (31).

SERIES OPENER NOTES – Since ’93, ND now it 34-3-1 vs. teams making their first visit to Alumni Field … the Irish also improved to 66-25-2 in all-time series openers (33-5 since ’93) and 46-8-0 in series openers played at home (19-3 since ’93) …

(see PDF for all linescores in game-by-game notes)

IRISH OPEN BIG EAST PLAY WITH 2-0 WIN AT SJU – Seniors Amy Warner and Amanda Guertin registered second-half goals as ND won a BIG EAST cross-divisional game at SJU … sophomore Katie Thorlakson set up the first goal, on a back pass to the top of the box … Warner ripped a crossing shot from the left side, with the ball ticking off the fingertips of ‘keeper Tracy Rollins for Warner’s 31st career goal (50:58) … Guertin notched her 41st career goal in the closing moments, after a counter-attack … sophomore Maggie Manning sent the ball to Guertin, who moved to the top of the box and chipped a shot over Rollins (89:28) … the Irish finished with an 18-6 overall shot advantage (10-2 in shots on target) while attempting seven corner kicks to SJU’s two … Warner’s goal was the 10th gamewinner of her career, joining Guertin (16) as one of nine ND players ever to register double-digit GWGs.

NOTES FROM 3-1 WIN OVER #13 ARIZONA STATE (SEPT. 5)

QUICK REGROUPING – Notre Dame endured an early onslaught from ASU at the ND Classic, yielding an early 1-0 lead before turning its game up a notch for the victory.

HOME SWEET HOME – ND improved to 13-1 in its last 14 home openers, thanks once again to the stellar play of junior F Mary Boland, who scored the first two Irish goals.

BOLAND BUSTS OUT – Mary Boland’s fast start placed her in rarified air on a number of fronts, including the ND record for most goals in the first three games of a season (6) … her early goals included a hat trick vs. Hartford, a fourth goal vs. Wake and 2G vs. ASU.

GOALSCORING NOTES – Freshman M Jen Buczkowski continued to play well beyond her years with another strong display of ball control and playmaking, setting up a pair of goal (by Mary Boland and Amy Warner) with well-placed long balls … Warner’s goal was 30th of her Notre Dame career, becoming the 15th all-time ND player with 30-plus.

BOHN HOLDS THE FORT – Sophomore G Erika Bohn totaled four saves, the biggest on a penalty-kick stop with the score still 2-1 in the second half … Melissa Tancredi’s breakaway tackle set up the PK but Patrice Fuelner struck the ball low and within reach of the ‘keeper … Bohn hesitated for a split-second and was able to extend for the diving stop to her left, preserving the lead in the 61st minute.

THREE-GAME FLURRY – Notre Dame’s 15 goals in the first three games of the ’03 season marked the best early-season production by the Irish since the 1998 squad opened with 20 goals after wins over Michigan State (4-0), West Virginia (7-0) and Pittsburgh (9-1) – with the Irish facing a much stiffer slate in ’03 (Hartford, Wake Forest and ASU all were NCAA Tournament teams in ’02).

THE FULL 90 – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky, who had not played a complete game since the final game of ’01 (due to a nagging ankle injury), logged 90 minutes vs. ASU and saved the Irish several times from the early onslaught, while playing outside back.

NOTES FROM 5-1 WIN OVER OKLAHOMA (SEPT. 7)

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES – With the wins over ASU and OU, the Irish improved to 17-3-2 in all-time home tournaments, with 2002 losses to defending NCAA champ Santa Clara and eventual ’02 NCAA champ Portland.

SCORING SURGE – The 2003 squad became the fifth ND team ever to register three-plus goals in each of its first four games (also in ’93, ’96 and ’98) while the 20-3 scoring edge in the first four games compares with the fast starts by previous Irish teams in ’93 (24-2), ’95 (24-0), ’96 (23-1) and ’98 (23-1; previous ND team with 20-plus goals in first four) … the last time an ND team posted three-plus goals in four straight games came in the ’99 postseason, vs. Miami (5-0), Seton Hall (5-0), UConn (4-2) and Dayton (5-1).

BUCZKOWSKI GETS BIG HONORS – Freshman M Jen Buczkowski (Elk Grove, Ill.) took home four awards, earning ND Classic Offensive MVP and BIG EAST rookie of the week while being one of 11 players named to national player-of-the-week teams by Soccer America and Soccer Buzz … Buczkowski totaled 2G-3A in the ND Classic while running the offense with the poise of a veteran.

PRUZSINKY DELIVERS IN FULL-TIME RETURN – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky (Trumbull, Conn.) returned full-time to the lineup after a lengthy ankle injury and was the most consistent performer for the injury-riddled defense, earning defensive MVP honors at the ND Classic for the second time in her career (also ’01) … she led the way for an Irish defense that held ASU and OU to a combined 15 shots (only six on target) and four corner kicks.

GUERTIN NOTCHES 40th GOAL, 16th GAMEWINNER – Crisp passing from Jen Buczkowski and Amy Warner led to a 10-yard tap-in for senior F Amanda Guertin, yielding a 2-0 lead on OU … Guertin became the 11th ND player to reach the 40-goal milestone and the score ended up as the game-winning goal, tying her with three previous players for third in the ND record book with 16 career GWGs.

SCHEFTER PICKS UP MORE POINTS – Sophomore M Annie Schefter – who started at central D in the ASU game – returned to the midfield vs. OU and had a hand in the final two goals … she scored her first official goal with the Irish on a 20-yard free kick from the top of the box, drilling a low, rising shot inside the left post … Schefter later picked up her second corner-kick assist of the season, with freshman Molly Iarocci nudging home the cross from the leftside flag.

ALL-TOURNAMENT PICKS – The six Irish players named to the ND Classic all-tournament team: freshman M Jen Buczkowski (2G-3A; offensive MVP), senior D Vanessa Pruzinsky (def. MVP) and senior F Amy Warner (1G-1A), plus freshman D Kim Lorenzen (strong play both outside and centrally), junior F Mary Boland (scored first two goals vs. ASU) and sophomore G Erika Bohn (2 GA, saved PK vs. ASU) … ASU’s all-tournament players included sophomore M Brittany Cooper, sophomore D Stephanie Ebner and senior D Amy LePeilbet … Rutgers freshman Robyn Jones received the top goalkeeper award and was joined on the all-tournament team by junior M Carli Lloyd … OU sophomore M Lauren MacIver rounded out the all-tournament team.

NOTES FROM 9-1 OPENING WIN OVER HARTFORD (Aug. 29)

HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING – Notre Dame, despite not playing preseason exhibitions (instead opting for 20 regular-season dates) headed into ’03 minus three injured starters and two other regulars sidelined with injuries … the result? – one of the most dominating games in the program’s history, a 9-1 dismantling of an historically-strong Hartford squad at the UConn Classic.

NEARLY DOUBLE DIGITS – The nine goals equal the second-most by the Irish in the five-year Randy Waldrum era and most since a 9-2 win at Wisconsin in ’99 (with a 10-0 win over Georgetown earlier that season) … just two of the previous 15 ND women’s soccer teams have turned in a more dominating opener, in ’93 (12-0 at LaSalle) and ’96 (14-0 at Providence) … the 9-goal outburst trails just 15 double-digit scoring games in the program’s history.

NEW-LOOK LINEUP – The Irish started three freshmen and a sophomore, M Annie Schefter, who missed all of the ’02 season due to injury (other starters included three seniors, two juniors and two other sophomores) … the lineup included just six who started the final game of ’02, with two – junior F Mary Boland and senior M Kim Carpenter – occupying different positions than in that ’02 NCAA third-round game at Stanford (others who started that game were senior F Amy Warner, sophomore F Katie Thorlakson, senior central D Melissa Tancredi and sophomore G Erika Bohn) … Schefter was one of several “newcomers” who had an impressive debut, energizing the midfield along with the addition of freshman Jen Buczkowski … Schefter looped a shot on goal that was nudged in by Carpenter before assisting on Boland’s third goal with a well-placed rightside corner kick.

OPENER SUCCESS – Notre Dame improved to 10-1-0 in its last 11 season openers (14-2-0 overall), including four straight opening wins since dropping a heartbreaker in 1999 to top-ranked North Carolina (3-2 in double -OT).

SKILLS SHOWCASE – The bulk of the Irish goals were the result of skilled play from several players, showcasing the tremendous technical ability of a potent team that now is slated to return 24 of its 28 players in ’04 … the ND forwards set the tone with stifling pressure that kept Hartford on its heels throughout the game while the midfield dominated their counterparts with crisp distribution … in the back, senior Melissa Tancredi and junior Gudrun Gunnarsdottir showed composure on the ball and top-level ball skills that are rarely seen with a pair of central backs on the college level – while freshmen Kim Lorenzen (rightside starter), Christie Shaner (leftside starter) and Lizzie Reed (reserve) each logged solid debuts at outside back.

FIRST-HALF FLURRY – ND totaled just 12 first-half goals in all of the 2002 season but erupted for five in the first 45:00 vs. Hartford (on just seven shots) … the Irish wasted little time displaying their impressive interplay and pinpoint passing, with a five-player combination sequence yielding the first goal in the 7th minute … junior Mary Boland started at forward and made an immediate impact, scoring the first two Irish goals and adding a third in the second half (for her first career hat trick), in addition to threading a perfect thru-pass that sprung senior F Amanda Guertin for the 5-1 halftime cushion … the Irish nearly reached a double-digit goal total … ND’s constant pressure also was evidenced in the 10 offside calls that went against the Irish.

NOTES FROM 3-0 WIN OVER WAKE FOREST (Aug. 31)

FIRST FOR THE ROOKIES – Midfielder Jill Krivacek opened the scoring 0:26 before halftime, becoming the first member of the freshman class to find the net … senior F Amy Warner set the sequence in motion on a pass to freshman M Jen Buczkowski … the rookie playmaker then quickly moved the ball down the left endline and slid a pass to her former club and ODP teammate, with Krivacek roofing a close-range shot that ripped into the upper-left topnetting.

NINE-POINT WEEKEND – Junior F Mary Boland scored in the 65th minute vs. WFU, knocking home a deflected Amanda Guertin shot to round out her nine-point showing at the UConn Classic (4G-1A).

BACK-TO-BACK – The 12 goals scored at the UConn Classic are the most by an ND team in back-to-back games since the first year of the Randy Waldrum era, when his ’99 team scored 16 in wins over Miami (7-1) and Wisconsin (9-2) … the 2002 team totaled just 10 goals in its first five games and averaged just 2.2 goals for all of ’02 (46G in 21 games).

VS. THE ACC – The Irish are 11-0-1 in their last 12 games vs. Atlantic Coast Conference teams other than perennial power North Carolina, with two wins and two ties vs. UNC in that 12-year stretch (dating back to ’92) … that run vs. the ACC includes a 6-0-1 mark vs. Duke, 2-0-0 vs. both WFU and Maryland and a win over N.C. State.

BOUNCE BACK – The win over WFU could signal a new trend for an ND program that has met with mixed results when playing the second day of a weekend, going just 4-4 in the ’02 regular season when playing two days after a previous game.

ALL-TOURNAMENT PICKS – Four Notre Dame players were named to the UConn Classic all-tournament team: sophomore G Erika Bohn, junior F Mary Boland, junior D Gudrun Gunnarsdottir and senior F Amy Warner.

TOURNAMENT-TESTED – Notre Dame owns an 80-23-6 all-time record (.762) in tournament action, including 34-13-5 in regular-season tournaments, 22-0-0 in conference tournaments and 24-10-1 in the NCAAs … beginning in 1994 (which ended with an NCAA runner-up finish), ND owns a 25-6-3 record in regular-season tournaments – with 17 of those wins vs. ranked teams … since ’94, the Irish have lost just six regular-season tournament games: vs. UNC twice (2-0 in ’95, in Houston; 3-2 at the ’99 KBC), vs. SCU in ’96 (3-1, at Duke), vs. SMU in ’99 (1-0; in Klein, Texas, minus star player Anne Makinen and ’02 games vs. the potent duo of SCU and Portland … ND’s impressive showing on the road in regular-season tournaments recently has included a pair of wins at the 2000 Portland Invitational (5-0 vs. Washington and 1-0 vs. Portland, elevating ND to No. 1), 2002 wins at the Fila Classic vs. Hartford (2-1) and host Maryland (5-2) and the 2003 opening wins over Hartford (9-1) and Wake Forest (3-0) at the UConn Classic … ND was slated to play at SCU’s ’01 tournament (vs. the Broncos and Stanford) but the event was canceled due to the 9/11 tragedy.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK DELUXE – Junior F Mary Boland (Hudson, Ohio) was named BIG EAST offensive player of the week, after totaling 4G-1A in wins over Hartford and Wake Forest at the UConn Classic … Boland became the first women’s soccer player ever to be named BIG EAST offensive and defensive player of the week in her career, earning the defensive honor in ’02 … Boland scored twice to open the scoring in the 9-1 win over Hartford and later one-timed a corner-kick deflection to complete her first hat trick with the Irish … she also sent a perfect thru-ball that split two defenders and led to an Amanda Guertin goal in the win over the Hawks, completing her seven-point game … two days later, Boland scored the key second goal midway through the second half of the 3-0 win over Wake Forest (she also had an unofficial assist on a lead pass that sprung Amy Warner for the final goal vs. WFU) … as a sophomore, Boland played a key defensive midfielder role in a 1-0 overtime win over Rutgers and scored on a diving header two days later to beat Seton Hall (1-0), en route to BIG EAST defensive player-of-the-week honors.

HAT TRICK OPENERS – Mary Boland is the fifth ND player ever to register a hat trick in a season opener and now has scored in all three openers of her Irish career (including ND’s first goal of the season in ’01 and ’03), with a diving header to open the scoring in the ’01 win over Penn State (2-1) and the final goal in the ’02 win at Providence (3-0) … previous Irish players with hat tricks in openers include Rosella Guerrero as a freshman vs. N.C. State in ’92 (4-3 loss), Guerrero and then-sophomore Michelle McCarthy in ’93 at LaSalle (12-0 win) and then-senior Amy Van Laecke and then-sophomore Monica Gerardo in ’96 at Providence (14-0).

SEVEN-POINT START – Mary Boland’s seven points in the opener vs. Hartford (3G-1A) are the most points by a Notre Dame player since Jenny Streiffer also had 3G-1A vs. Miami on Oct. 1, 1999, in the first year of the Randy Waldrum era … Streiffer also holds the ND record for points in a game, with nine (3G-3A) in the 1996 win over Providence (14-0).

HEADS OF THE CLASS – Notre Dame has plenty of quality options in the air, led by senior central D Melissa Tancredi (5 of 8 career goals on CK headers, including all four in ’02) … junior Mary Boland also has converted several header goals in her career while 5-10 freshman defensive M Jill Krivacek could emerge as a devastating presence in the air (her classmate, central D Christie Shaner, also is noted for her play in the air) … senior F Amanda Guertin’s pinpoint corner kicks and free kicks could find the heads of the above players with regularity in 2003 (nine of her 11 assists in ’02 came on set pieces, including eight on CKs).

PRUZINSKY, BOHN HAVE TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO NUTMEG STATE – Two of ND’s top players – fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky (Trumbull HS; Weston Wild Things) and sophomore G Erika Bohn (Brookfield HS; Yankee United Rage) – are Connecticut natives who helped the Irish go 2-0 at the UConn Classic, with Bohn’s family recently moving to Rutland, Vt. … Pruzinsky in 2001 became the second ND student-athlete ever named first team Academic All-America as a sophomore and junior but was not eligible for that honor in ’02 due to her season-ending ankle injury (she was the ’02 preseason BIG EAST player of the year and in the mix at that time for a spot on the U.S. under-21 team) … she went on to become the third chemical engineering major (first since ’74) to graduate from Notre Dame with a 4.0 cumulative GPA … Pruzinsky was the NSCAA national player of the year after her senior season at Trumbull HS, led Trumbull to three state titles ( 65-8-3 four-year record) and helped the Weston Wild Things win the ’98 national title … her 20-0 senior-year team at Trumbull did not allow a goal while she finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer (79G-59A), playing as a forward … Bohn had a solid debut season with the Irish (1.28 GAA), finishing strong with just 8 GA allowed in the final seven games (one on a PK) and totaling 14 games with 0-1 GA (she then allowed just 2G in five 2003 spring games) … she posted a 0.68 GAA and 41 shutouts in her Brookfield career (state runner-up in ’99 and ’01), also scoring 16 goals as a free-kick and PK specialist … Bohn also helped the Yankee United Rage win five state titles.

FRESHMAN CLASS RANKED AMONG BEST IN NATION – Soccer America rated Notre Dame’s current 10-player freshman class as the fifth-best group of incoming recruits, behind Santa Clara, UCLA, Texas and Portland … Jen Buczkowski (Elk Grove, Ill.) was No. 6 on the list of top individual recruits (second among midfielders, behind Nebraska’s Brittany Timko, who is No. 2 overall) … Notre Dame D Christie Shaner (Ambler, Pa.) is No. 22 on that list, making the Irish one of seven schools with multiple players on that top-25 list … M/D Lizzie Reed (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) joins the above two players as ND freshmen who were prep All-Americans.

PRIMETIME PLAYERS – Notre Dame went 24-8-1 during the previous three seasons (’00-’02) when facing an NSCAA ranked team and/or when playing in the postseason, with a 69-33 scoring edge in those 33 “big games” … senior F Amanda Guertin has racked up 50 points in those big games (20G-10A) … her classmate Amy Warner owns 8G-5A vs. ranked or postseason opponents (she missed half of the 2000 season due to injury).

ALUMNI UPDATE – Several former Notre Dame women’s soccer players have been in the news during recent weeks:

* D Kate Sobrero (’98) and M Shannon Boxx (’99) were named to the 18-player U.S. National Team roster that will compete in the upcoming World Cup (Sept. 23-Oct. 12) … Sobrero also played for the U.S. team that won the 1999 World Cup and was on the 2000 Olympic team … Boxx was the surprise of the roster, with no previous National Team experience but an impressive 2003 season in the WUSA.

* Sobrero and Boxx were two of five former ND players who played in the Women’s United Soccer Association 2003 all-star game, with others including Washington Freedom D Jen Grubb (’00), Boston D Monica Gonzalez (’02) and San Jose CyberRays G LaKeysia Beene (’00) … Sobrero and Gonzalez helped Boston win the WUSA regular-season title while Grubb – who has not missed a single minute of action in the first three WUSA season – captained the Freedom to the 2003 WUSA Founders Cup title after a 2-1 overtime win over the Atlanta Beat … four other ND alums played in the WUSA during the 2003 season: M Anne Makinen (’01; Philadelphia Charge), D Lindsey Jones (’02; N.Y. Power), D Kelly Lindsey (’01; San Jose) and M Monica Gerardo (’99; Washington).

* Three of the above players recently became college assistants: Gerardo at University of Pittsburgh (where former ND assistant Sue-Moy Chin is the first-year head coach), Lindsey at the University of Colorado and Boxx at Cal State Dominguez Hills … Boxx also is enrolled in graduate school at Pepperdine and is one of several former ND players who are set to be married in coming months (as are Sobrero and former midfield great Holly Manthei).

SCORING BOOST – The Irish headed into ’03 looking for increased goal production, with several “newcomers” among top candidates to provide that boost: sophomore M/D Annie Schefter (dnp in ’02; 47G as prep senior at West Valley, Wash., HS), freshman midfielders Jen Buczkowski (69G in three seasons at Elk Grove, Ill., HS) and Jill Krivacek (set Rosary HS record with 78G in career), and freshman D/M Lizzie Reed (2nd in Ramapo, N.J., Regional HS history with 126 career goals) … junior F Mary Boland (Hudson, Ohio) also has emerged as a goalscoring boost (6G in first six games), nearly matching her combined total from ’01 and ’02 (7G, after totaling 27 as a senior at Hudson HS).

FAR AND WIDE – Notre Dame’s 2003 roster includes players from 14 states, two Canadian provinces (British Columbia and Ontario) and Iceland … the states on the ’03 roster touch all corners of the nation: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.

HAT TRICKERY – Amy Warner’s 3G at Georgetown (9/29/02) made her the 13th ND player ever to post multiple hat tricks (also vs. Providence on 9/3/00- earliest ever by an ND freshman) … 10 previous ND players have three-plus hat tricks, led by Jenny Heft’s six (’96-’99) and five each from Rosella Guerrero (’92-’95) and Monica Gerardo (’95-’98).

FIRST-HALF FORTRESS – Notre Dame did not allow a 1st-half goal in its first nine games of ’02, with the next five producing eight 1st-half goals by the opposition (2 by Georgetown and WVU, 3 by Purdue, 1 by UConn) – followed by just two in the final seven games … ND (12) and its opponents (10) combined for just 22 first-half goals in 2002, compared to more than twice as many (49) in the 2nd half (32 by ND, 19 by opp.) … the Irish allowed opponents an average of just 3.9 shots and 1.6 CKs in the first half of 2002 games… the Irish also were stingy in the first half during 2001 (seven 1st-half GA in 20 games) and own a 14-3 first-half scoring edge in 2003 (13-0 in the second half) … spanning the 2001-03 seasons, ND has allowed just 20 first-half goals in 48 games (0.42/gm; with 28 GA in the second half).

LIGHTING THE SPARK – Current sophomore F Katie Thorlakson – a key part of Canada’s attack in the 2002 U-19 World Championship and the ’03 Pan Am Games – experienced an offensive breakthrough in the second half of her freshman season (’02), scoring to tie the game in the 3-1 comeback vs. #8 UConn, adding the goal that forged a 1-1 tie vs. BYU (3-2 loss), posting 1G-1A in the 6-0 win over Syracuse and scoring the GWG vs. Ohio State in the NCAAs (she also had the thru-ball that sprung Amanda Guertin for the first goal in the NCAA win over Purdue) … all four of Thorlakson’s goals as a freshman (and two of three assists) came in the final eight games of ’02, coinciding with her full-time move to forward … Thorlakson had another scoring burst in last week’s pair of wins (totaling 2G-1A), after just 1A in the first four games.

PUNCHING THE CLOCK – Three Notre Dame seniors entered the 2003 season riding streaks of nearly 40-plus consecutive starts … Amanda Guertin has played in all 73 games of her ND career (67 starts), with starts in 36 straight before coming off the bench in the ’03 opener vs. Hartford … fellow F Amy Warner has seen action in ND’s last 55 games, with an active streak of 49 straight starts … M Randi Scheller had started 38 straight games prior to ’03, playing in 65 of 67, but that streak has ended last week as she is sidelined for all of the ’03 season with a hip injury.

CONFERENCE CALL – ND’s all-time record in regular-season conference games is 87-7-2 (.917), including 68-7-2 (.896) in BIG EAST games (since ’95) … the Irish own a 48-1 record in all-time home games vs. BIG EAST teams, with 44 straight home BIG EAST wins since a 5-4 OT loss to UConn in ’95 (225-16 scoring edge, 30 shutouts, 13 games with 1 GA) … since joining the BIG EAST, ND’s overall record vs. BIG EAST teams (1-1-0 vs. UConn in NCAAs) is 87-8-2 (.907).

Amanda Guertin NOTES

OVER THE CENTURY MARK, FAR FROM TOP 10 – Senior Amanda Guertin’s career point total (107; 41G-25A) would rank near the top of the record book at many schools but she stands just 13th in Notre Dame history – 29 points shy of the top 10 (her 40G are three out of that top-10 list) … players ahead of Guertin include Suzie Zilvitis (112, 43G-26A, ’88-’91) and another early frontrunner, All-American Alison Lester (126, 45G-36A; ’90-’93) … the 10th spot is held down by Shannon Boxx (135, 39G-57A; ’95-’98), now a hard-nosed defensive midfielder with the WUSA’s New York Power who was a surprise addition to the 2003 U.S. World Cup roster … Guertin’s nine points in the ’02 NCAAs moved her past M Jody Hartwig (87; ’91-’94), F Amy VanLaecke (90; ’94-’96) and All-America M Tiffany Thompson (91; ’91-’94).

STREAK #1 – Amanda Guertin scored a goal in the final 10 games of 2001 – third-longest in Div. I women’s soccer history (Brandi Chastain had a 15-game goal streak for Santa Clara in ’90, Hartford’s Maria Kun an 11-game streak in ’97).

STREAK #2 – Guertin scored goals in an ND-record seven straight postseason games, spanning the 2001 and ’02 seasons (she has totaled nine goals in 15 career postseason games) … her postseason goal streak (10G-1A) included 2001 BIG EAST Tournament goals vs. St. John’s, Boston College and West Virginia, followed by NCAA Tournament games vs. Eastern Illinois (2) and Cincinnati in ’01 and then Ohio State (2) and Purdue (2) in ’02.

STREAK #3 – Guertin had points in eight straight games (7G-6A) before the 1-0 loss at Stanford in the third round of the 2002 NCAAs, after just 6G-5A in the first 12 games of ’02… her ’02 point streak broke down as follows: Purdue (G), UConn (2A), Michigan (G), BYU (A), Syracuse (2A), BC (G), Ohio State in NCAAs (2G) and Purdue in NCAAs (2G-1A).

‘TIS BETTER TO GIVE? – Despite an early-season dropoff in her 2002 goal production, Amanda Guertin emerged as one of the nation’s most dangerous playmakers in ’02 due to pinpoint corner kicks and effectiveness on other set plays … she had one-third of ND’s assists in ’02 (11 of 34), besting her combined total in ’00 and ’01 (10) … eight of Guertin’s assists in ’02 came via the CK – two each in comeback wins over #25 Maryland (5-2, to classmate Melissa Tancredi on 2nd and 4th goals) and #8 UConn (3-1, to Randi Scheller and Tancredi after 1-1 tie), two more in the 6-0 win over Syracuse (to Scheller and Mary Boland) and Tancredi’s header that capped the 3-1 NCAA win over #14 Purdue, plus the kick that produced Cat Sigler’s goal for 3-0 lead vs. Pittsburgh (4-0) … another Guertin set play (a free kick off the left post) set up Candace Chapman’s goal that opened the scoring vs. BYU (3-2 loss).

GETTING THE GWGs – Amanda Guertin continues to add clutch goals and assists to her career totals (41G-23A, in 73 GP) – with her 16 gamewinning goals already ranking third on the ND all-time list (three shy of Jenny Heft’s record) … seven of Guertin’s GWGs have come in one-goal games, including three in OT (an ND record) … nearly half of Guertin’s career goals (16 of 41, or 39%) have been gamewinners – well ahead of the others on the GWG list (see PDF for chart):

QUALITY & QUANTITY: Amanda Guertin has delivered in countless clutch situations during her ND career (see PDF for year-by-year listing):