Aug. 18, 2007
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NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SOCCER PREGAME NOTES – vs. North Carolina (preseason exhibition) … Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007 (Alumni Field; 1:00 p.m. EDT) … ND w-soccer sports info. contact – Pete LaFleur (574-631-7516; lafleur.4@nd.edu)
One of the largest crowds in Alumni Field history is expected for Sunday’s game.
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PRESALE TICKET TOTAL PUSHING 1,200 – In a rare rematch of the previous year’s national championship game (won 2-1 by UNC), the Notre Dame and North Carolina women’s soccer teams will meet in a preseason exhibition on Sunday, Aug. 19, at Alumni Field (1:00 p.m. EDT) … the game is attracting plenty of advance interest from area soccer fans, as 1,143 tickets had been purchased as of Friday at 5:00 p.m. – via sales at the Joyce Center box office or online at und.com … fans still can purchase tickets online through Sunday morning (pick up at will-call) and also can purchase tickets later in the day at Alumni Field, with the gates to open at noon … for online orders, go to: http://und.cstv.com/tickets/nd-tickets.html … also note new parking procedures (see note later in release).
(note: look for more on und.com leading up to game time, including a full-color PDF of the game progam and the full ND season preview)
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION – links to live audio and GameTracker live stats are available on the front page (and main women’s soccer page) at und.com … a full game report – including coach/player quote from both teams and gameday photos – will be posted on und.com … the ND Sports Hotline will include a summary, to be posted shortly after the game (call 574-631-3000, then choose option 4 and then option 2; note that the hotline menu will be realigned for fall sports later this weekend) … a free video preview interview with ND head coach Randy Waldrum is available on the und.com main page and women’s soccer page (via the Video View tabs).
IN THE POLLS – North Carolina is #1 in both preseason polls that have been released thus far (NSCAA coaches poll and Soccer Buzz women’s soccer website) … Notre Dame is #2 in the NSCAA preseason poll and #3 per Soccer Buzz … UNC returned nine regular starters (one is out for the year with an injury) from its 2006 NCAA championship team that went 27-1-0 … ND has seven starters back from its NCAA runner-up squad that completed a 25-1-1 season .. .the 2006 championship game marked the first time in the 25-year history of Division I women’s soccer that both teams entered the title game with 25 or more victories (with a 51-1-1 record; the most combined wins ever between finalists).
Notre Dame Returning Starters (7 … returners scored 89% of ND’s goals in 2006 … 85-11 scoring edge in ’06)
Kerri Hanks (F, Jr.) – 2006 Hermann Trophy (led nation in scoring, 22G-22A) … 50G-37A in career … U.S. U-21s
Amanda Cinalli (F, Sr.) – 2nd team all-region in ’06 (11G-4A) … 31G-26A in career … 3-time all-BIG EAST … U.S. U-21s
Michele Weissenhofer (F, So.) – Freshman All-American, 1st team all-BE (18G-17A; nation’s #2 scorer) … U.S. U-21s
Brittany Bock (M, Jr.) – 2nd team all-region in ’06 (12G-7A) … 24G-16A in career … 2-time all-BIG EAST … U.S. U-21s
Carrie Dew (D/center, Jr.) – 1st tm all-region in ’06 (BE def. player of yr.) … DNP ’06 NCAAs (ACL/knee inj.) … U.S. U-21
Ashley Jones (D/right, Sr.) – converted midfielder … 2G-5A in 2006 (4G-10A in career, 79 GP/68 GS)
Lauren Karas (G, Sr.) – 4th in nation with 0.41 GAA in ’06 (13 solo shutouts) … career-best 9 saves vs. Santa Clara (3-1)
Starters Lost (and top replacements): midfielder Jen Buczkowski (three-year All-American; 1G-13A in ’06; 20G-37A in career, 103 GP/97 GS), defensive midfielder Jill Krivacek (2nd team all-region; 5G-6A in ’06; 10G-15A in career), left back Christie Shaner (4-year all-BIG EAST; 3G-4A in 100 career GP/90 GS) and center back Kim Lorenzen (team cpt; def. MVP of ’06 BET; 95 career GP/85 GS) … sophomore Haley Ford is 2007 probable starter at center back (replaced Dew in ’06 NCAAs; 27 GP/14 GS in `06) while sophomore Amanda Clark (27 GP/14 GS in ’06) could start at center back, outside back or defensive midfield) … top veteran candidates in midfield include sophomore Courtney Rosen (2G-4A in ’06; 20 GP/5 GS, missed 7 gms due to foot injury; U.S. U-17s) and junior Becca Mendoza (33 GP/4 GS in career, 1G-1A; Mexican National Team), with possible new starters at outside back including junior Elise Weber (transfer from Wisconsin; 43 GP/38 GS in career, 8G-5A) and junior Kerry Inglis (slowed by nagging ankle injury in ’05 and ’06).
UNC Returning Starters (9/10 … healthy returners scored 58% of UNC’s goals in ’06 … 81-13 scoring edge in ’06)
Whitney Engen (F, So.) – 12G-3A in 2006 … U.S. U-21s
Casey Nogueira (F, So.) – 4G-8A in ’06 (GWG-1A in title game; replaced injured Libby Guess) … U.S. U-19s
Yael Averbuch (M/att., Jr.) – All-American (3rd in Hermann Trophy voting) … 16G-7A in 2006 … full Nat. Tm player pool
Tobin Heath (M/left, So.) – 2006 Freshman All-American (4G-9A, 22 GS) … U.S. U-19s (currently in full Nat. Team pool)
Nikki Washington (M/right, So.) – 2006 Freshman All-American (3G-9A, 28 GS) … U.S. U-20s
Ali Hawkins (M/def., So.) – 6G-3A in 2006 … will miss 2007 with ACL knee injury … Penn State junior transfer Allie Long plays same position (def./holding midfielder) and is probable starter (had 4G-3A in 15 GS in ’06; played for U.S. U-19s)
Ariel Harris (D/left, Sr.) – four-year starter (27 GP/17 GS in ’06)
Jessica Maxwell (D/center, 5th-Yr.) – All-American; DNP in ’05 (knee injury) or in ’06 semi/final (ankle inj.) … U.S. U-21s
Kristi Eveland (D/right, So.) – led 2006 team with 2,408 minutes played
Anna Rodenbough (G, Jr.) – 0.39 GAA, 15 solo shutouts in ’06 (28 GS) … junior ‘keeper Ashlyn Harris was nation’s top-ranked recruit but slowed by knee injuries in 2005 and 06 seasons (current member of full National Team player pool)
Starters Lost: forwards Heather O’Reilly (All-American; 12G-16A in ’06; 59G-49A in career) and Libby Guess (6G-13A in ’06; 32G-35A career) … Hawkins lost for `07 to preseason knee injury … senior Robin Gayle (filled in for Maxwell at the ’06 College Cup final weekend) currently is in China preparing to play with Canada at the World Cup … candidates to fill open forward spot include senior Jaime Gilbert (former starter; 5G-4A in ’06; 26G-23A in career).
MEETING OF THE ELITE – UNC and ND rank atop many statistical categories in the history of women’s soccer:
WINNINGEST TEAMS OF THE CURRENT DECADE (2000-06)
North Carolina – 163-9-7 (.930 win pct.; 23.3 wins per season)
Notre Dame – 146-20-4 (.871 win pct.; 20.9 wins per season
Penn State – 141-22-12 (.840 win pct.; 20.1 wins per season
UCLA – 138-26-6 (.829 win pct.; 19.7 wins per season)
Portland – 136-23-9 (.836 win pct.; 19.4 wins per season)
Note: ND and Penn State will meet in five weeks (Sept. 23, at Alumni Field), in a game to be televised on ESPN-U
MOST D-I WOMEN’S SOCCER WINS DURING THE PAST FOUR SEASONS (2003-06; departed senior classes)
1. North Carolina – 97-3-3 (.956)
2. Notre Dame – 92-8-3 (.908 win pct.; 2nd-best class win pct. in ND history behind .921/91-6-4, ’94-’97)
3.UCLA – 81-15-5 (.827)
MOST D-I WOMEN’S SOCCER WINS DURING THE PAST THREE SEASONS (2004-06; current senior classes)
1. Notre Dame – 72-5-2 (.924 win pct.; ND four-year record is .921)
2. North Carolina – 70-3-3 (.941)
3. UCLA – 61-13-2 (.816)
WINNINGEST TEAMS OF THE 1990s (1990-99)
1. North Carolina – 216-7-3 (.962 win pct.; 21.6 wins per season)
2. Notre Dame – 196-27-11 (.861 win pct.; 19.6 wins per season)
NCAA Championship Seasons
1. North Carolina – 18
2. Notre Dame – 2 (1995, 2004)
Portland – 2
NCAA Tournament All-Time Winning Percentage
1. North Carolina – .929 (92-7-0)
2. Notre Dame – .764 (40-12-1)
Most NCAA Title Game Appearances
1. North Carolina – 21
2. Notre Dame – 6
3. Connecticut – 4
Most NCAA Title Games Since 1994
1. North Carolina – 9
2. Notre Dame – 6
3. Portland – 3
UCLA – 3
Most College Cup/Semifinal Trips
1. North Carolina – 23
2. Santa Clara – 10
3. Notre Dame – 8
Portland – 8
Most College Cup/Semifinal Trips Since 1994
1. North Carolina – 11
2. Notre Dame – 8
3. Portland – 8
4. Santa Clara – 7
Most NCAA Quarterfinal Appearances Since 1994 – UNC 13, ND 11, SCU 11, Portland 10
Most NCAA Round-of-16 Appearances Since 1993 – UNC 13, ND 12, UConn 12 Portland 12
Most Wins in a Season (ND and UNC have accounted for 10 of the 11 seasons with 25-plus wins)
27 – UNC 2003
27 – UNC 1997
27 – UNC 2006
26 – Florida 1998
Teams with 25 wins have included UNC in 1992, ’94, ’95, ’96 and ’98, and ND in ’04 and ’06.
Longest Home Winning Streaks in Division I History (for all fall games, excluding exhibitions)
1. North Carolina – 84 games (Sept. 6, 1986 – Sept. 18, 1994)
2. Penn State – 39 games (2001-04)
3. Notre Dame – 32 games – active (spanning all of 2004-06 seasons)
note: ND’s active 41-game home unbeaten streak (40-0-1) also ranks third, behind UNC’s 84-game streak without a loss (listed above; 1986-94) and a 56-game home unbeaten streak by UNC from 1999-2004
NSCAA All-Americans Since 1994
1. North Carolina – 41
2. Notre Dame – 37
3. Portland – 26
CoSIDA Academic All-Americans Since 1995
1. Notre Dame – 18
2. North Carolina – 12
Hermann Trophy Recipients
1. North Carolina – 6 players (8 awards) … Shannon Higgins (1989), Kristine Lilly (1991), Mia Hamm (1992-93), Tisha Venturini (1994), Cindy Parlow (1997-98), Cat Reddick 2003)
2. Notre Dame – 3 players … Cindy Daws (1996), Anne Makinen (2000), Kerri Hanks (2006)
3. Portland – 2 players (3 awards) … Shannon MacMillan (1995), Christine Sinclair (2004, 2005)
Hermann Trophy Recipients since 1996
1. Notre Dame – 3 players … Cindy Daws (1996), Anne Makinen (2000), Kerri Hanks (2006)
2. North Carolina – 2 players (3 awards) … Cindy Parlow (1997-98), Cat Reddick (2003)
3. Santa Clara – 2 players … Mandy Clemens (1999), Aly Wagner (2002)
4. Portland – 1 player (2 awards) Christine Sinclair (2004, 2005)
NCAA Leaders in Career Coaching Win Pct. (min. 10 yrs D-I; record includes only yrs at 4-year schools)
1. Anson Dorrance (UNC; 1979- ) – .945 (629-28-18)
2. Clive Charles (Portand; 1989-2002) – .799 (226-52-13); non-active (passed away in 2003)
3. Jerry Smith (Santa Clara; 1986- ) – .777 (326-84-27)
4. Randy Waldrum (Tulsa/Baylor/ND; 1989- ) – .773 (273-74-18)
Becky Burleigh (Berry/Florida; 1989- ) – .773 (294-78-23)
Note: in the span of 15 days this season, Waldrum will match wits with Dorrance, Burleigh and Smith
Most Trips to the NCAA Title Game 1. Anson Dorrance (UNC) 21
2. Len Tsantiris (UConn) – 4
3. Randy Waldrum (ND) – 3 (1999, 2004, 2006)
4. Jillian Ellis (UCLA) – 3
Most Trips to the NCAA Title Game from 1999-2006
1. Anson Dorrance (UNC) – 5
2. Randy Waldrum (ND) – 3 (1999, 2004, 2006)
3. Jillian Ellis (UCLA) – 3
4. Jerry Smith (Santa Clara) – 2
2006 Division I Women’s Soccer Attendance Leaders
1. Texas A&M – 3,360
2. Portland – 3,408
3. BYU – 2,070
4. Notre Dame – 1,901
5. North Carolina – 1,888
TITLE-GAME REMATCHES A RARITY – Dating back to the first Division I women’s soccer championship season (1982), there have been nine times that saw the teams in the national-title game met during the following regular season (two involving ND-UNC rematches):
Year – Championship game … Score in next regular season (date of rematch)
1984 – UNC 2, UConn 0 … UNC 5, UConn 0 (Oct. 13, 1985; UNC’s 15th game)
1985 – George Mason 2, UNC 0 … UNC 4, GMU 2 (Sept. 21, 1986; UNC’s 7th game)
1987 – UNC 1, UMass 0 … UNC 4, UMass 0 (Oct. 15, 1988; UNC’s 13th game)
1988 – UNC 4, N.C. State 1 … UNC 3, N.C. State 0 (Sept. 17, 1989; UNC’s 7th game)
1990 – UNC 6, UConn 0 … UNC 2, UConn 0 (Sept. 21, 1991; UNC’s 5th game)
1992 – UNC 9, Duke 1 … UNC 6, Duke 2 (Sept. 29, 1993; UNC’s 9th game)
1994 – UNC 5, ND-UNC 0 … UNC 2, ND 0, in Houston (Oct. 15, 1996; ND’s 14th game)
1996 – UNC 1, ND 0 (OT) … ND 2, UNC 2 (Sept. 19, 1997; ND’s 7th game)
2002 – Portland 2, Santa Clara 1 … at SCU 2, Portland 1 in 2 OT (Nov. 2, 2003; UP/SCU’s 19th game)
As shown above, the teams that won the title went a combined 6-2-1 in the regular-season rematches that followed the next year – including ND’s 2-2 tie with UNC in 1997 … the biggest revenge (by margin) came in UNC’s 1986 win over George Mason (4-2; after losing 2-0 to GMU in ’85 title games) … on average, the rematches listed above came well into the second half of the season (11th game), with the quickest rematch by date being UNC and N.C. State in 1989 (Sept. 17) while the quickest by game number was the UNC-UConn in 1990 (5th game of season) … six of the rematches listed above involved teams that were not from the same conference (UNC vs. ND twice, UConn twice, GMU and UMass).
• In four other years (plus some of those mentioned above), the title-game teams had a rematch but it did not come until the next year’s NCAAs:
1989 – UNC 2, CC 0 … met in 1990 NCAA semifinals (won by UNC, 2-1)
1999 – UNC 2, ND 0 … met in 2000 NCAA semifinal (won by UNC, 2-1)
2001 – SCU 1, UNC 0 … met in 2002 NCAA semifinals (won by SCU, 2-1)
2005 – Portland 4, UCLA 0 … met in 2006 NCAA quarterfinals (won by UCLA)
UCLA’s 2006 squad is the only team in D-I women’s soccer history to lose an NCAA title game and then beat that same opponent in the NCAAs the next season (excluding a couple years where teams had an initial rematch earlier in that regular season)
RENEWING THE RIVALRY – This weekend’s exhibition could be the first step in regular meetings between Notre Dame and UNC, as Randy Waldrum and Anson Dorrance tentatively have made agreements for the teams to meet during the regular season in upcoming years.
PARKING AND VEHICLE ENTRY CHANGES AT ALUMNI FIELD – Fans should be aware of the new parking situation at Alumni Field starting this weekend and to be in effect for all ensuing Notre Dame men’s and women’s soccer games … due to the recent groundbreaking and start of construction for Melissa Cook Softball Stadium, the soccer programs had to shift one of their practice fields to the area immediately south of Alumni Field … in the past, this area had served as the primary parking area for games at Alumni Field (it since has been converted to a top-quality practice field) … with the new configuration of the various fields, fans attending soccer games at Alumni Field will not be able to enter by car off Ivy Road … instead, all vehicles carrying soccer fans should enter campus off Edison Road and proceed straight to the Eck Baseball Stadium parking area (a.k.a. Gold Lot) – before walking east on the small access road to Alumni Field.
Notre Dame All-Time Series Versus North Carolina (2-9-2; H: 0-1-1; A: 1-1-0; N: 1-6-1)
Date – Site … Score … NSCAA Ranking (at time of game)
10/15/93 – Houston, TX … L (0-3) … ND 5, UNC 1
10/2/94 – St. Louis, MO (ot) … T (0-0) … ND 2, UNC 1
11/20/94 – Portland, OR* … L (0-5) … ND 1, UNC 2
10/15/95 – Houston, TX … L (0-2) … ND 6, UNC 1
12/1/95 – Chapel Hill, NC# … W (1-0) … ND 4, UNC 1
10/4/96 – Durham, NC (ot) … W (2-1) … ND 2, UNC 1
12/8/96 – Santa Clara, CA* (ot) … L (0-1) … ND 1, UNC 2
9/19/97 – Notre Dame, IN … T (2-2 ND 2) … UNC 1, ND 2
9/13/98 – Chapel Hill, NC … L (1-5) … ND 2, UNC 1
9/3/99 – Notre Dame, IN (ot) … L (2-3) … ND 7, UNC 1
12/5/99 – San Jose, CA* … L (0-2) … ND 5, UNC 3
12/1/00 – San Jose, CA# … L (1-2) … ND 1, UNC 5
12/3/06 – Cary, NC* … L (1-2) … ND 1, UNC 1
* NCAA championship final # NCAA championship semifinal
Result Notes
• The 1999 NCAA final is the only time in the history of the series that one of the teams was not ranked #1
• The higher-ranked team is only 6-4-2 in the series (teams were co-#1 entering 2006 title game)
• Four ND-UNC games on the NCAA final weekend have stopped teams from rare unbeaten seasons (ND was 23-0-1 before losing the ’94 title game; UNC was 25-0-0 before losing the ’95 title game; ND was 23-0-1 before its 2000 semifinal; and ND was 25-0-1 before losing the ’06 title game) … from 1994-2003, there was only one unbeaten NCAA champion (UNC in ’97)
SERIES NOTES
• UNC’s all-time record (629-28-18) includes only eight opponents who have totaled at least two games vs. the Tar Heels that were not losses (wins or ties) … ND is one of those teams and owns the best win pct. from that group (.231: 2-9-2), followed by Santa Clara’s .222 (4-14) … all other teams (besides ND and SCU) are just 22-606-16 vs. UNC (.047), with ND and SCU accounting for one-third of the wins over UNC … here’s the list of teams with at least two wins/ties vs. UNC:
Teams vs. UNC – W-L-T (Pct.)
Notre Dame – 2-9-2 (.231; ND is 1-4-2/286 vs. UNC in regular-season games)
Santa Clara – 4-14-0 (.222)
George Mason – 1-14-2 (.118)
Connecticut – 2-16-0 (.111)
Central Florida – 0-15-3 (.083; UCF has faced UNC just twice since 1991)
Florida State – 1-19-1 (.071)
Duke – 2-37-1 (.063)
N.C. State – 1-36-2 (.051)
Most wins plus ties (non-losses) vs. UNC
4 – Notre Dame (2-9-2) and Santa Clara (4-14-0)
3 – Duke, N.C. State, George Mason, UCF 2 – UConn, Florida State
Teams with multiple wins vs. UNC 4 – Santa Clara
2 – Notre Dame, UConn and Duke
Historic and Noteworthy Series Moments
• The 1994 tie (0-0, in St. Louis) snapped UNC’s 92-game winning streak (longest in D-I history for any team-based sot)
• ND’s 1-0 win at UNC in the 1995 NCAA semifinals ended UNC’s run of national titles (9) and kept the Tar Heels out of the title game for the first time since the tournament began in 1982
• Jenny Streiffer’s pair of goals in the 1996 regular-season game (2-1/OT, at Duke) made ND the first team ever to defeat UNC in consecutive meetings (since matched by only Santa Clara)
• ND has been shut out only 14 times since ’94, with five of those shutouts coming in games vs. UNC (three in title games)
• The 1997 tie came on an “electric” night at Alumni Field, with an overflow crowd of 3,000-plus buzzing as ND’s Jenny Heft tied the game in the 69th minute, with the game halted in the 72nd minute (and ultimately ended) due to lightning
• The first game of the Randy Waldrum era at ND saw Mia Sarkesian give the Irish a 2-1 lead shortly before halftime, but Kim Patrick tied the game with 2:56 left in regulation and Meredith Florance scored the gamewinner with just 1:00 left in the second OT (the game nearly became the third tie in the series) … since that game, ND has not lost in overtime (14-0-6) … the 1999 game vs. UNC is ND’s only loss in a season opener since 1992
• The teams also played a preseason exhibition in 2002, won 4-2 by UNC in nearby Ft. Wayne, Ind.
Notre Dame junior midfielder Brittany Bock previously played on various U.S. youth national teams alongside 10 current UNC players.
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FRIEND OR FOE? – Several Notre Dame and UNC players have past history as teammates on various club, ODP and national teams:
Notre Dame Player – UNC Player(s) … Teams
Kerri Hanks – Jessica Maxwell … Dallas Texans (’03 nat’l champs)
– Ashlyn Harris (U.S. U-19s)
– Tobin Heath/Casey Nogueira … Full National Team camp (Dec. ’06)
Brittany Bock – Heath/Nogueira/Allie Long … U.S. U-20s
– Ariel Harris/Whitney Engen … U.S. U-20 camps
Ashlyn Harris/Yale Averbuch/Jaime Gilbert … U-17s and U-19s
Mandy Moraca/Nikki Washington … U.S. U-16s
Carrie Dew – Heath/Nogueira/Long … U.S. U-20s
– Ariel Harris/ Engen … U.S. U-20 camps
– Moraca/Washington … U.S. U-16s
– Engen … Cal-South state ODP
– Ali Hawkins (injured for ’07) … San Diego Surf/Cal-South ODP
Haley Ford – Washington/Kristi Evelend … Dallas Texans (’06 nat’l champs)
Courtney Rosen – Heath … U.S. U-17s
– Engen … U.S. U-20s
Lauren Fowlkes – Heath/Washington/Rachel Givan/Hawkins … U.S. U-17s
Micaela Alvarez – Heath … N.J. state ODP
Kelsey Lysander – Hawkins … San Diego Surf
Taylor Knaack (inj.) – Washington/Leslie Briggs … Dallas Texans
Top matchups to watch between former teammates
• Hanks vs. center back Maxwell and ‘keeper Harris
• Dew vs. forwards Nogueira and Engen; also fellow center back Ford vs. Washington
• Bock in key midfield battle vs. four fellow youth national-team alums (Heath, Long, Averbuch, Washington)
• Other midfield battles such as Rosen vs. Heath, and Fowlkes vs. Heath and Washington