Oct. 13, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the second time in three weeks and the sixth time in her remarkable career, senior All-America forward and Hermann Trophy candidate Kerri Hanks (Allen, Texas/Allen) is the BIG EAST Conference Offensive Player of the Week, it was announced Monday afternoon by the league office. Hanks becomes just the second multi-time recipient of the honor this season (along with Rutgers’ Caycie Gusman), although Hanks also has been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll three times in 2008. In addition, she has been named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week three times and the Soccer America National Team of the Week twice this year.
Hanks extended her current goalscoring streak to a career-high eight games and her latest point-scoring run to 10 games with penalty-kick goals in each of Notre Dame’s wins last weekend (3-1 at Georgetown, 3-2 in OT at Villanova). She opened the scoring in the GU victory with a 13th-minute strike from the penalty spot, then assisted on the game-clinching goal by freshman midfielder Courtney Barg (Plano, Texas/Plano West) in the 51st minute. Hanks capped her weekend by converting another PK in the eighth minute at Villanova, giving the Irish an early 2-0 lead while improving to 12-of-13 on penalty kicks in her career (6-of-7 this year).
For the season, Hanks continues to set a torrid pace on the NCAA and BIG EAST statistical charts, leading the conference in goals and total points for all games (14 goals, 32 points) and BIG EAST games only (8 goals, 18 points). She also ranks fifth in the nation in goals per game (1.0) and seventh in points per game (2.29).
Last weekend’s tallies also sent Hanks further up the charts in the NCAA and Notre Dame career record books. A three-time All-American and the 2006 Hermann Trophy recipient, Hanks is 10th in NCAA Division I history with a school-record 218 points (78G-62A), and she is tied for 20th all-time with 78 goals, currently sharing that spot with U.S. National Team legend (and former North Carolina standout) Kristine Lilly and UNC Greensboro’s Allie Lord. What’s more, Hanks is one of only four Division I players ever to post 70 goals and 60 assists, and she needs just two goals to catch Jenny Heft (1996-99) for the Irish career record.
In the midst of one of the best starts to a season in school history, No. 1 Notre Dame (14-0-0, 7-0-0 BIG EAST) gets back in action Friday at 3 p.m. (ET) when the Irish put their school-record 24-game regular-season winning streak and 45-game unbeaten streak against BIG EAST opponents on the line at Providence. The Irish also are seeking the 400th win in program history (dating back to the program’s inception in 1988), while 10th-year head coach Randy Waldrum is on the verge of his 200th victory at Notre Dame.
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