Jan. 7, 2000

MELBOURNE, Australia – Three players from Notre Dame?s 1999 NCAA Women?s College Cup finalist women?s soccer team helped lead the United States women?s national team to an 8-1 win over the Czech Republic in the opening round of the Australia Cup on Friday at Olympic Park in Melbourne. Senior midfielder Jenny Streiffer scored twice and added an assist to lead the Americans offensively. Junior defender Kelly Lindsey helped hold the Czechs to just two shots, while senior goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene was solid in net for the Americans. The Irish teammates were three of just six starters on the 18-player roster to see action for the entire 90 minutes.

Streiffer opened the scoring for the Americans in the 12th minute when she volleyed in a cross from Sherrill Kester, who served the ball to the far post. Streiffer volleyed the cross from eight yards into the left corner of the net. She and Kester teamed up again in the 57th minute. Streiffer assisted on a goal from Kester when her shot was deflected off the line and came to Kester to give the U.S. a 5-0 lead. Streiffer made it 6-0 when she volleyed a header from Nandi Pryce into the left side of the net from six yards.

The U.S., which held a 26-2 advantage in shots, built an 8-0 lead before the Czechs scored in the 86th minute. The Americans next will face Sweden — 2-0 winners over Australia in its first game — on Monday, Jan. 10, at 6:30 p.m. (1:30 a.m. EST) in Melbourne.

Beene capped her goalkeeping career at Notre Dame with a 0.63 career goals against average, the lowest in Irish history. After blanking eighth-ranked Stanford 1-0 in the NCAA third round, Beene helped the Irish reach the NCAA Women?s College Cup final with a semifinal shutout of top-ranked Santa Clara, the nation?s highest-scoring team. She was named to the Women?s College Cup all-tournament team for her performance. Beene totalled 6971 minutes in her career with a 65-8-3 record.

Lindsey recovered from surgery on both knees following the 1998 season and sat out all of the spring practice season in 1999. Her solid play as a central defender was a major part of Notre Dame?s success during the 1999 season. After her recovery slowed her during the start of the season, Lindsey finished the season by playing in 24 of 26 games, starting 22. She helped the Irish advance to the NCAA Women?s College Cup by converting the decisive penalty kick in the NCAA quarterfinals at fourth-ranked Nebraska.

Streiffer capped her senior season as the teams? leading scorer with 19 goals and 15 assists for 53 points, earning her All-America honors for the second time in her career. The 1999 BIG EAST championship most outstanding player finished her Notre Dame career as its all-time leading scorer with 70 goals and 71 assists for 211 points. Also a two-time GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American, Streiffer joined Mia Hamm as the only NCAA Division I women?s soccer players to score 70 goals and assist on 70 goals in a career.