May 3, 2004
Notre Dame, Ind. – For the fourth time this season, Notre Dame senior midfielder Meredith Simon (Flemington, N.J.) has been named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week. Simon takes honors for the week ending May 2 after she had a career-high eight-point game as the Irish knocked off 14th-ranked Syracuse, 13-11, on Saturday, May 1.
The four-time honoree ties a BIG EAST record for being named the conference’s offensive player of the week, a mark that was set by Georgetown’s Sheehan Stanwick in 2001. Simon also surpasses the Notre Dame mark of three that she held along with Danielle Shearer who was selected three times in 2003.
Simon recorded four goals and four assists in her eight-point game that helped the Irish snap a four-game losing streak. The senior recorded six points (three goals and three assists) in the first half as Notre Dame built a 9-3 lead on the way to the 13-11 win. The four goals equaled a career-high for one game, as did the four assists. The eight points also extended Simon’s current scoring streak to 26 games. That streak started on March 25, 2003 and has seen Simon rack up 66 goals and 31 assists for 97 points in that run.
One of 20 nominees for the 2004 Tewaaraton Trophy, Simon has recorded six games this season with six or more points. She leads Notre Dame in goals (44), assists (24), points (68), shots (83), draw controls (30) and is second in ground balls (42). She needs two more points to set the Irish single-season mark for points in a season (70).
For her career, Simon is third in goals (107), fourth in assists (45), third in points (152), fourth in draw controls (88) and tied for fifth in ground balls with 116.
Notre Dame is now 11-4 on the season and finished tied for second in the BIG EAST with a 4-2 record. The Irish come into the final game of the season ranked 13th in the most recent IWLCA poll. The Irish close the regular season on Saturday, May 8, when they play host to the 11th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores. Game time at Moose Krause Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m.