Oct. 13, 2006

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STORRS, Conn. – The Notre Dame and Connecticut women’s soccer teams added to their 12-year rivalry by playing to a hard-fought scoreless tie on Friday night, in a BIG EAST cross-divisional game at Morrone Stadium. Notre Dame (13-0-1, 6-0-1 BIG EAST) saw the second-longest scoring streak in the program’s history end at 49 games, despite racking up a 24-8 edge in total shots. The tie duplicated the result from an ND-UConn game played nearly six years ago to the day (a 0-0 game on Oct. 21, 2000, also at Morrone Stadium). Notre Dame entered that 2000 game and Friday’s game as the nation’s top-ranked team and also had yet to lose or tie prior to the 2000 game (16-0-0, the program’s best season-opening win streak).

(Note: ND’s gamenotes will be updated prior to Sunday’s 1:00 game at Providence, which will be telecast on a delayed basis by Cox Cable at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday; also look for Randy Waldrum’s postgame comments from the ND-UConn game included with those gamenotes.)

Connecticut (7-7-2, 4-3-1) – which faced a tough 2006 non-conference schedule that included four straight games versus UNC, Duke, Santa Clara and UCLA – generated several potential scoring chances during the game but the veteran Irish defense ultimately yielded just two shots on goal in the 110 minutes of game action – with one coming late in regulation and the other in overtime. Notre Dame remains on pace to set the team per-game record for fewest shots on goal allowed in a season (2.0/gm), with 10 of the opponents’ 28 shots coming in the early showdown versus Santa Clara.

Despite the tie, Notre Dame is unbeaten at the 14-game mark for the fifth time in the program’s history. The Irish also remain unbeaten in their past 20 overtime games (14-0-6), dating back to the 1999 season-opening game with North Carolina (a 3-2, double-OT loss).

Since yielding a goal early in the Santa Clara game on Sept. 3, the Irish defense has allowed just one goal in its past 10 games, spanning nearly 1,000 minutes of play (998). Notre Dame still has given up just three goals all season (each versus a top-25 opponent), with 11 shutouts and a 0.21 season goals-against average. The Irish have totaled 17 more goals (45) than their opponents’ combined shots on goal (28).

Junior forward Amanda Cinalli had one of the game’s top scoring chances in the 81st minute, set up by a cross from the right flank by sophomore forward Brittany Bock. Cinalli struck a leaping header near the far side of the goal – but the ball sailed over the crossbar. The Irish then racked up a 9-1 shot edge in overtime – with another prime chance coming when the visitors again fed the ball into the box from the right side, as Bock nearly completed a highlight-reel “bicycle” kick before seeing the try go wide of the left post (98:52).

The visitors appeared to score in the early moments of the game (10:30), but an offside call negated freshman forward Michele Weissenhofer’s far-post shot that ripped into the right sidenetting. Four minutes later, another shot from Weissenhofer hit off the post (14:59) and sophomore forward Kerri Hanks then placed her rightside corner kick into the heart of the penalty area. Bock was in perfece position and snapped a six-yard header that was bound for the left side of the net – but UConn ‘keeper Stephanie Labbe was able to make the save (15:35).

Notre Dame still holds a significant edge (16-4-3) in the all-time series with UConn but the Irish are just 3-2-3 in games versus the Huskies at Morrone Stadium. Randy Waldrum’s eight seasons as the Irish head coach include an 8-0-0 record versus UConn at ND’s Alumni Field or at neutral sites – but the Irish now are just 1-2-2 vs. the Huskies at Morrone Stadium during the Waldrum era.

Notre Dame totaled eight shots on goal (to UConn’s two) and ultimately finished with an 8-7 edge in corner kicks. Junior goalkeeper Lauren Karas was able to handle several developing situations in UConn’s attacking third to maintain the scoreless tie.

NOTES – Friday’s game marked the first time that ND has played to OT in 26 games (since the 1-0 win at Rutgers late in the 2005 regular season) … the Irish have posted four straight shutouts versus UConn … ND’s 19-year women’s soccer history includes just six scoreless ties in 432 total games played (also vs. Dayton in ’91, UNC in ’94, UConn in ’00, Stanford in ’03 and Rutgers in ’04) … the 0-0 game vs. UNC halted the Tar Heels’ NCAA-record winning streak at 92 games … Friday’s tie prevented ND from setting the program record for regular-season winning streak (would have been 21 games) … ND has allowed just four shots on goal over the course of the past three games … the Irish remain unbeaten despite leading at halftime just six times this season (ND scored first-half goals in each of the previous three games) … Hanks can tie the ND record for quickest players to 100 career points (40 games) by registering at least one point on Sunday at PC … Hanks also has 39 goals in 39 career games (the ND record for quickest to 40 goals is 43 GP) … the ND senior class still has yet to be outshot in their career (90 games), going 80-7-3 in those games (28-1-2 in October), and the seniors have lost just once to UConn in their career (6-1-1) … senior M Jen Buczkowski has played all 90 games of the ’03-’06 seasons while senior D Christie Shaner has played in 89 (87 straight) … ND now is 60-5-2 when playing as the #1-ranked team in the NSCAA poll (42-3-3 in the regular season).

1 2 OT OT F
#1 Notre Dame (13-0-1, 6-0-1 BIG EAST) 0 0 0 0 – 0
Connecticut (7-7-2, 4-3-1 BIG EAST) 0 0 0 0 – 0

Shots: ND 7-8-6-3 – 24, UConn 4-3-0-1 – 8
Corner Kicks: ND 2-4-1-1 – 8, UConn 4-3-0-0 -7
Saves: ND 2 (Lauren Karas), UConn 8 (Stephanie Labbe)
Fouls: ND 13, UConn 6
Offside: ND 6, UConn 1
Yellow Card: Jen Buczkowski (ND) 68:52