Nov. 5, 2003

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NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SOCCER – vs. Boston College, BIG EAST Semifinal (Friday, Nov. 7; 5:00 EST)

(note: see PDF link for full release with chart data)

The Notre Dame women’s soccer team (19-1-1; 67-9 scoring edge) – ranked third this week in the NSCAA coaches poll, the Soccer Times coaches poll and the Soccer Buzz website poll, plus fourth in Soccer America – heads back to New Jersey in quest of the program’s eighth BIG EAST Tournament title in nine years of competing in the league, with ND slated to face Boston College in the early semifinal on Friday, Nov. 7 (5:00 EST) at Yurcak Field on the campus of Rutgers University (West Virginia will meet Villanova in the 7:00 semifinal) … both semifinals will be telecast by College Sports Television, on a delayed basis (starting on Nov. 8, see below and www.cstv.com for listings) … Sunday’s noon championship game then will be telecast by various Fox SportsNet affiliates (some live, some delayed; see below and stay tuned to und.com for full details) … the Irish opened the postseason with a 1-0 overtime win over Miami in the BIG EAST quarterfinals (Nov. 2), with ND yielding a fluke goal in the earlygoing before holding Miami without a shot for the next 52 minutes (en route to a 27-5 edge in total shots) … Amanda Guertin extended her ND record for career overtime goals (4) while her 18 game-winning goals now are one shy of Jenny Heft’s ND record (Guertin also now has 21G, 10A and 5 GWG in 38 career games vs. ranked or postseason opponents) … ND started 18-0-1 before losing to Michigan in the regular-season finale (3-2) … the Irish finished first in the BIG EAST Mid-Atlantic Division (6-0-0) and never have lost a BIG EAST Tournament game (19-0-0) while BC was second in the Northeast Division (3-2-1), followed by a 2-1 win over Rutgers in the quarterfinals … the 64-team NCAA Tournament field will be announced Monday (Nov. 10) on ESPN News (3:30 EST).

CSTV REBROADCASTS – College Sports Television (see www.cstv.com), available on Direct TV channel 610 and other cable systems, will rebroadcast the ND-BC semifinal several times in the coming weeks (all EST): Nov. 8 (5:00 p.m.), Nov. 15 (12:30 p.m.), Dec. 1 (7:30 p.m.) and Dec. 2 (3:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.).

SUNDAY TV – The MSG Network and Fox Sports Net Florida will broadcast Sunday’s BIG EAST final live while five other Fox SportsNet affiliates are slated to air delayed broadcasts of the game on Nov. 9: FSN Chicago (3:00 CST), FSN New England (12:30 p.m. EST), FSN Pittsburgh (1:00 EST), Comcast Sports Net Philadelphia (1:00 p.m. EST) and Comcast SportsNet Washington (4:00 p.m. EST).

LIVESTATS POSSIBLE, IN-GAME HOTLINE UPDATES TO BE AVAILABLE – Live Stats for the ND-BC semifinal remain a possibility (if they become available, the usual link will be posted on the daily schedule listing on the main page at www.und.com) … periodic in-game updates and a final wrapup will be posted on the ND Sports Hotline at (574) 631-3000 (press “4” for soccer information and then ‘2″ for women’s soccer results) … see www.bceagles.com for opponent information.

SCOUTING THE IRISH – ND is in a logjam atop the national goals-against avg. charts (led by Cal Poly at 0.411, UNC at 0.417, after 6-2 win over N.C. State, and ND at 0.422), with the Irish 2nd in scoring at 3.19 goals per game (min. 15 games; UNC leads at 3.75) … ND’s dynamic and diverse attack includes eight players who own multiple-goal games in ’03, led by the potent forward quartet of seniors Amy Warner (10G-12A) and Amanda Guertin (11G-6A), junior Mary Boland (12G-4A) and sophomore Katie Thorlakson (10G-9A) … senior central D and All-America candidate Melissa Tancredi headlines a defense that held 16 straight opponents to 0-3 shots on goal, including 14 shots on goal in the recent 10-game shutout streak (5th-longest in NCAA history) … sophomore Erika Bohn has regained the national GAA lead (0.44, min. 1,000 minutes), with UNC’s Aly Wingert slipping to 0.44 after the N.C. State game … Bohn’s 981-minute shutout streak ranked 5th in the NCAA record book … Boland and Tancredi were sidelined for the Michigan loss… the Irish had not trailed for 16 games (team record) prior to that game … ND has totaled 17 more goals (67) than opponent shots on goal (50) … ND’s success is all the more noteworthy with two starters sidelined all season (All-America junior right back Candace Chapman with an ACL injury while second team all-BIG EAST senior M Randi Scheller had season-ending hip surgery) … ND solidified its spot among the nation’s top teams with a dominating defensive effort vs. perennial powers Stanford (0-0) and Santa Clara (2-1) before a convincing win over #5 West Virginia (2-0).

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

TALE OF THE TAPE (statistical team comparison, see PDF)

THE ND-BC SERIES – Notre Dame has won all eight previous games vs. BC (23-3 scoring edge), including a 1-0 overtime game at BC in 2002 (see below) and 3-0 game in the 2001 BIG EAST semifinals (at Rutgers) … Amy Warner, Amanda Guertin and Melissa Tancredi scored in that win (22-5 shot edge) and Ashley Dryer played a key defensive role, marking BIG EAST midfielder of the year Sarah Rahko … ND and BC also met in the 2000 BIG EAST semi’s (a 3-0 ND win) and in a 2000 regular-season game at ND (the Irish rallied for a 2-1 win, after facing its only deficit of the season until the NCAA semifinals) … Guertin – who scored the lone goal in the 2002 game at BC – picked off a clear attempt and scored the GWG in that 2000 showdown at Alumni Field … the series includes two other ND wins at Alumni Field (3-1 in 1995, 2-0 in ’97), plus a 6-0 Irish win at BC in 1996 and a 3-1 ND win in 1998 (in Natick, Mass.).

RECAPPING THE LAST ND-BC GAME (Oct. 27, 2002; 1-0, OT) – Amanda Guertin set the ND record with her third career overtime goal, in the final regular-season game of ’02 … ND extended its unbeaten streak in overtime to 13 games (10-0-3) while winning for the 26th consecutive time in the final week of the regular season … Erika Bohn made five saves and foiled several other solid BC chances … ND finished with a slight edge in shots (16-13) and corner kicks (4-3) … Amy Warner run down the left side and endline pass set up Guertin for the 100th-minute goal, with Guertin calmly sending a six-yard shot into the far-sidenetting.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME – Notre Dame owns a 11-1-0 all-time record at Yurcak Field, including BIG EAST title-winning efforts in 1997, ’99 and ’01 – plus a 2-0 win over Rutgers just two weeks ago (Oct. 24) … the program’s other BIG EAST titles have come at Seton Hall (’95), at ND’s Alumni Field (’96, ’00) and at UConn (’98) … the Irish have posted a 45-7 combined scoring margin in the 11 previous games at Yurcak, including 27-4 in the seven BIG EAST Tournament games … ND’s lone loss at the facility capped a very unusual – and unnecessary – day for the 2001 Irish squad … that team’s flight out of South Bend was delayed and the team missed its connection, being forced to sleep for a few hours at a Pittsburgh airport hotel … the flight into Newark the following morning (game day) then wiped out a planned practice on the game field … that night’s schedule included another rarity – as the Rutgers men’s team was playing host to a four-team tournament and those games preceded the BIG EAST-scheduled matchup between the ND and RU women (which had a 9:00 p.m. planned start time) … naturally, both of the men’s games went to overtime, the women’s game did not start until 10:30 and an upstart Rutgers freshman by the name of Carli Lloyd scored two early goals as the Knights posted a stunning upset over the exhausted Irish squad (2-1) … the ’01 loss at RU halted several ND streaks: a 24-game unbeaten streak vs. BIG EAST teams (23-1-1, dating back to ’98) and a 31-game unbeaten streak in regular-season games (30-0-2; one shy of tying the team record), while RU became just the third BIG EAST team ever to beat the Irish.

NOTRE DAME ALL-TIME BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS (rankings indicate NSCAA national poll

1995 – 3-0 vs. Rutgers, 1-0 vs. #3 Connecticut (at Seton Hall)

1996 – 7-0 vs. Villanova, 4-3 vs. #4 Connecticut (at Notre Dame)

1997 – 7-0 vs. Villanova, 6-1 vs. #4 Connecticut (at Rutgers)

1998 – 5-0 vs. West Virginia (at ND); 5-1 vs. Syracuse, 1-0 at #3 Connecticut (at UConn)

1999 – 5-0 vs. Miami (at ND); 5-0 vs. Seton Hall, 5-0 vs. #13 Connecticut (at Rutgers)

2000 – 3-0 vs. Miami (at ND); 3-0 vs. Boston College, 1-0 vs. UConn (at ND)

2001 – 2-0 vs. St. John’s (at ND); 3-0 vs. BC, 2-1 vs. West Virginia (at Rutgers)

2002 – none

2003 – 1-0 vs. Miami in OT

Totals: 19-0-0 record (70-6 scoring edge; 16-0 in quarterfinals/since ’98, 33-1 in semifinals, 20-5 in final)

SEMI TRUCK – Notre Dame has dominated in seven previous BIG EAST semifinals, racking up a 33-1 scoring edge in those seven games … the Irish never have won a BIG EAST semifinal by anything lower than a three-goal margin.

CAREER STATS VS. BC – Senior F Amanda Guertin owns three career goals vs. BC, including the GWG in the 2000 regular-season matchup (2-1; the only game ND trailed that season before the College Cup semifinal loss to UNC) and the OT goal last season (2-1) … she also scored and set up an Amy Warner goal in the 2001 BIG EAST semifinal win over BC (3-0) … Warner opened the scoring in that game, after crisp passing from Guertin and Randi Scheller … Warner also assisted on the Guertin GWG at BC in ’02 … passes from Scheller led to the first two goals vs. BC in the 2001 BET (goals by Warner and Guertin) … Melissa Tancredi capped that 3-0 win with an impressive display of her combined speed and strength.

KNOCKED OUT – Current senior central D Melissa Tancredi was running alongside classmates Amanda Guertin and Amy Warner on ND’s forward line during the 2001 BIG EAST Tournament … Tancredi was knocked out of the ’01 title game vs. West Virginia (due to an early head injury) but she later returned to play a key part in the corner-kick, double-header sequence that led to Randi Scheller’s volley (for the 2-1 final) … current junior F Mary Boland never has played in the BIG EAST Tournament, missing all of the 2001 tournament while being sidelined for a five-week stretch (ND did not make the BET in ’02 and Boland did not play last week vs. Miami).

EAGLES NOTES (also see Tale of the Tape, above, and www.bceagles.com) – Boston College (14-2-2) is led offensively by the combination of sophomore Katie McGregor (14G-5A0 and senior Beth Totman (12G-5A) … sophomore ;keeper Kate Taylor also owns solid numbers, with a 0.61 GAA and .820 save pct. (50 SV/11 GAA) … BC has posted seven wins over BIG EAST opponents: at Georgetown (3-1), Villanova (1-0), at Syracuse (2-0), Seton Hall (1-0), Miami (3-0), Virginia Tech (1-0) and Rutgers in the BIG EAST quarterfinals (2-1) … BC’s two losses have come vs, UConn (1-2) and at St. John’s 0-1), plus ties vs. Providence (1-1) and at Rutgers (0-0) … BC’s other seven wins have come primarily versus teams from the Northeast region: Wagner (10-0), Boston (3-1), vs. VCU (3-2, OT; at GU), Quinnipiac (4-0), Fairfield (5-1), Holy Cross (10-0) and Hartford (2-1) … BC went 12-11-8 in 2002.

CONFERENCE CALL – Notre Dame’s all-time record in regular-season conference games is 95-7-2 (.923; 76-7-2/.906 in BIG EAST) … the Irish are 52-1 in home games vs. BIG EAST teams, with 49 straight home wins over BIG EAST teams since a 5-4 OT loss to UConn in ’95 (239-16 scoring edge, 36 shutouts, 13 with 1 GA) … since ’95, ND’s overall record vs. BIG EAST teams now is 94-8-2 (.914; 1-1-0 vs. UConn in NCAAs).

FANTASTIC FOUR – Notre Dame boasts possibly the nation’s top four-player forward rotation (they currently are the only four teammates with 10-plus goals in Division I women’s soccer): seniors Amy Warner (10G-12A) and Amanda Guertin (11G-6A), junior Mary Boland (12G-4A) and sophomore Katie Thorlakson (10G-9A) … the Irish have four double-digit goalscorers for the first time since 1999, with each player also owning 28-33 points … 10 of the last 14 ND teams have featured three or more double-digit scorers (four in ’94, ’98, ’99 and now ’03, six in ’93 and ’96, seven in ’97) … the four double-digit scorers in ’99 included Jenny Heft (20), Jenny Streiffer (19), Meotis Erikson (14) and Anne Makinen (13) … the ’97 team racked up 135 goals, led by: Makinen (23), Erikson (22), Streiffer (20), Heft (20), Shannon Boxx (13), Monica Gerardo (10) and Monica Gonzalez (10).

TITLE TOWN – Notre Dame is two wins away from claiming its eighth BIG EAST Tournament women’s soccer title since 1995 … stretching back to the 1995 falls semester (when ND, West Virginia and Rutgers joined the BIG EAST), there have been a handful of teams with steady success at the BIG EAST tournament level – and Notre Dame teams are at the top of that list:

Most BIG EAST Titles Since the Fall of 1995 (based on tournament results, if applicable)

7 – Notre Dame women’s soccer (every year but 2002), Notre Dame volleyball (every year but 1999), Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving (every year but 1996), Pittsburgh men’s swimming and diving (every year but 1996), Connecticut women’s basketball (every year but 2003)

5 – Connecticut field hockey, Georgetown men’s indoor track and field, Notre Dame women’s tennis, Miami men’s tennis, Georgetown men’s outdoor track and field, Miami women’s outdoor track and field

THE USUAL SUSPECT – Senior F Amanda Guertin entered the 2003 season already ranking as one of the most clutch goalscorers in Notre Dame women’s soccer history, with her poised finishing skills impressing both in terms of their quantity and the quality of the game situation … so it was only fitting that she would choose the third minute of overtime in last week’s BIG EAST quarterfinal to register her first big-game goal of the season, taking a short free-kick pass from Kimberly Carpenter and ripping a 20-yard shot into the upper-right corner of the net:

* Guertin’s score extended her Notre Dame record for career overtime goals to four, with her 18 game-winning goals now one shy of that Notre Dame record (held by ’96 graduate Jenny Heft). Guertin also tied 1999 graduate Monica Gerardo for the most postseason game-winning goals in Notre Dame history (5).

* The senior class is 28-7-2 during the past four seasons in “big games” (vs. a ranked and/or postseason opponent), with Guertin totaling 52 points on 21 goals and 10 assists in those 37 games (nine of her 18 career game-winning goals have come in such big-game situations).

* Guertin has scored an OT goal in each of her four seasons, also: at West Virginia (’00, 2-1), vs. #23 Michigan (’01, 2-1) and at Boston College (’02, 1-0) … her nine career big-game GWGs include last week’s goal vs. Miami and the ’01 score vs. Michigan, plus: vs. #25 Michigan in the 2nd round of the 2000 NCAAs (3-1); vs. #8 Penn State in the ’01 opener (2-1), St. John’s in the ’01 BIG EAST quarterfinals (2-0) and Eastern Illinois in the 1st round of the ’01 NCAAs (2-0); at #25 Maryland (5-2) and #13 Michigan (1-0) in ’02, and vs. #14 Purdue in the 2nd round of the ’02 NCAAs (3-1).

* Guertin now ranks 8th in ND history with 28 career points in the postseason (13G-2A; three behind Jenny Heft) while her 13 postseason GWGs rank 5th behind Gerardo and ’01 grad. Anne Makinen Anne Makinen (both with 15) and ’00 classmates Heft and Jenny Streiffer (both with 14) … Guertin (48G-27A) and classmate Amy Warner (37G-25A) now have combined for 222 points, 85 goals, 52 assists and 29 GWGs … they rank 6th in ND history for combined goals by classmates (10 behind ’97 grads Cindy Daws and Amy Van Laecke) while only two previous pairs of ND classmates have combined for more GWGs … ND now leads the Miami series 6-0-0 (24-s scoring edge).

QUICK TEAM NOTES ON THE IRISH

* Streak #1 – ND’s streak of 10 straight shutouts (13 of last 16) was longest in the program’s history and 5th in NCAA history, besting ND’s 1995 NCAA-title team that went eight games without a goal allowed … the shutout streak covered 956 minutes, besting the ’95 team’s record of 726 straight shutout minutes … prior to the Michigan loss, the Irish had allowed just one goal in 15-plus games, with an earlier 418-minute shutout streak ending on an unstoppable upper-90 shot by SCU’s Marian Dalmy … just four previous Division I women’s soccer teams have posted longer shutout streaks, led by SCU’s 16 in 1998, plus two UNC teams (13 in ’89, 12 in ’87) and the 1984 N.C. State squad (12) … ND’s total of 14 shutouts is seventh in the Irish record book, behind 18 in ’97 and ’98 (also 16 in ’96, ’98 and ’00 and 15 in ’94).

* Streak #2 – Notre Dame’s 19-game unbeaten streak was tied for fourth in ND history (the ’94, ’97 and ’00 teams all started 23-0-1 while the ’95 and ’96 teams combined for a 24-0-0 streak).

* Streak #3 – ND’s 12-game winning streak ranked sixth in the program’s history, with the top win streaks as follows: 24 games from ’95-’96, 17 in ’97, 16 in ’00, 14 from ’92-’93 and 14 in ’94.

* Streak #4 – The Irish recently had a stretch of 138 minutes without allowing a shot (vs. Butler and Georgetown, on Oct. 7 and 10) and went 149 minutes without an opponent shot on goal.

* Balanced Dominance – Notre Dame and top-ranked UNC were the final unbeaten teams remaining among 297 Division I women’s soccer programs, with the Irish also ranking second behind UNC in the nation for scoring (3.19 goals per game) and goals-against average (0.42) – with UNC checking in at 3.67 and 0.33.

* Big Gamers – The current senior class carries a 28-7-2 career record when playing in the postseason and/or facing an opponent ranked in the NSCAA top-25.

* BIG EAST Home Winning Streak – UConn was the last BIG EAST team to beat Notre Dame at Alumni Field (5-4 in ’95), with the Irish winning their last 50 home games vs. BIG EAST teams (93-8-2 overall vs. BIG EAST teams since ’95).

* Games-a-Plenty – The Irish recently completed a rugged stretch of six games in 13 days (Sept. 30-Oct. 12), followed by four days off before the showdown with BIG EAST rival Connecticut, ending a rare eight-game homestand.

* 8-to-1 Scoring Margin -The Irish now own a 67-9 season scoring edge, including 28-1 in the recent eight-game homestand (plus a 166-26 total shot edge/93-11 in shots on goal during that eight-game stretch).

* Unbeaten Start – The 2003 campaign marked the fourth time that ND went 19-plus games into a season without suffering a loss (the ’94, ’97 and ’00 teams all started 23-0-1).

* Historic Dominance – The only previous ND teams to allow comparable goals in the first 20 games were the record-setting 1997 squad that owned a 107-5 scoring edge at the 20-game mark (before a 6-1 win over UConn) and the 2000 squad that held a 67-6 scoring edge after 20 games (before a 1-0 win over UConn).

* Rear-View Mirror – Prior to the Michigan game, the Irish had trailed only once in ’03 (no deficits in team-record 16-plus games), for 7:18 in the third game vs. ASU (the Irish have led 66% of the minutes and trailed 0.3%, for 66 minutes).

* One (Or None) Is Enough – Prior to the 3-2 loss to Michigan, ND logged 24 games with 0-1 GA to tie the team record streak for not allowing multiple goals (it also was the 2nd-best start, 19 games with 0-1 GA) … the 2000 team went 24 games before allowing UNC to score twice in the NCAA semifinals.

* Turnaround Success – ND now is 10-0 this season when playing two days after a previous game (28-2 scoring edge), after going just 4-5 (18-16 scoring edge) in 2002 regular-season “bounceback” games.

* Magic Number – The win over Georgetown avenged a 4-3 loss at GU in ’02 (minus 4 ND starters), the only time since a ’95 loss vs. UConn (5-4) that ND has scored three-plus goals and not won (now 102-1-0 in the last 103).

* Quick Strikes – The recent game at Seton Hall marked the 8th game this season ND has scored in the first 7:00.

* Half & Half – The Irish have been equally dominant in the first (36-6) and second half (29-3) this season, after managing just a 12-10 first-half scoring edge in ’02.

* Sharpshooters – The efficient ND offense is averaging one goal every 6.1 total shots and every 3.2 shots on goal … the Irish have scored five-plus goals in five games this season and have scored three-plus goals in 11 games.

* Strong Stretch – After allowing a 26th-minute goal by Oklahoma on Sept. 7, ND’s next 15-plus games (spanning 1,415 minutes) included just 2 goals allowed, 66 opponent shots (22 on goal) and 36 corner kicks, for 90-minute averages during that stretch of 0.13 goals, 4.2 shots, 1.4 shots on goal and 2.3 corners (prior to the 3-2 loss to Michigan).

* Depth Charges – Notre Dame players have combined to miss 161 games due to injury spanning the ’02 and ’03 seasons (41 games played; 32-8-1 record), with seven players already combining to miss 97 games due to injury in ’03.

* Far & Wide – ND’s ’03 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 in the ’02-’03 academic year included nearly 800 individuals from 47 states (all but Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada) and 20 countries.

* OT-Tested – The Irish are unbeaten in their last 16 overtime games (12-0-4).

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

* Winning When They Should – Notre Dame is 105-4-1 all-time at Alumni Field when facing an unranked opponent.

ND WOMEN’S SOCCER – 2003 AWARDS (see PDF for listings)

QUICK PLAYER NOTES

* Net Zero – Sophomore Erika Bohn extended her shutout streak to an ND-record 981 minutes (5th NCAA history, besting Liz Wagner’s ND record 701 in ’00), before the first goal by Michigan on Oct. 29 … Bohn enters the BC game ranked 2nd in the nation with a 0.40 GAA (close t LaKeysia Beene’s team-record 0.37 in ’97) … she allowed just one goal over 15-plus games (1,256 min., starting with the OU game and ending vs. Mich.) … her last 31 starts include a 28-2-1 record (14 GA) … her shutout streak was longest since ’99, trailing two UNC ‘keepers (Anne Sherow’s 1,670 consecutive shutout minutes, spanning ’87 and ’88, and Jenni Branam’s 1,114 in ’99), SCU’s Crystal Gordon (1,269 in ’98) and Tiffany DeCoff of Holy Cross (1,004 in ’99) … the Academic All-America candidate has logged 94% of the team’s minutes in ’03 (86% in ’02).

* Senior Spark – Another potential Academic All-American, senior Kim Carpenter, has emerged as a key offensive player at attacking M, ranking 5th on the team with 15 points (5G-5A) after totaling just five points from (’00-’02) … she had a 6-game point streak that ended vs. Miami and had scored three times in a stretch of six ND goals.

* Fire & Ice – Amy Warner and Amanda Guertin have combined for 85 goals (Guertin is 9th in ND history with 48, Warner 12th with 37), 29 GWGs (18 by Guertin) and six OT goals (ND record 4 by Guertin).

* Big-Goal Scorer – Junior F Mary Boland registered her 5th game-winning goal of ’03 at Pittsburgh (tied for 9th in ND history) and has opened the scoring four times in ’03 … she enters the week ranked 29th in the nation for goals (12) and 27th in points (28) … Boland spent most of her prep career playing as a forward but her ND career also has included time at outside back and in the midfield, with her quick start (ND record 6G in first 3 games) igniting the ’03 offense.

* Iron Women – Senior F Amy Warner has made 64 consecutive starts while fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky has logged 93 career games and 91 starts (good for 9th in the ND record book) … the only ND defenders ever to start more games are Jen Grubb (100) and Kate Sobrero (97).

* Getting Right Back – Versatile freshman Kim Lorenzen (Naperville, Ill.) was impressive in preseason training at forward but has found a home in the defense, as a starter both centrally and now right back.

* 4.0 Focus – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky graduated in May of 2003 with a 4.0 cumulative GPA as a chemical engineering major, the third ND student (first since ’74) ever to complete that feat.

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

* Goal Patrol – Irish players have combined for 11 multiple-goal games (compared to five in ’02) by eight players: Mary Boland vs. Hartford (3) and ASU (2), Maggie Manning and Amanda Guertin vs. Hartford (both with 2, with Guertin doing so again vs. Georgetown), Jen Buczkowski vs. Oklahoma (2), Katie Thorlakson and Annie Schefter vs. Western Kentucky (both with 2, then Thorlakson at Rutgers), Melissa Tancredi vs. North Texas (2) and Amy Warner at Seton Hall (3).

* Meet You In The Middle – Despite the graduation of four-year starter/defensive ace Ashley Dryer and season-ending hip surgery to senior Randi Scheller (2nd tm all-BIG EAST in ’02), the midfield has been energized by the emergence of two “newcomers”: sophomore Annie Schefter (4G-4A; missed ’02 with ACL) and freshman Jen Buczkowski (2G-6A) – ranking 6th and 8th on the ND scoring charts.

* Furious Forwards – ND’s system includes a pressuring “forecheck” from the team’s frontrunners … five of those players – Mary Boland (2), Amanda Guertin (2), Katie Thorlakson (2), Amy Warner and Maggie Manning – have posted multiple-goal games this season, with Warner also ranking fifth in the nation with 12 assists.

NOTRE DAME PLAYER QUICK-FACT SHEET (see PDF for stats and key notes on top-17 players)

WALDRUM REGISTERS 200th WOMEN’S SOCCER WIN – Fifth-year ND head coach Randy Waldrum posted his 200th career win as a Division I women’s head coach in the 2-1 game vs. Miami, with a 200-67-16 mark (.735) in 14 combined seasons at Tulsa, Baylor and Notre Dame … the Irish are 92-17-4 (.832) in the five-year Waldrum era, including 77-13-3 in the last 93 games (since losing 4-2 at SCU on Oct. 17, 1999) …his ND record spans the career of 5th-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, beating top-ranked and previously unbeaten Santa Clara in San Jose … Waldrum’s 22-plus-year record as a college head coach (men’s and women’s) is 276-122-23 (.683) … his women’s soccer record includes 61-36-9 in six years at Tulsa and 46-14-3 in three seasons at Baylor … Waldrum entered ’03 ranked 7th among active women’s coaches for career winning percentage (min. 10 Div. I seasons).

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA NOMINEES – Four Notre Dame players currently are being considered for Verizon Academic All-America honors, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (the awards are TBA): fifth-year defender Vanessa Pruzinsky (4.00 cumulative GPA; chemical engineering major), senior midfielder Kimberly Carpenter (3.41; pre-professional science), junior forward Mary Boland (3.87; psychology) and sophomore goalkeeper Erika Bohn (3.67; business) … each is being named to the first team Academic All-District squad (Nov. 6, see und.com and later gamenotes for more info. on this honor) … Pruzinsky was a first team Academic All-American in 2000 and ’01 (she was injured in ’02), becoming just the second ND student-athlete ever to be a first team Academic All-American as a sophomore and junior (freshmen are not eligible).

PRIMETIME PLAYERS – ND is 28-7-2 in the last four seasons (’00-’03) when facing an NSCAA ranked and/or postseason opponent ( 77-35 scoring edge in those 38 “big games”) … Amanda Guertin has 52 points in those big games (21G-10A) while Amy Warner owns 8G-5A vs. ranked/postseason opponents (missed half of ’00 due to injury).

FRONTRUNNERS – Prior to the 12th-minute goal by Michigan, ND had not faced a deficit for nearly two months and 16-plus games, the longest streak in the program’s history … the only previous time the Irish had trailed came early in the third game, for 7:18 vs. ASU (ND quickly claimed the lead and went on to a 3-1 win) … the Irish have led for 66% of the 1,920 minutes in ’03 while trailing for less than 1% (0.3%; 66 minutes), with Santa Clara and Miami (in the BIG EAST quarterfinal) being the only team to come back and tie the Irish (ND retook the lead for good 12 minutes later vs. SCU) … the previous team record for longest streak without facing a deficit was a 14-game stretch in 1997, starting with a 5-0 win over Duke (9/21, after trailing two days earlier in a 2-2 tie vs. UNC) … the ’97 streak continued through a 6-1 win over UConn in the BIG EAST title game (11/9) and ended one week later, when Cincinnati opened the scoring in a first-round NCAA Tournament game (ND dominated for a 7-1 win) … the ’97 team spent all season ranked No. 2 in the NSCAA poll … ND’s 2000 squad earned the top ranking after seven games and did not face a deficit for the first 13 games (BC scored first and led for 28 minutes, in a 3-1 ND win) … that team added six more games without trailing before falling behind UNC in the 82nd minute of the NCAA semifinals (2-1 loss).

KEEP ON CRANKING – Prior to the Michigan loss, ND had avoided pitfalls that have hit other top teams, as the Irish and UNC had been the only unbeaten teams for several weeks while the other 292 Div. I programs now include just four others with one loss: UCLA, Princeton, Cal Poly and Southeastern Louisiana.

CLUTCH CANADIAN – Sophomore F Katie Thorlakson (Langley, B.C.) has picked key times for all four of her game-winning goals in 2003 … two of her GWGs have come vs. top-15 teams (#10 Santa Clara and #15 Connecticut), plus the overtime goal vs. Villanova and the early strike at Rutgers (3-0) … she also is the only current ND player with multiple career goals vs. UConn (her goal tied the ’02 game, 1-1, in a 3-1 win) … the ’02 ND-UConn game proved to be a key turning point for the program, with current senior Melissa Tancredi making the full-time move from F to central D while Thorlakson shifted permanently from M to F … since those key shifts, the Irish are 25-3-1 in their last 29 games.

PLAYING THE BEST – ND has played some of its best soccer vs. ranked opponents, going 24-10-3 vs. NSCAA 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 posted 2002 wins over #25 Maryland (5-2), #8 UConn (3-1), #13 Michigan (1-0) and #14 Purdue (3-1) … over the course of the ’01-’03 seasons, ND owns an 11-6-1 record vs. NSCAA top-25 teams (38-6-1 vs. unranked teams), including 2003 wins over #16 Santa Clara (2-1), #8 West Virginia (2-0) and #15 UConn (2-0) and a scoreless tie vs. #24 Stanford.

NCAA STAT LEADERS – ND enters the BC game ranked third in the nation for goals-against avg. (0.422, just behind Cal Poly’s 0.411 and UNC’s 0.417) and the Irish rank second nationally in scoring with 3.19 goals per game (min. 15 games played, with UNC first at 3.75)… senior F Amy Warner ranks fifth nationally with 12 assists, trailing just Oklahoma State’s Nikki Wojtowicz (16), UNC’s Alyssa Ramsey (16), Kelly Shimmin of Central Connecticut (14) and Portland’s Lindsey Huie (13) … Warner also ranks 25th in the nation in points (32) while junior F Mary Boland is 31st in the nation with 12 goals … ND’s Erika Bohn (0.40) has reclaimed the national GAA lead (min. 1,000 minutes), with UNC’s Aly Wingert slipping back to 0.44 after a 6-2 win over N.C. State in the ACC Tournament.

QUICK-STRIKE ARTISTS – Notre Dame has scored in the first 7:00 of eight games this season (total of nine quick-strike goals), with junior F Mary Boland responsible for three of those early scores while six other players each have scored one quick goal this season … the team’s quickest goals have come vs. West Virginia (1:24; Boland volley on long serve from Melissa Tancredi), at Seton Hall (1:30; Amy Warner near-post shot after taking pass from Jill Krivacek) and twice at Rutgers (2:44 by Katie Thorlakson from close range, after leftside pass from Warner; and at 3:53 on Tancredi header, via Thorlakson corner kick) … other quick-strike goals by ND in 2003 have come vs. Hartford (6:32; Boland puts back own rebound, after classic 5-player combination sequence that includes right endline cross from Warner), vs. Oklahoma (5:58; Jen Buczkowski knocks in rebound after flurry in box), at Santa Clara (5:03; Boland on lunging poke after leftside service from Katie Thorlakson), vs. North Texas (4:28; Amanda Guertin shot from top of the box via short pass from Warner) and vs. Georgetown (5:39; Kimberly Carpenter redirects Vanessa Pruzinsky shot).

GLORY DAYS – Notre Dame’s current 65-8 regular-season scoring edge was comparable to the program’s five-year dominance in the mid-1990s, with 20-game scoring margins of: 92-14 in ’93, 93-8 in ’94, 79-15 in ’95, 118-10 in ’96 and 107-5 in ’97 (average of 98-11) … ND’s 0.39 team GAA is tied with the 2000 team for second in Irish history (trailing only the 0.36 in ’97).

GOING THE DISTANCE – ND is unbeaten in its last 16 overtime games (12-0-4), 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 … the ’03 team has played to a scoreless tie with Stanford (at SCU) before posting overtime wins over Villanova (1-0) and Miami (2-1, in BIG EAST quarterfinals).

SHARING THE WEALTH IN OT – ND’s 11 overtime wins in the five-year Randy Waldrum era include goals from seven players (plus an own goal vs. Stanford in ’00): Anne Makinen (vs. UConn in ’99), Amanda Guertin (ND record 4; vs. WVU in ’00, Michigan in ’01, BC in ’02 and Miami in ’03), Meotis Erikson (vs. SCU in ’00 NCAA quarter’s), Kelly Tulisiak (vs. IU in ’01), Amy Warner (2; vs. VU in ’01, Rutgers in ’02), Mia Sarkesian (vs. WVU in ’01) and Katie Thorlakson (vs. Vill. in ’03).

OT MASTERS – Senior Amanda Guertin holds the ND record for career OT goals (4), with her classmate Amy Warner and ’96 national player of the year Cindy Daws ranking second with two each (including Daws’ goal vs. Portland in the ’95 NCAA title game) … Guertin (4G-2A) owns 10 career points in OT, followed by Warner (6; 2G-2A) … Guertin has posted one OT goal in each of her four season: at WVU in 2000 and at home vs. Michigan in ’01 (both 2-1), at BC in ’02 (1-0) and vs. Miami in the ’03 BIG EAST quarterfinals (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 11 OT goals (Guertin has scored or assisted on six of the last 10).

GREAT STARTS – Notre Dame went unbeaten after 19 games for the fourth time in the program’s history … here’s a look at the other longest season-opening unbeaten streaks in the ND record book (see PDF):

MOVING ON UP – ND’s impressive career record book can be seen in the fact that Amanda Guertin did not crack the Irish top-10 career scoring list until notching her 43rd goal, roughly half of the record total racked up by 1999 graduate Jenny Heft (80) … here’s a look at where Guertin and classmate Amy Warner stand on the career points and goals list (see PDF for charts):

STREAKY PLAYER – Amanda Guertin scored a goal in the final 10 games of 2001 – third-longest in Div. I women’s soccer history (SCU’s Brandi Chastain had a 15-game goal streak in ’90, Hartford’s Maria Kun an 11-game streak in ’97) … Guertin also scored goals in an ND-record seven straight postseason games, spanning ’01 and ’02 (she has 9G in 15 career postseason games) and had points in eight straight games (7G-6A) before the 1-0 loss at Stanford in ’02.

GETTING THE GWGs – Amanda Guertin continues to add clutch goals and assists to her caree totals (48G-27A, in 88 GP) – with her 18 gamewinning goals ranking second on the ND all-time list (one shy of Jenny Heft’s record) … eight of Guertin’s GWGs have come in one-goal games, including four in OT (ND record, no other player with more than two) … nearly half of Guertin’s career goals (17 of 46, or 38%) have been gamewinners – well ahead of the others on the GWG list (see PDF):

PRUZSINKY DRAWS NATONAL MEDIA ATTENTION – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky was spotlighted in a recent feature on College Sports Television while a recent Sports Illustrated On Campus highlighted the high achiever – with Sports Illustrated now slated to run feature on Pruzinsky in its No. 17 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.

INJURY WOES CONTINUE – ND’s ’02 season was hampered by injuries to several top players (totaling 64 games missed, plus 97 thus far in ’03 for a total of 161) … the Irish are playing in 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 underwent preseason hip surgery … sophomore M Jenny Walz (ACL) has returned to practice after being injured in the spring … junior starting central D Gudrun Gunnarsdottir has returned in a reserve role (after missing four games with a broken arm) while freshman D Kari Kennedy (foot) and junior D Kate Tulisiak (back) made their 2003 debuts on Oct. 10 vs. Georgetown … 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 have her own option at a 5th year in ’05 … Tancredi missed three of the final five games in the ’03 regular season (due to nagging injuries) while junior F Mary Boland also has been sidelined for three recent games.

BOHN ON A ROLL – Sophomore G Erika Bohn is 30-3-1 in her last 34 starts (29-2-1 last 32), allowing just 18 goals in that 34-game stretch (20 shutouts, 12 with 1 GA) … her only losses in that stretch: 3-2 game BYU with a fluke goal (clearance deflected off referee) and a rare late-game PK; the season-ending loss at top-ranked Stanford, with the only goal coming in the 81st minute; and the 3-2 loss to Michigan in the final game of the ’03 regular season (UM’s final two goals came on corner-kick breakdowns by the ND defense) … prior to the Michigan game, Bohn had logged 29 consecutive games with the Irish (24 fall, 5 spring) without allowing multiple goals (previously done by BYU on Oct. 19, 2002).

MAGIC NUMBERS – The 3-goal mark has been virtually an automatic win in ND history, with the Irish 198-3-1 all-time (.983) when scoring 3-plus, losing to N.C. State in the ’92 opener (4-3), 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 102-1-0 since Oct. 6, 1995) … ND is 275-8-11 (.954) in all-time games when holding the opponent to 0-1 goals, including tough 1-0 losses in ’02 to eventual NCAA champ Portland and top-ranked Stanford … prior to the UP 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, playing minus Finnish national teamer Anne Makinen) … the program’s 16-year history includes just 285 goals allowed in 363 games (0.79 GA per game) … the Irish have allowed more than one goal in only 68 all-time games (19%) and have yielded 3-plus goals in just 32 all-time games (9%; including two 6-goal games by the opponent, four 5-goal and six 4-goal) … 91% 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).

FIRST-HALF FORTRESS – The ND defense has been particularly stingy in the first half the past three seasons, allowing just 21 goals in the first half of those 62 games … the first half in ’02 featured little scoring (12-10 ND edge), compared to a 36-6 first-half edge in ’03.

EARLY SPARK – Mary Boland is the fifth ND player to register a hat trick in an opener and has scored in all three openers of her career (including ND’s first goal in ’01 and ’03), with a diving header to open the scoring in ’01 vs. Penn State (2-1) and the final goal in the ’02 win at Providence (3-0) … previous Irish players with hat tricks in openers: Rosella Guerrero as a freshman vs. N.C. State in ’92 (4-3 loss), Guerrero and sophomore Michelle McCarthy in ’93 at LaSalle (12-0 win), and senior Amy Van Laecke and sophomore Monica Gerardo in ’96 at PC (14-0) … Boland’s 7 points vs. Hartford (3G-1A) are most by an ND player since Jenny Streiffer had 3G-1A vs. Miami on Oct. 1, 1999 … Streiffer holds the ND record for points in a game, with 9 (3G-3A) in the ’96 win over Providence (14-0).

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 U.S. National Team that finished third at the World Cup, both serving as starters … Sobrero played for the U.S. team that won the ’99 World Cup and was on the ’00 Olympic team … Boxx had no previous National Team experience but had an impressive ’03 season in the WUSA (she became the first player ever to score in her first three games with the National Team, in two tuneup games and the 3-1 opener vs. Sweden) … she also headed in a Mia Hamm corner kick for the gamewinning goal vs. Canada in the third-place game and was one of 16 players named to the all-World Cup team.

* Sobrero and Boxx were two of five former ND players who played in the WUSA 2003 all-star game, as were Washington Freedom D Jen Grubb (’00), Boston Breakers 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 played every minute in the first three WUSA seasons – captained the Freedom to the ’03 WUSA Founders Cup title (2-1 in OT vs. Atlanta Beat) … other ND alums in the ’03 WUSA: M Anne Makinen (’01; Phil. Charge), D Lindsey Jones (’02; N.Y.), D Kelly Lindsey (’01; San Jose) and M Monica Gerardo (’99; Wash.).

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

FRESHMAN CLASS RANKED AMONG BEST IN NATION – Soccer America rated ND’s freshman class 5th in the nation, behind Santa Clara, UCLA, Texas and Portland … Jen Buczkowski (Elk Grove, Ill.) was No. 6 on the list of top recruits (second among M, behind Nebraska’s Brittany Timko, who was 2nd overall) … D Christie Shaner (Ambler, Pa.) was No. 22, making ND one of seven schools with multiple players on that top-25 list … M/D Lizzie Reed (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) also was a prep All-American.

FAR & 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.

See PDF for game-by-game capsules, with linescores and notes.