Sept. 13, 2004
Soccer America magazine has ranked the Notre Dame women’s soccer team first in its weekly poll, with the other national polls to be released on Tuesday. This marks the fourth season in the last 11 that the Irish have been ranked No. 1 (also 1994, 1996 and 2000) – not counting the 1995 season in which Notre Dame entered the NCAAs ranked 4th and went on to win the NCAA title (that team technically was No. 1 in the final poll).
Notre Dame (6-0-0) has raced out to an undefeated start, outscoring its opponents 21-5 while overcoming the absence of several top offensive players. The first-month start has included three consecutive wins over teams that were ranked in the top-15 at the time (1-0 vs. No. 13 Stanford, 5-2 vs. No. 4 Santa Clara and 2-1 at No. 11 Arizona State).
The Irish are led by a veteran core that has combined with the nation’s No. 2-ranked freshman class to form a deep and talented roster. Junior Katie Thorlakson and senior Candace Chapman have paced the Irish offense through the first six games, with sophomore Jen Buczkowski running the show from her central midfielder spot while fifth-year player Melissa Tancredi, senior Gudrun Gunnarsdottir and sophomore Christie Shaner form the battle-tested back line.
Notre Dame’s No. 1 ranking is all the more impressive when considering the talented players currently sidelined by injury or national-team commitments, among them: former all-BIG EAST midfielder Randi Scheller (hip injury, has applied for sixth year of eligibility after also missing ’03 season); all-region and all-BIG EAST forward Mary Boland (season-ending broken leg vs. SCU; may qualify for fifth year in ’05); and freshman forwards Kerri Hanks (training with U.S. team for Under-19 World Championship), Susan Pinnick (back injury suffered during summer club-team van accident) and Jannica Tjeder (has missed most of season due to ankle injury but could return this week). Hanks was ranked the nation’s No. 4 signee (per Soccer America) while Tjeder was 24th on that list, with the Soccer Buzz women’s soccer internet site listing Hanks on its top-25 recruit list and Pinnick on the top-50 (Tjeder, a native of Finland, was on Soccer Buzz’s list of top international signees).
Notre Dame owns an all-time record of 36-4-1 when playing as the top-ranked team (in the NSCAA coaches poll), including 20-1-1 in regular-season play.
Just three weeks into the college season, Notre Dame is one of only 12 teams out of 306 in Division I women’s soccer that currently are unbeaten and untied. Seven of those teams also are in this week’s Soccer America poll: No. 3 Virginia (6-0-0); No. 4 Washington (5-0-0); No. 7 Kansas (6-0-0); No. 17 Illinois (5-0-0); No. 19. Princeton (3-0-0); No. 24. Yale (5-0-0); and No. 25. Wisconsin (6-0-0).
Others in the Soccer America top 10 include: No. 2 North Carolina, No. 5 Penn State, No. 6 Portland, No. 8 Florida, No. 9 Florida State and No. 10 Clemson.
Soccer America Weekly Women’s Soccer Poll (Sept. 13, 2004)
RANK/TEAM (RECORD) LAST WEEK
1. Notre Dame (6-0-0) 2
2. North Carolina (5-0-1) 1
3. Virginia (6-0-0) 5
4. Washington (5-0-0) 12
5. Penn State (3-1-0) 9
6. Portland (5-1-0) 10
7. Kansas (6-0-0) 13
8. Florida (4-1-1) 11
9. Florida State (4-1-0) 3
10. Clemson (5-1-0) 4
11. Santa Clara (2-2-1) 7
12. UCLA (3-2-0) 8
13. Tennessee (2-1-2) 15
14. Texas A&M (4-2-0) 24
15. Texas (3-2-0) 6
16. Pepperdine (5-0-1) 19
17. Illinois (5-0-0) 20
18. West Virginia (5-1-0) 21
19. Princeton (3-0-0) 23
20. SMU (3-1-1) 25
21. Rutgers (4-2-0) NR
22. Stanford (3-2-0) NR
23. California (4-1-1) NR
24. Yale (5-0-0) NR
25. Wisconsin (6-0-0) NR