Senior midfielder Maggie Zentgraf, one of Notre Dame's 2010 team captains will be honored on Senior Day at Arlotta Stadium this Saturday.

Irish To Play Host To Cincinnati On Senior Day At Arlotta Stadium This Saturday

April 15, 2010

Notre Dame, Ind. –

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– The Game: #12/#11 Notre Dame (8-4/4-1) vs. Cincinnati (4-7/0-3)

– Date/Time/Site: Sat., April 17, 2010 – 3:00 p.m. – Arlotta Stadium – Notre Dame, Ind.

– Internet: Fans can follow the Notre Dame-Cincinnati game via live video streaming and Game Tracker on April 17 by going to the Notre Dame website at und.com. There is no charge for the live video at und.com.

IRISH CLOSE OUT REGULAR SEASON AT ARLOTTA STADIUM: The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team plays its final regular-season home game on Saturday, April 17 when the Irish play host to the University of Cincinnati. Game time is 3:00 p.m. and the contest is part of a doubleheader as the Notre Dame men’s team plays Providence College in a 12 noon game prior to the women’s contest. The Irish are coming off of one of the best weeks in the program’s history as they went 3-0 in BIG EAST play with a pair of wins versus ranked teams. On April 5, Notre Dame rallied from a three-goal, second-half deficit to defeat No. 13 Loyola, 11-10. The Irish then followed with a 16-0 shutout win over Villanova on Fri., April 9 before closing the weekend with a 6-5 win over seventh-ranked Syracuse on April 11. The three wins improved Notre Dame to 8-4 overall and 4-1 in the BIG EAST, good for second place in the league standings. The Irish are currently ranked 12th in the IWLCA coaches’ poll and 11th in the Inside Lacrosse media poll. Cincinnati makes its first trip to South Bend since joining the BIG EAST last season. The Bearcats are 4-7 overall and are 0-3 in conference play as they head into Saturday’s game. Cincinnati started its week with a home loss to No. 19 Ohio State on Wednesday, April 14, falling 20-5 to the Buckeyes. The loss was the fourth in a row for the Bearcats. Their three conference losses have come to Louisville, Loyola and Georgetown. Following Saturday’s game, Notre Dame will return to action on Thursday, April 22 when the Irish travel to Ohio State for a 5:00 p.m. game with the Buckeyes.

THANKS SENIORS: Notre Dame will honor the team’s three senior members – Rachel Guerrera (Wantagh, N.Y.), Gina Scioscia (Summit, N.J.) and Maggie Zentgraf (Charlottesville, Va.) – and their parents prior to the start of Saturday’s game. The three seniors have been a part of three BIG EAST Tournament teams, including last season’s first-ever BIG EAST Championship. They have participated in two NCAA Tournaments and, coming into today’s game, own a 47-22 record for a .681 winning percentage that trails only last year’s senior class in wins and percentage with four games left to play in the regular season.

IRISH AND THE BEARCATS: Notre Dame and Cincinnati have met just once in the all-time series – April 3, 2009 – in Cincinnati where the Irish took a 16-5 victory. Gina Scioscia (2g, 3a), Ansley Stewart (4g, 0a) and Maggie Tamasitis (2g, 2a) led the Irish with four or more points in the game. Notre Dame led 10-3 at halftime on the way to the win.

A LOOK AT THE BEARCATS: Cincinnati is in its third season playing women’s lacrosse and the second season as a member of the BIG EAST. The Bearcats were 2-14 in their first season (2008) and then 7-10 last year, but 0-7 in conference play. This year’s team is 4-7 on the year and is averaging 10.0 goals per game while giving up 12.45 per contest. Cincinnati has four players with 10 or more goals on the roster and is led by sophomore attack Laura Simanski who has 27 goals and four assists for 31 points. She is followed by a pair of freshmen attack players – Katie Kiriazoglou (11g, 17a) and Katie Liberatore (16g, 10a). Junior goalkeeper Katherine Russo is 4-7 on the year with a 12.83 goals-against average and a .473 save percentage.

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 last week. 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.

HEAD COACH Tracy Coyne: Tracy Coyne is in her 14th season at Notre Dame and her 23rd year in collegiate lacrosse. Coyne brings a 248-112 (.689) career record into this week’s games. As the only head coach in the Notre Dame program’s history, Coyne is 134-86 (.608) 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 134-86 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 1-0 in her coaching career against Cincinnati.

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Senior defender Rachel Guerrera will be honored on Senior Day along with teammates Gina Scioscia and Maggie Zentgraf.

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DEFENSING THE ORANGE: Notre Dame played some of its best defense of the season on April 11 when the Irish handed seventh-ranked Syracuse a 6-5 loss at Arlotta Stadium. Coming off a 16-0 shutout of Villanova two days before, Notre Dame ran its shutout streak to 98:33 as the Irish blanked the Orange in the first half, building a 6-0 lead after the first 30 minutes. Senior Gina Scioscia paced the Notre Dame attack with three points (2g, 1a). Ansley Stewart, Kailene Abt, Kaitlin Keena and Shaylyn Blaney all had first-half goals on the way to the 6-0 lead. Syracuse would snap the shutout streak just 3:55 into the second half on a Michelle Tumolo goal and from their the Irish defensive unit of Rachel Guerrera, Emily Connor, Lauren Fenlon, Jackie Doherty and Kate Newall kept the Orange off the scoreboard as the Irish held Syracuse leading scorer Christina Dove to one assist in the contest. They made it 6-5 with 11:34 left in the game but that would end the scoring. Each team had 26 shots in the game. Ellie Hilling had three stops in each half for six in the game while Liz Hogan had 10 saves in the Syracuse goal. The win was the second in a row in the all-time series for Notre Dame against the Orange.

VILLANOVA RECAP: Notre Dame returned home after a three-game road trip to face Villanova at Arlotta Stadium on Friday, April 9. The game was the first time that the Wildcats had ever played at Notre Dame and was just the second meeting in the all-time series. The visit will be one that Villanova would like to forget as the Irish handed the Wildcats a 16-0 loss for the first shutout ever for Notre Dame and the first in the history of BIG EAST conference play since the league started in 2001. Fourteen different players got on the score sheet for the Irish as they scored five times in the first 3:12 on the way to a 10-0 lead at halftime. Ansley Stewart led the way with three goals while Kailene Abt (2g, 1a), Gina Scioscia (1g, 2a) and Maggie Tamasitis (1g, 2a) each had three points. Junior Shaylyn Blaney and sophomore Jordy Shoemaker joined Abt with two goals each. Scioscia, Tamasitis, Betsy Mastropieri, Kelly Driscoll, Kaitlin Keena, Flannery Nangle and Jaimie Morrison scored one goal each. Freshman goalkeeper Ellie Hilling had eight saves in the game to pick up her seventh win of the season as the Irish out shot Villanova, 29-16. In all, 26 of the 27 players on the Irish roster saw playing time with only freshman Michelle Tremblay (injured) not seeing action.

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.

THE IRISH ALL-TIME: In this the 14th season of the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse program, Notre Dame brings a 134-86 all-time record (.608) into Sunday’s game versus Syracuse. That record includes a 54-48 road record (.529). At home, the Irish are 66-31 (.680) with a 14-7 all-time ledger on neutral fields.

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 10 goals in the first half marked the second 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.

FIRST TIMERS: Five different Notre Dame players made their first career appearances and for two of them – sophomores Amy Bernier and Janel Carey – it was a long time coming. Both players missed all of 2009 due to season-ending injuries. Bernier, a midfielder, recorded her first career point in the game with an assist. Joining them on the scoresheet were freshmen Jaimie Morrison, McKenzie Brown and Francie Crowell who each saw their first career action.

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.

CAREER LISTS: Senior Gina Scioscia has carried the hot hand for Notre Dame over the last four 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 for seven goals and nine assists in the last four games. For her career, Scioscia now has 98 career goals with 93 assists for 191 career points. Her 93 assists rank her fifth among active NCAA players and her 191 points are 19th among active players. For the Irish all-time, Scioscia is eighth in goals, first in assists and fifth in points.

NAIL BITERS: No one ever said it would be easy. Just ask the Irish. In eight of their first 12 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.

DEFENSIVE DYNAMO: Junior defensive midfielder Jackie Doherty is among the leaders in the BIG EAST in ground balls (40, 3.33 per game) and caused turnovers (28, 2.33 per game). She is first in ground balls and second in the conference in caused turnovers. Nationally, Doherty is ninth in ground balls and eighth in caused turnovers.

THE PLAYMAKER: Sophomore attack standout Maggie Tamasitis is tied for the scoring lead at Notre Dame’s as she has with 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points. As a freshman, the playmaker had 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points. In just 33 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 Saturday’s game ranked first in goals (23) and fourth in points (24). 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 24 draw controls, is second with 26 ground balls and is second in caused turnovers with 24.

STREAKY IRISH: Six different Notre Dame players bring scoring streaks into the game with Cincinnati. The list includes:

Gina Scioscia - 31 games (70g, 51a, 121 pts)Maggie Tamasitis - 12 games (12g, 20a, 32 pts)Kailene Abt - 4 games (6g, 6a, 12 pts)Ansley Stewart - 4 games (5g, 1a, 6 pts)Shaylny Blaney - 3 games (6g, 0a, 6 pts)Kaitlin Keena - 2 games (2g, 0a, 2 pts)

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 (3) and points (14). 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.

AN ARLOTTA FIRST: Notre Dame’s 11-9 win over Louisville (March 27) marked the first Irish win at their new Arlotta Stadium. With the win over Villanova, they are now 2-2 in the new stadium after opening with losses (12-8) to Dartmouth and (10-9) to Vanderbilt. The opening game of the season was a 15-10 win over Duquesne in a game played at the Loftus Sports Center.

HITTING THE CENTURY MARK: Junior midfielder Shaylyn Blaney is the seventh player in the program’s history to score over 100 goals in her career. Blaney leads the Irish with 23 goals and is third in scoring with 24 points. Her two goals at Boston University on March 20 gave her 100 for her career. She is now sixth on the all-time goal list with 110, passing Irish assistant coach Meredith Simon `04 who had 109 career goals. Blaney is now ninth with 124 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.

ABT TO SCORE: Junior midfielder Kailene Abt has picked up 12 points in her last four games (7g, 5a) for the Irish. Versus Georgetown, she had four goals and one assist and then followed that with three assists in the win over Loyola. She added two goals, including the game winner, and an assist in the win over Villanova. Abt is third on the team in scoring with 21 goals and 10 assists for 31 points. Her 10 assists are a career high for Abt.

DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN: Freshman goalkeeper Ellie Hilling has been named the BIG EAST defensive player of the week twice this season, picking up the honor on March 22 and March 29. During the week that ended on March 28, Hilling made 18 saves in two games, including 12 in the 11-9 win over Louisville. The 12 saves were a career best for Hilling. In the two games, she was 1-1 with a 9.50 goals-against average and a .486 save percentage. On the season, Hilling is now 8-4 with 9.19 goals-against average and a .426 save percentage.

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.