Irish defensive wizard Jackie Doherty leads the BIG EAST in both ground balls and draw controls.

Irish Take To The Road For Games At #18/#18 Ohio State And Rutgers

April 21, 2010

Notre Dame, Ind. –

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– The Game: #12/#12 Notre Dame (9-4/5-1) at #18/#18 Ohio State (8-5/1-3 in ALC)

– Date/Time/Site: Thur., April 22, 2010 – 5:00 p.m. – Jesse Owens Stadium – Columbus, Ohio

– The Game: #12/#12 Notre Dame (9-4/5-1) at Rutgers (9-4/2-3)

– Date/Time/Site: Sat., April 24, 2010 – 11:00 a.m. – Yurcak Field – Piscataway, N.J.

– Internet: The Notre Dame-Ohio State will have live video streaming available at bigtennetwork.com for a $2.99 charge. Live stats will be available at the Ohio State website – ohiostatebuckeyes.com. The Notre Dame-Rutgers contest will have Game Tracker available at scarletknights.com. There is no live video for the Rutgers game.

IRISH TRAVEL TO OHIO STATE AND RUTGERS TO CLOSE APRIL: Notre Dame takes to the road for the final three games of the regular season, starting with a non-league contest at Ohio State on Thursday, April 22. Game time at Jesse Owens Stadium is set for 5:00 p.m. From Columbus, Ohio, the Irish will move on to Piscataway, N.J., where they will face Rutgers in a BIG EAST contest on Saturday, April 24. The two teams will battle at 11:00 a.m. at Yurcak Field. Notre Dame is in the midst of a four-game winning streak that started on April 5. The Irish are 9-4 overall and 5-1 in the BIG EAST, good for second place in the conference race. They start the week ranked 12th in both the IWLCA coaches’ poll and the Inside Lacrosse media poll. Ohio State comes into Thursday’s game with an 8-5 overall record and a 1-3 mark in the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC). The Buckeyes are ranked 18th in both polls to start the week. Rutgers closes its season with three straight home games and has a 9-4 record on the year to go with a 2-3 mark in BIG EAST play. The Scarlet Knights’ game with the Irish is their only contest this week. After the Rutgers game, Notre Dame closes out the 2010 season on Saturday, May 1 with a noon game at Connecticut.

IRISH AND THE BUCKEYES: Notre Dame and Ohio State meet for the 15th time in the all-time series with the Irish holding an 8-6 advantage in the first 14 meetings. At Columbus, Ohio, Notre Dame is 4-2 all-time. The last time the Irish played at Ohio State was Feb. 24, 2008 with Notre Dame taking a 14-11 victory. Last season, the two teams met at Notre Dame on Feb. 22 with the Irish taking a 14-11 decision. Kailene Abt (4 goals), Shaylyn Blaney (3 goals) and Gina Scioscia (2 goals, 1 assist) paced the Irish in the win.

A LOOK AT OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes are 8-5 on the year and 1-3 in the ALC with three games left to play. They are coming off an 18-12 loss on April 17 to ALC foe Penn State. Ohio State has played five teams that the Irish have played this year, defeating Duquesne, Louisville and Cincinnati while losing to Northwestern and Vanderbilt. The Buckeyes are averaging 14.62 goals per game while giving up 11.15 per contest. They have seven players with 11 or more goals on the year and are led by the high-scoring trio of Kelly Haggerty (30g, 32a, 62 pts.), Alayna Markwordt (35g, 21a, 56 pts.) and Brittany Zerhusen (38g, 14a, 52 pts.). Ohio State’s top goalkeeper is Annie Carrothers who is 7-5 overall with an 11.67 goals-against average and a .525 save percentage.

IRISH VERSUS SCARLET KNIGHTS: Saturday’s game between Notre Dame and Rutgers will be the the 11th meeting between the two schools with the Irish holding a 7-3 advantage. At Rutgers, the Irish are 3-2 after winning the last meeting there, April 20, 2008, a 20-9 victory. Last season, the two teams met at the Loftus Sports Center with Notre Dame taking an 18-9 win. Gina Scioscia tied a Notre Dame record in the game with six assists and added a pair of goals for a career-best, eight-point game. Ansley Stewart (3g, 1a) added a four-point game and Kaitlin Keena (1g, 2a) had three points against the Scarlet Knights. Yurcak Field will be the site of the 2010 BIG EAST Championship on May 6-8.

SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS: Rutgers is 9-4 on the year and 2-3 in conference play, leaving the Scarlet Knights in fifth in the BIG EAST, two-and-a-half games behind fourth-place Loyola. Rutgers has won three of its last four games and is undefeated at home this season with a 5-0 record. The Scarlet Knights average 12.08 goals-per game while giving up 10 per contest. Leading the offense is Brooke Cantwell (34g, 13a, 47 pts.) and she is followed by Kristen Anderson (20g, 8a) (20g, 8a) and Marlena Welsh (24g, 0a, 24 pts.). Lily Kalaka is 9-4 in goal for the Scarlet Knights with a 9.50 goals-against average and a .517 save percentage.

HEAD COACH Tracy Coyne: Tracy Coyne is in her 14th season at Notre Dame and her 23rd year in collegiate lacrosse. Coyne brings a 249-112 (.690) career record into this week’s games. As the only head coach in the Notre Dame program’s history, Coyne is 135-86 (.611) and has guided the Irish to five NCAA tournaments (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009) where her teams have advanced to the Final Four once (2006) and the quarterfinals twice (2002, 2009). The Irish have been in all three BIG EAST Tournaments to date, beginning in 2007 and they recorded their first BIG EAST title last season with wins over Syracuse (16-10) and Georgetown (12-10). A 1983 Ohio University graduate, Coyne was 23-5 in two seasons at Denison (1988-89), 91-21 in seven years at Roanoke (1990-96) and 135-86 in this, her 14th season at Notre Dame. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native led Denison (1988) and Roanoke (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996) to the NCAA Division III tournament during stops at those schools. Coyne also has coached on the international level as the head coach for the Canadian women’s lacrosse national team from 1999-2005. In June of 2005, she led Team Canada to a fourth-place finish at the 2005 World Cup, her second, fourth-place finish (2001) as Canada’s field boss. Coyne is 8-6 in her coaching career against Ohio State and 7-3 against Rutgers.

CINCINNATI RECAP: Notre Dame scored eight times in the first 10 minutes of the game on the way to an 11-2 halftime lead and a 15-5 victory over Cincinnati on Senior Day at Arlotta Stadium on April 17. Senior Gina Scioscia paced the Irish with three goals and four assists for seven points in the win. Shaylyn Blaney and Jenny Granger added three goals each with Kailene Abt getting a pair. Ansley Stewart, Kate Newall, Maggie Tamasitis and Jackie Doherty added single goals for the Irish. Notre Dame out shot the Bearcats, 31-10 in the game. Freshman goalkeeper Ellie Hilling had a pair of saves in the win. Sophomore Kristin DeRespiris, a converted defender, made her first appearance in goal, playing the final 2:17 of the game, giving up a free-position goal. The win gave the Irish a 5-2 record at home this season.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE: The Notre Dame defense, led by freshman goalkeeper Ellie Hilling, has surrendered just 10 goals over the last three games (0 to Villanova, 5 to Syracuse and 5 to Cincinnati) for a 3.33 goals-against average in that span. As a team, the Irish are 16th in the nation, giving up 9.08 goals per game. In the BIG EAST, the Irish are first with an 8.88 goals-against average. The 8.88 mark is the third lowest in the program’s 14-year history.

MAKING HER MARK: Gina Scioscia’s seven-point game (3g, 4a) versus Cincinnati gives the Irish attack standout 101 goals and 97 assists for 198 points in her career. She needs just two points to become the fourth player in the program’s history to reach 200 points for her career, joining Jillian Byers `09, Crysti Foote `06 and Caitlin McKinney `08. With three assists, she will become the only player in Notre Dame history with 100 career assists and the only player with 100 goals and 100 assists for her career.

SENIOR MARKS: Notre Dame’s senior class of Rachel Guerrera, Gina Scioscia and Maggie Zentgraf needs just one more win to join the senior class of 2009 as the only two classes at Notre Dame to have four seasons with 10 or more wins. With three games left this season, the 2010 senior class is 48-22 for a .686 winning percentage.

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Shaylyn Blaney had a school-record seven caused turnovers in the win over Cincinnati.

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RECORD SETTER: Junior midfielder Shaylyn Blaney is known for her goal-scoring ability as she already has well over 100 goals for her career. In the 15-5 win over Cincinnati on April 17, she put on a clinic at both ends of the field. Blaney scored three goals in the game while grabbing six ground balls, winning four draw controls and causing a Notre Dame school-record with seven caused turnovers versus the Bearcats.

MAKING THE STOPS: Freshman goaltender Ellie Hilling enters the game at Ohio State with a 9-4 record and an 8.83 goals against average with a .426 save percentage in her rookie season. The 5-2 netminder’s goals-against average is currently the third best in the program’s history:

Goals-Against Leaders 1.  Jen White (2002)            7.492.  Carol Dixon (2004)          8.573.  Ellie Hilling (2010)        8.834.  Jen White (2001)            9.255.  Jen White (2003)            9.866.  Carol Dixon (2006)          9.987.  Erin Goodman (2007)        10.328.  Erin Goodman (2008)        10.749.  Carol Dixon (2005)         11.0410. Erin Goodman (2009)        11.11

ONE-TWO PUNCH: A warning to opposing offenses. You may want to stay away from Notre Dame juniors Jackie Doherty and Shaylyn Blaney. The Irish duo are among the BIG EAST league leaders in ground balls and caused turnovers. Doherty, Notre Dame’s defensive whiz, leads the Irish in ground balls (43, 3.31 per game) and caused turnovers (30, 2.31 per game) to lead the BIG EAST in both categories. Blaney checks in with 32 ground balls (2.46 per game) and 29 caused turnovers (2.23). She is fifth in ground balls and second in caused turnovers. Nationally, Doherty is ninth in ground balls and fifth in caused turnovers while Blaney is seventh in caused turnovers.

THE IRISH ALL-TIME: In this the 14th season of the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse program, Notre Dame brings a 135-86 all-time record (.611) into this week’s game at Ohio State. That record includes a 54-48 road record (.529). At home, the Irish are 67-31 (.684) with a 14-7 all-time ledger on neutral fields.

STREAKY IRISH: Five different Notre Dame players bring scoring streaks into Thursday’s game with Ohio State. The list includes:

Gina Scioscia - 32 games (73g, 55a, 128 pts)Maggie Tamasitis - 13 games (13g, 20a, 33 pts)Kailene Abt - 5 games (8g, 6a, 14 pts)Ansley Stewart - 5 games (6g, 2a, 8 pts)Shaylyn Blaney - 4 games (9g, 0a, 9 pts)

HITTING THE CENTURY MARK: With three goals in the 15-5 win over Cincinnati, senior Gina Scioscia became the eighth player in Notre Dame history to reach 100 goals for her career as she joined midfielder Shaylyn Blaney who reached the “Century Mark” on March 20 at Boston University. Scioscia now has 101 career goals, 97 assists and 198 career points while Blaney has moved to sixth with 113 goals in her career. Blaney is now ninth with 127 career points for the Irish. The Stony Brook, N.Y., native has now scored 20 or more goals in each of her three seasons at Notre Dame.

CAREER LISTS: Senior Gina Scioscia has carried the hot hand for Notre Dame over the last five games and the Irish are 4-1 in them. She turned in back-to-back five-point games (2g, 3a) versus Georgetown and Loyola. On April 9, she had a goal and two assists in the 16-0 win over Villanova and followed that with two goals and an assist versus Syracuse. Her seven-point game against Cincinnati gives her 10 goals and 13 assists over the last five games. For her career, Scioscia now has 101 career goals with 97 assists for 198 career points. Her 97 assists rank her fifth among active NCAA players and her 198 points tie her for 18th among active players. For the Irish all-time, Scioscia is eighth in goals, first in assists and fourth in points.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Three Notre Dame players were honored by the BIG EAST and WomensLax.com for their play in the three Irish wins the week of April 5-11. Notre Dame swept the BIG EAST awards with Shaylyn Blaney getting the offensive player of the week and Jackie Doherty the defensive player. Blaney had six goals on the week, getting three in the second-half comeback at Loyola and the game winner versus Syracuse. She added seven ground balls, five draw controls and eight caused turnovers. Doherty anchored the Notre Dame defense that gave up five goals per game. She had 11 ground balls, six draw controls and seven caused turnovers. Ellie Hilling was named WomensLax.com’s rookie of the week as she won all three games and turned in 98:33 minutes of shutout play, including a 16-0 blanking of Villanova. Hilling had a 5.00 goals against average and a .545 save percentage for the three games.

SLAMMING THE DOOR: On April 5 in the 11-10 win at Loyola, the Irish gave up the Greyhounds’ final goal of the game with 4:38 left on the clock. Notre Dame would then shutout Villanova for the full 60 minutes and then added 30 minutes in the first half versus Syracuse. When Michelle Tumolo scored just 3:55 into the second half, it ended Ellie Hilling and the Notre Dame defense’s shutout string at 98:33, the longest scoreless streak by the Irish in the program’s 14-year history.

SHUTOUT NOTES: Notre Dame’s 16-0 shutout of Villanova was the first in the program’s 14-year history. The shutout was the second this season at the Division I level as Penn blanked St. Joseph’s, 14-0, on March 17, 2010. Prior to getting the shutout versus Villanova, Notre Dame owned the BIG EAST record for fewest goals in a game as the Irish did it twice, giving up two goals in a 9-2 win over Rutgers on April 28, 2002 and then reduced the mark to one goal in an 11-1 defeat of Loyola on March 25, 2007.

BENCH STRENGTH: Of the 16 goals scored by Notre Dame in the win over Villanova, nine of them were scored by Irish players who came off the bench. Ansley Stewart led the way with three goals. Jordy Shoemaker scored twice and Flannery Nangle, Kelly Driscoll, Jaimie Morrison and Betsy Mastropieri each had one goal. Amy Bernier and Jenny Granger each had assists in the game.

TEN-GOAL OUTBURST: Notre Dame’s 11 goals in the first half versus Cincinnati marked the third time this season that the Irish have scored 10 or more goals in a half. The first time came Feb. 27 when the Irish scored 11 versus Duquesne in a 15-10 Notre Dame win. The second time was on April 9 when they got 10 versus Villanova in the 16-0 win over the Wildcats.

MARGIN OF VICTORY: The last time that Notre Dame won a game by a 16-goal margin came on March 22, 2009 when the Irish defeated California, 20-4. Notre Dame’s largest margin of victory in the 14-year history of the program is 19 goals, a mark that was reached on March 10, 2000 when the Irish defeated Ohio, 22-3.

NAIL BITERS: No one ever said it would be easy. Just ask the Irish. In eight of their first 13 games this season, the Irish have gone to overtime in two of them and had six others decided by one or two goals. Notre Dame is 2-0 in overtime, 4-1 in games decided by one goal and 6-2 in games decided by two goals or less.

THE PLAYMAKER: Sophomore attack standout Maggie Tamasitis is third in scoring for Notre Dame with 13 goals and 20 assists for 33 points. As a freshman, the playmaker had 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points. In just 34 career games, Tamasitis already has 40 career assists to rank ninth on Notre Dame’s all-time assist list.

BLANEY DOES IT ALL: Junior midfielder Shaylyn Blaney enters the Ohio State game ranked first in goals (26) and fourth in points (27). But Blaney’s game isn’t all about offense. The talented midfielder gets in done at both ends of the field. She currently leads the Irish with 28 draw controls, is second with 32 ground balls and is second in caused turnovers with 31.

KEY CONTRIBUTOR: Sophomore Megan Sullivan has become a key contributor to the Irish offense this season. She already has career highs in goals (11), assists (4) and points (15). In the 11-9 win over Louisville on March 27, Sullivan had a career-high four goals versus the Cardinals.

ROAD WARRIORS: Through the first 12 games of the 2010 season, Notre Dame is 4-2 on the road. A year ago, the Irish were 6-3 away from home to equal the program’s all-time best road mark set in 2008. Over the last two-plus seasons, Notre Dame is 16-8 (.667) away from home.

CLOSE ONES: The 11-10 win over Loyola on April 5 was the fourth, one-goal game of the season for the Irish. They followed that with a second one-goal win on April 11 with a 6-5 win over Syracuse. That gives the Irish a 4-1 mark in one-goal games. All-time, Notre Dame has been involved in 37 one-goal games in 14 seasons and is 19-18 overall. In 2006, the Irish played in six, one-goal games, going 4-2 in that season.