Sept. 24, 1999

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — Notre Dame’s sixth-ranked women’s soccer team, picked to win the BIG EAST Conference Mid-Atlantic division by the conference coaches, scored a pair of goals in each half for a 4-2 win over Seton Hall, the team picked to finish second to the Irish. Four different players scored for Notre Dame, and senior All-American Jenny Streiffer added two assists for the Irish, who improve to 5-2-0 and 1-0-0 in the BIG EAST with the win. The Pirates fall to 4-4-0 and 0-1-0.

First-half goals by seniors Jen Grubb and Jenny Streiffer gave Notre Dame a 2-0 halftime lead. Junior Meotis Erikson scored the 54th minute to put the Irish ahead 3-0 before Seton Hall scored twice in 10 minutes to cut the lead to 3-2. Junior All-American midfielder Anne Makinen added a score in the 75th minute for the game’s final goal. Notre Dame launched a season-high 22 shots, while allowing the Pirates nine. Seton Hall had 12 fouls to 11 for the Irish.

The Irish scored twice in a span of 5:03 in the first half to build a 2-0 lead. Grubb converted a free kick from 22 yards at 13:09 after Makinen was fouled just outside the box for Grubb’s second goal of the season and second from a free kick. Streiffer then dribbled through the midfield just inside the box before dropping a pass back to Heft, who fired a shot into the lower right corner of the net at 18:12.

Erikson’s goal came at 50:30 after Streiffer won the ball on the right endline. She chipped a cross to Erikson, who spun around from six yards with a bicycle kick that drifted into the upper left corner of the net for the game-winning goal. Seton Hall junior Kelly Smith took a pass from Dana Sheffer that sailed over the Irish backline and scored at 53:35 from just inside the box. Smith then dished a pass to Frauke Dittel, who scored from 18 yards at 63:00 to pull the Pirates within 3-2.

The Irish defense allowed just two shots by Dittel and Sheffer, both outside the box, in the final 27 minutes for the win to preserve the win. Freshman Vanessa Pruzinsky and Nancy Mikacenic set up Notre Dame’s fourth goal to give the Irish a 4-2 lead. Pruzinsky slipped pass from the right endline in the Irish defensive half of the field to Mikacenic, who lofted a shot from just beyond midfield to a charging Makinen. She volleyed the ball from 15 yards over Seton Hall’s extended goalkeeper Leah Miller at 74:09 for her second goal of the season.

#6 Notre Dame (5-2-0, 1-0-0) 2-2 4Seton Hall (4-4-0, 0-1-0)    0-2 2

First half — 1, Notre Dame, Jen Grubb 2, 13:09. 2, Notre Dame, Jenny Heft 3, (Jenny Streiffer) 18:12.

Second half — 3, Notre Dame, Meotis Erikson 2 (Jenny Streiffer) 50:30. 4, Seton Hall, Kelly Smith 15, (Dana Sheffer) 53:35. 5, Seton Hall, Frauke Dittel 2 (Kelly Smith) 63:00. 6, Notre Dame, Anne Makinen 2 (Nancy Mikacenic, Vanessa Pruzinsky) 74:09.

Shots –Notre Dame 11-11 22. Seton Hall 5-4 9.
Corner kicks –Notre Dame 3-2 5. Seton Hall 0-1 1.
Saves –Notre Dame 1-0 1. Seton Hall 2-4 6.
Fouls — Notre Dame 7-4 11. Seton Hall 4-8 12.
Cautions — Notre Dame, Kelly Lindsey, 29:12. Seton Hall, Kelly Smith, 32:24.
Attendance — 836.