April 14, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Fans of the Notre Dame women’s soccer team will have the opportunity to show their support for the Fighting Irish in a unique way and help a local charity at the same time, as the Notre Dame players will auction off the jerseys they wear for their April 23 exhibition match against the Mexican National Team at Alumni Stadium. The 5 p.m. (ET) contest, which will be the final match of the spring season for the Fighting Irish, is part of the dedication weekend for the $5.7 million state-of-the-art Alumni Stadium that opened last fall.
Proceeds from this year’s auction will go entirely to Camp Watcha-Wanna-Do, a Fort Wayne camp for children dealing with the effects of cancer. Bidding begins at noon (ET) on Wednesday, April 14 and will run through 3 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, April 24. Fans can bid on any or all 31 player jerseys at the official Notre Dame athletics auction website — www.und.com/auctions, or by visiting the Notre Dame women’s soccer web page and clicking on the link in the sidebar. Bids on each jersey will start at $50.00, with all proceeds going to benefit Camp Watcha-Wanna-Do (their web site can be viewed at www.campwatchawannado.com).
Fans must be registered to bid on these special jerseys by setting up an auction profile (user name/password/billing information) in advance. To register, link to . Each jersey will be autographed by the player wearing it, and also one additional player (NCAA rules stipulate a minimum of two signatures per jersey) of the bidder’s choice. The winning bidder has the option to have the jersey autographed by the entire team if they wish.
“This is a very special chance for our fans, and the whole Notre Dame and South Bend soccer communities, to get involved and help support an incredibly worthy charity like Camp Watcha-Wanna-Do,” Fighting Irish head coach Randy Waldrum said. “Our players took the initiative and wanted to make this happen, and I hope we’ll see some enthusiastic and competitive bids for these one-of-a-kind jerseys.
Notre Dame is 1-1-1 during the spring 2010 season, most recently rolling past in-state rival Purdue, 6-0 on April 11 at old Alumni Field, behind a goal and three assists from sophomore forward Melissa Henderson (Garland, Texas/Berkner), two goals from junior forward Lauren Fowlkes (Lee’s Summit, Mo./St. Teresa’s Academy), a goal and an assist from freshman midfielder Lindsay Brown (Ladera Ranch, Calif./Mater Dei), single goals by junior forward Taylor Knaack (Arlington, Texas/Martin) and junior forward Erica Iantorno (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale), and a clean sheet in the nets by freshman goalkeeper Maddie Fox (San Jose, Calif./Leigh).
The Fighting Irish will return to action at 1 p.m. (ET) Saturday when they square off with Iowa at old Alumni Field, before closing their spring schedule April 23 with the exhibition against the Mexican National Team. Following a pair of shutout losses to the U.S. National Team on March 28 (3-0 in San Diego) and March 31 (1-0 in Sandy, Utah), Mexico has earned one-goal wins over UCF (2-1) and Auburn (3-2) and a tie at Georgia (2-2) on its early slate of college opponents. Among the featured players on this year’s Mexico roster is Rebecca Mendoza (’09), who played for Notre Dame from 2005-08, helping the Fighting Irish to three consecutive NCAA College Cups, including national championship match appearances in 2006 and 2008.
Admission for Saturday’s match against Iowa is free, while tickets for the Mexico contest must be purchased — they remain on sale at the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office (Gate 9 of Purcell Pavilion), by calling the ticket office from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) weekdays at (574) 631-7356, or by going on-line at www.und.com/tickets. Tickets also will be sold at the Alumni Stadium ticket windows on match day.
— ND —