Sept. 11, 2005
Katie Thorlakson converted a penalty kick and added a corner-kick assist for the early 2-0 lead on Gonzaga (all photos by Pete LaFleur).
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Katie Thorlakson scored and assisted on a pair of early goals as the Notre Dame women’s soccer team jumped out to a 4-0 halftime lead before defeating Gonzaga, 4-1, in Sunday afternoon action at the Santa Clara Adidas Classic.
Notre Dame (5-1-0) – which entered the week with the nation’s No. 1 ranking before dropping a 2-1 game to 6th-ranked Santa Clara on Friday night – elected to rest many of its regulars, with four new starters in Sunday’s opening lineup while several other reserves logged significant minutes.
Freshman forward Kerri Hanks extended her nation-leading goal total to 11 while junior midfielder Jen Buczkowski and sophomore forward Amanda Cinalli also scored for the Irish. Notre Dame finished with a 16-9 edge in shots (8-3 in shots on goal) while attempting 11 of the game’s 13 corner kicks.
Thorlakson converted a penalty kick in the 13th minute for her sixth goal of the season and 43rd of her Notre Dame career, still 12th in the Irish record book but now just one behind Susie Zilvitis (12:14). Four minutes later, Thorlakson pushed her nation-leading assist total to eight with a leftside corner kick. Senior midfielder Annie Schefter struck a low header near the left side of the box and Buczkowski quickly redirected the ball with a volley inside the near-left post for the 2-0 lead (16:19). It marked Buczkowski’s first goal of the season and 13th of her three-year Notre Dame career while Thorlakson picked up her fourth corner-kick assist of the season, after totaling eight CK assists in 2004.
Kerri Hanks – the nation’s goal leader – scored for the 11th time this season in the win over the Bulldogs.
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Gonzaga (2-2-1) failed to do what only a handful of first-time opponents have managed versus the Irish in the past 12 seasons, as Notre Dame now has won nearly 90% of its series openers dating back to the 1993 season (39-5-0/.886; 71-25-2 all-time in series openers).
Jen Buczkowski scored her fifth career gamewinning goal and added an assist in Sunday’s action.
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Fifth-year right back Candace Chapman set up the third goal with a deep cross from the right flank. Hanks ran onto the ball near the top of the box and quickly turned to her right before squeezing off a shot that went into the far-left side of the net (32:14).
The final Irish goal came three minutes later, with Buczkowski weaving her way through the midfield before sending a lead pass into the right side of the box. Cinalli battled her way to the ball and had a similar shot to the one taken by Hanks, avoiding a Bulldogs defender before placing a hard 14-yard shot into the upper right corner for her third goal of the season and 13th of her Notre Dame career (34:56).
Thorlakson’s career point total now stands at 132, still 11th in Notre Dame history but just three behind Shannon Boxx (her 46 career assists remain ninth in the Notre Dame record book). Thorlakson is the 26th player in the 24-year history of Division I women’s soccer to reach at least 43 career goals and 43 assists.
Hanks already ranks 11th on the Notre Dame list for goals by a freshman (11), nearly halfway to the Irish freshman record of 23 (set by Anne Makinen, in 1997).
Notre Dame’s forward trio of Thorlakson (6G-8A), Hanks (11G-1A) and Cinalli (3G-5A) now have combined for 20 goals and 14 assists (54 points) in six games this season, helping the Irish rack up a 32-5 scoring edge.
The Bulldogs averted the shutout early in the second half, after a failed clearance in the Irish zone. Jamie Blanche collected the loose ball and quickly lofted a 25-yard shot that tucked under the right side of the crossbar, just beyond the leap of sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Karas (52:56).
South Bend native Susan Pinnick drew the start vs. Gonzaga at forward.
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PLAYER NOTES – Sunday’s new starters included Karas, senior F Maggie Manning, sophomore F Susan Pinnick and junior M Lizzie Reed … Karas made two saves while improving to 7-0-0 in her career decisions with the Irish … Thorlakson has played in all 76 games of her ND career while Buczkowski and Schefter extended their games-played streaks to 57 (junior D Christie Shaner has played in 54 straight) … junior defensive M Jill Krivacek did not play vs. the Bulldogs, ending her streak at 40 consecutive games played (Reed’s game-played streak ended on Friday vs. SCU, at 44 games) … the Irish had a strong cheering section throughout the weekend, comprised of Bay-Area alumni and friends and families of west-coast players such as sophomore D/M Ashley Jones (Westlake Village, Calif.), freshman D Carrie Dew (Encinitas, Calif.), senior D Miranda Ford (Portola Valley, Calif.), Schefter (Yakima, Wash.), Manning (Lake Oswego, Ore.) and Thorlakson (Langley, B.C.) … Buczkowski halted a 12-game goal drought that dated back to the 2004 BIG EAST semifinal vs. Boston College … she did not have a gamewinning goal in her first 37 career games with the Irish but now has 5 of ND’s past 15 GWGs.
Lauren Karas has won all seven of the decisions in her Notre Dame career.
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TEAM NOTES – Prior to Friday’s loss vs. SCU, ND had played 20 straight road games during the regular season without a loss (19-0-1, dating back to a 2002 loss at West Virginia) … the Irish now are 42-2-2 in their past 46 overall regular-season games …ND has allowed just 28 first-half goals in the past five seasons (’01-’05; 97 GP) … the Irish have trailed in just 13 of the past 61 games, for 307 of 5,570 minutes (5.5%), with a 53-6-2 record in those games … ND is 14-1-1 in its past 16 regular-season tournament games … ND’s season stats now include a 32-5 scoring edge, plus 93-24 in shots, 56-13 in shots on goal and 36-6 in corner kicks … ND has scored in 196 of 204 regular-season games (96.08%) during the past 12 seasons … ND has owned the corner-kick edge in 15 of the past 18 games (tied in one) … ND’s current players have combined for 876 career games played (533 starts) … since handing Seton Hall an early lead in the final regular-season game of ’04, the Irish are riding a 51-8 scoring edge over the past 16-plus games … prior to Friday’s loss vs. SCU, the Irish had held 26 of the previous 27 opponents to 0-1 goals … Randy Waldrum now is 124-21-5 at ND (’99-’05) … ND now is 218-3-1 all-time when scoring 3-plus goals (120-1-0 since 10/6/95), 304-9-12 when holding the opponent to 0-1 goals (109-3-5 since 9/9/99) and has won 211 straight when taking a 2-0 lead (233-0-1 all-time) … the Irish are 49-1-0 in their past 50 games when scoring first … the Irish are 22-5-1 in regular-season tournament games during the Waldrum era.
Fifth-year veteran Candace Chapman picked up her second assist of the season, on a booming cross to Kerri Hanks.
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Gonzaga (2-2-1) 0 1 – 1
Notre Dame (5-1-0) 4 0 – 4
ND 1. Katie Thorlakson 6th of season/43rd of career (PK) 12:14; ND 2. Jen Buczkowski 1/13 (Annie Schefter, Thorlakson 46th of career) 16:19; ND 3. Kerri Hanks 11 (Candace Chapman) 32:14; ND 4. Amanda Cinalli 3/13 (Buczkowski) 34:56; GON 1. Jamie Blanche (-) 52:56
Shots: GON 2-7 – 9, ND 9-7 – 16
Corner Kicks: GON 1-1 – 2, ND 3-8 – 11
Saves: GON 4 (Ashley Haugen), ND 2 (Lauren Karas)
Fouls: GON 16, ND 17
Offsides: GON 1, ND 1
Freshman Carrie Dew has started all six games this season at one of the central defender spots.
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