Sept. 11, 2003

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NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SOCCER

Game Notes – vs. Western Kentucky (Sept. 13; 7:00 p.m. EST)

The Notre Dame women’s soccer team (5-0-0; 22-3 scoring edge) – ranked 2nd by Soccer America (behind North Carolina) and 3rd in the NSCAA coaches poll (behind UNC and Santa Clara) – returns home for a non-conference game vs. Western Kentucky on Sat., Sept. 13, at 7:00 p.m. EST … the Irish then will head west next week for showdowns with Stanford and Santa Clara at the SCU Classic (both games will be telecast live on CSTV/DirectTV 610), followed by eight straight home games for the Irish at Alumni Field … the Irish also are 2nd by Soccer Times and 3rd by Soccer Buzz … ND opened with impressive wins at the UConn Classic over Hartford (9-1) and Wake Forest (3-0) before Notre Dame Classic wins over #13 Arizona State (3-1) and Oklahoma (5-1), followed by Thursday’s BIG EAST cross-divisional win at St. John’s (2-0) … freshman M Jen Buczkowski and fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky received the respective offensive and defensive MVP awards at the ND Classic, with Buczkowski named BIG EAST rookie of the week (Soccer America and Soccer Buzz also named her to their 11-member national player-of-the-week teams) … ND has been ranked in the top three of the NSCAA poll 10 of the last 11 years (all but ’02), rising to 1st or 2nd in ’93-’00 and ’03 while earning the No. 1 ranking in ’94, ’95, ’96 and ’00 … ND returned 12 of its top 13 players (two recently were lost for the season and a third is injured) from the ’02 squad that closed with a 6-2-0 record and battled top-ranked Stanford in a 1-0 NCAA round-of-16 loss … junior All-America D Candace Chapman (ACL) and senior M Randi Scheller (hip surgery; 2nd team all-BIG EAST in ’02) are out for the year following preseason injuries while junior starting central D Gudrun Gunnarsdottir remains out this week with a broken arm suffered vs. Wake Forest on Aug. 31 (her long-term status is TBA).

INFORMATION HIGHWAY – Live stats for all Notre Dame home games (and some road games) will be available via the main page at www.und.com … see www.wkusports for Western Kentucky info. … for schedule and result information on all 26 Notre Dame varsity sports, call the ND Sports Hotline at (574) 631-3000 (press “4” for soccer information and then ‘2″ for women’s soccer results).

INTERNET AUDIO BROADCASTS – Four Notre Dame women’s soccer regular-season games (plus possible postseason) will be available via internet audio broadcasts at www.und.com … the audio is available to SportsPass subscribers, who also are able to listen to audio from other ND sports and from other schools that are part of SportsPass … for more information on Sports Pass, see the audio/video link at und.com … the broadcast schedule includes games vs. West Virginia (Oct. 3), Villanova (Oct. 5), Connecticut (Oct. 17) and Michigan (Oct. 29).

SCU CLASSIC TO BE AIRED LIVE ON CSTV – All four games at next week’s Santa Clara Classic will be telecast live by College Sports Channel (DirectTV, channel 610; see cstv.com for more info.) … longtime soccer commentator Jack Edwards will handle the play-by-play while former U.S. National Team midfielder Tisha Venturini-Hoch will serve as color commentator … ND will face Stanford on Friday, Sept. 19, at 5:00 p.m. PDT before taking on the hosts SCU on Sunday, Sept. 21 (1:30 PDT).

PRUZSINKY DRAWS NATONAL MEDIA ATTENTION – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky will be spotlighted in an upcoming feature on CSTV while the new Sports Illustrated On Campus is slated to highlight the high achiever in an upcoming issue … Pruzinsky – the national high school player of the year and a 2002 invitee to U.S. Under-21 National Team tryouts – wrapped up her undergrad studies last May with a 4.0 cumulative GPA, becoming just the third chemical; engineering major (and first since ’74) to graduate from Notre Dame with a 4.0.

HILLTOPER NOTES – Western Kentucky (2-2-0) opened with losses to Oklahoma State (0-4) and Kentucky (1-4) before beating Lipscomb (3-0) and Murray State (4-1) … WKU returned all 11 starters and 17 of 20 letterwinners from its 2002 team that went 10-9-0 and finished 5th in the Sun Belt Conference … freshman M/F Jenna Silverberg (5G-1A) and junior F Allison Nellis (3G-2A) have scored all of WKU’s goals while sophomore Becky Kasper owns a 2.61 GAA and 13 saves (8 GA).

ND WOMEN’S SOCCER BY THE NUMBERS (see PDF for chart)

SERIES OPENER SUCCESS – Notre Dame will be facing Western Kentucky for the first time and – following wins over ASU and OU last week – has won nearly 75% of its all-time series openers (65-25-2, .717), including 32-5-0 in series openers since 1993 and 45-8-0 in all series openers played at home (18-3-0 since ’93) … the Irish had won 15 consecutive series openers before 2002 losses to Purdue (3-1) and BYU (3-2).

FIRST-TIME VISITORS – Since the start of ’93, opponents making their first visits to Alumni Field have totaled just three wins over the Irish while losing to ND 33 times (33-3-1, .905), with ASU and OU joining that list after the ND Classic losses … Western Kentucky is the next to face that challenge, as will North Texas and Indiana State later this season.

NCAA STAT LEADERS – Notre Dame’s quick start places the Irish among several national stat lists … the Irish entered the week ranked 4th in the nation for goals per game (5.0; 22 total), with junior F Mary Boland ranked 5th nationally (1.50 gpg; 6 total) … freshman M Jen Buczkowski and senior F Amy Warner both entered the week tied for 8th nationally in assists per game (1.00; 4 total) … Boland also entered the week ranked 7th in points per game (3.25, 13 total).

STAT UPDATES – ND now owns a 22-3 scoring edge in 2003, after scoring just 10 goals in the first five games of 2001 and again in ’02 … the Irish also own a 100-38 shot edge (55-19 in shots on target), plus a 28-11 corner-kick edge … ND is averaging 4.4 goals per game (compared to 2.2 in ’02) and has cashed in 22% of its total shots this season (compared to just 14% in ’02).

IRISH OPEN BIG EAST PLAY WITH 2-0 WIN AT SJU – Seniors Amy Warner and Amanda Guertin registered second-half goals as ND won a BIG EAST cross-divisional game at SJU … sophomore Katie Thorlakson set up the first goal, on a back pass to the top of the box … Warner ripped a crossing shot from the left side, with the ball ticking off the fingertips of ‘keeper Tracy Rollins for Warner’s 31st career goal (50:58) … Guertin notched her 41st career goal in the closing moments, after a counter-attack … sophomore Maggie Manning sent the ball to Guertin, who moved to the top of the box and chipped a shot over Rollins (89:28) … the Irish finished with an 18-6 overall shot advantage (10-2 in shots on target) while attempting seven corner kicks to SJU’s two … Warner’s goal was the 10th gamewinner of her career, joining Guertin (16) as one of nine ND players ever to register double-digit GWGs.

#2 NOTRE DAME 0 1 – 2

ST. JOHN’S 0 0 – 0

ND 1. Amy Warner 4 (Katie Thorlakson) 50:58; ND 2. Amanda Guertin 4 (-) 89:28.

Shots: ND 8-10 – 18., SJU 1-5 – 6.

Corner Kicks: ND 7, SJU 2.

Saves: ND 2 (Erika Bohn), SJU 8 (Tracy Rollins).

Fouls: ND 12, SJU 14.

Offsides: ND 2, SJU 1.

BOHN ON A ROLL – Sophomore G Erika Bohn (Brookfield, Conn.) is 16-2 in her last 18 starts with the Irish, allowing just 13 goals in that stretch (with seven shutouts and 10 games with 1 GA) … her only losses in that stretch include: a 3-2 game vs. BYU that included a fluke goal (after a clearance deflected off the referee) and a rare late-game PK to break the 2-2 tie; and the season-ending loss at top-ranked Stanford, with the game’s only goal coming in the 81st minute as Bohn logged possibly her top all-around game of the ’02 season.

MAGIC NUMBERS – The three-goal mark has been virtually an automatic win in the program’s history, with the Irish now owning a 191-3-1 all-time record (.982) when scoring three-plus, with losses to N.C. State in the ’92 opener (4-3), to UConn in ’95 (5-4, OT) and at Georgetown in ’02 (4-3), plus a 3-3 tie vs. Vanderbilt in ’91… the Irish had won 88 straight when scoring 3-plus, before the GU loss (now 95-1-0 since Oct. 6, 1995) … ND also is 261-8-10 (.953) in all-time games when holding the opponent to 0-1 goals, including tough 1-0 losses last season to eventual NCAA champ Portland and top-ranked Stanford … prior to the Portland loss, the Irish had been 56-0-3 in the previous 59 games when allowing 0-1 GA (dating back to 1-0 loss to SMU in ’99, with ND playing minus Finnish national teamer Anne Makinen in that game).

NOTES FROM 3-1 WIN OVER #13 ARIZONA STATE (SEPT. 5)

QUICK REGROUPING – Notre Dame endured an early onslaught from ASU at the ND Classic, yielding an early 1-0 lead before turning its game up a notch for the victory.

HOME SWEET HOME – ND improved to 13-1 in its last 14 home openers, thanks once again to the stellar play of junior F Mary Boland, who scored the first two Irish goals.

BOLAND BUSTS OUT – Mary Boland’s fast start placed her in rarified air on a number of fronts, including the ND record for most goals in the first three games of a season (6) … her early goals included a hat trick vs. Hartford, a fourth goal vs. Wake and 2G vs. ASU.

GOALSCORING NOTES – Freshman M Jen Buczkowski continued to play well beyond her years with another strong display of ball control and playmaking, setting up a pair of goal (by Mary Boland and Amy Warner) with well-placed long balls … Warner’s goal was 30th of her Notre Dame career, becoming the 15th all-time ND player with 30-plus.

BOHN HOLDS THE FORT – Sophomore G Erika Bohn totaled four saves, the biggest on a penalty-kick stop with the score still 2-1 in the second half … Melissa Tancredi’s breakaway tackle set up the PK but Patrice Fuelner struck the ball low and within reach of the ‘keeper … Bohn hesitated for a split-second and was able to extend for the diving stop to her left, preserving the lead in the 61st minute.

THREE-GAME FLURRY – Notre Dame’s 15 goals in the first three games of the ’03 season marked the best early-season production by the Irish since the 1998 squad opened with 20 goals after wins over Michigan State (4-0), West Virginia (7-0) and Pittsburgh (9-1) – with the Irish facing a much stiffer slate in ’03 (Hartford, Wake Forest and ASU all were NCAA Tournament teams in ’02).

THE FULL 90 – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky, who had not played a complete game since the final game of ’01 (due to a nagging ankle injury), logged 90 minutes vs. ASU and saved the Irish several times from the early onslaught, while playing outside back.

#13 Arizona State 1 0 – 1

#5 Notre Dame 2 1 – 3

ASU 1. Stephanie Peel 1 (Courtney Crane) 10:20; ND 1. Mary Boland 5 (Jen Buczkowski) 17:38; ND 2. Boland 6 (Amanda Guertin) 22:38; ND 3. Amy Warner 3 (Buczkowski) 70:27.

Shots: ASU 6-5 – 11, ND 5-6 – 11.

Corner Kicks: ASU 4, ND 4.

Fouls: ASU 15, ND 8.

Saves: ASU 1 (Kelly Fitzgerald), ND 4 (Erika Bohn).

Offside: ASU 0, ND 1.

NOTES FROM 5-1 WIN OVER OKLAHOMA (SEPT. 7)

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES – With the wins over ASU and OU, the Irish improved to 17-3-2 in all-time home tournaments, with 2002 losses to defending NCAA champ Santa Clara and eventual ’02 NCAA champ Portland.

SCORING SURGE – The 2003 squad became the fifth ND team ever to register three-plus goals in each of its first four games (also in ’93, ’96 and ’98) while the 20-3 scoring edge in the first four games compares with the fast starts by previous Irish teams in ’93 (24-2), ’95 (24-0), ’96 (23-1) and ’98 (23-1; previous ND team with 20-plus goals in first four) … the last time an ND team posted three-plus goals in four straight games came in the ’99 postseason, vs. Miami (5-0), Seton Hall (5-0), UConn (4-2) and Dayton (5-1).

BUCZKOWSKI GETS BIG HONORS – Freshman M Jen Buczkowski (Elk Grove, Ill.) took home four awards, earning ND Classic Offensive MVP and BIG EAST rookie of the week while being one of 11 players named to national player-of-the-week teams by Soccer America and Soccer Buzz … Buczkowski totaled 2G-3A in the ND Classic while running the offense with the poise of a veteran.

PRUZSINKY DELIVERS IN FULL-TIME RETURN – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky (Trumbull, Conn.) returned full-time to the lineup after a lengthy ankle injury and was the most consistent performer for the injury-riddled defense, earning defensive MVP honors at the ND Classic for the second time in her career (also ’01) … she led the way for an Irish defense that held ASU and OU to a combined 15 shots (only six on target) and four corner kicks.

GUERTIN NOTCHES 40th GOAL, 16th GAMEWINNER – Crisp passing from Jen Buczkowski and Amy Warner led to a 10-yard tap-in for senior F Amanda Guertin, yielding a 2-0 lead on OU … Guertin became the 11th ND player to reach the 40-goal milestone and the score ended up as the game-winning goal, tying her with three previous players for third in the ND record book with 16 career GWGs.

SCHEFTER PICKS UP MORE POINTS – Sophomore M Annie Schefter – who started at central D in the ASU game – returned to the midfield vs. OU and had a hand in the final two goals … she scored her first official goal with the Irish on a 20-yard free kick from the top of the box, drilling a low, rising shot inside the left post … Schefter later picked up her second corner-kick assist of the season, with freshman Molly Iarocci nudging home the cross from the leftside flag.

ALL-TOURNAMENT PICKS – The six Irish players named to the ND Classic all-tournament team: freshman M Jen Buczkowski (2G-3A; offensive MVP), senior D Vanessa Pruzinsky (def. MVP) and senior F Amy Warner (1G-1A), plus freshman D Kim Lorenzen (strong play both outside and centrally), junior F Mary Boland (scored first two goals vs. ASU) and sophomore G Erika Bohn (2 GA, saved PK vs. ASU) … ASU’s all-tournament players included sophomore M Brittany Cooper, sophomore D Stephanie Ebner and senior D Amy LePeilbet … Rutgers freshman Robyn Jones received the top goalkeeper award and was joined on the all-tournament team by junior M Carli Lloyd … OU sophomore M Lauren MacIver rounded out the all-tournament team.

OTHER ND CLASSIC SCORES: RU 2, OU 1 … ASU 1, RU 0.

Oklahoma 1 0 – 1

#5 Notre Dame 4 1 – 5

ND 1. Jen Buczkowski 1 (-) 5:58; ND 2. Amanda Guertin (Amy Warner, Buczkowski) 20:45; OU 1. Becky Nelson 2 (Lauren MacIver) 25:19; ND 3. Buczkowski (Lizzie Reed) 33:31; ND 4. Annie Schefter 1 (-) 41:09; ND 5. Molly Iarocci 1 (Kim Carpenter, Schefter) 84:12.

Shots: OU 2-2 – 4, ND 19-8 – 27.

Corner Kicks: OU 0, ND 6.

Fouls: OU 7, ND 12.

Saves: OU 12 (Catherine Wade 7, Keara Jones 5), ND 0 (Erika Bohn, Nikki Westfall).

Offsides: OU 1, ND 0.

NOTES FROM 9-1 OPENING WIN OVER HARTFORD (Aug. 29)

HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING – Notre Dame, despite not playing preseason exhibitions (instead opting for 20 regular-season dates) headed into ’03 minus three injured starters and two other regulars sidelined with injuries … the result? – one of the most dominating games in the program’s history, a 9-1 dismantling of an historically-strong Hartford squad at the UConn Classic.

NEARLY DOUBLE DIGITS – The nine goals equal the second-most by the Irish in the five-year Randy Waldrum era and most since a 9-2 win at Wisconsin in ’99 (with a 10-0 win over Georgetown earlier that season) … just two of the previous 15 ND women’s soccer teams have turned in a more dominating opener, in ’93 (12-0 at LaSalle) and ’96 (14-0 at Providence) … the 9-goal outburst trails just 15 double-digit scoring games in the program’s history.

NEW-LOOK LINEUP – The Irish started three freshmen and a sophomore, M Annie Schefter, who missed all of the ’02 season due to injury (other starters included three seniors, two juniors and two other sophomores) … the lineup included just six who started the final game of ’02, with two – junior F Mary Boland and senior M Kim Carpenter – occupying different positions than in that ’02 NCAA third-round game at Stanford (others who started that game were senior F Amy Warner, sophomore F Katie Thorlakson, senior central D Melissa Tancredi and sophomore G Erika Bohn) … Schefter was one of several “newcomers” who had an impressive debut, energizing the midfield along with the addition of freshman Jen Buczkowski … Schefter looped a shot on goal that was nudged in by Carpenter before assisting on Boland’s third goal with a well-placed rightside corner kick.

OPENER SUCCESS – Notre Dame improved to 10-1-0 in its last 11 season openers (14-2-0 overall), including four straight opening wins since dropping a heartbreaker in 1999 to top-ranked North Carolina (3-2 in double -OT).

SKILLS SHOWCASE – The bulk of the Irish goals were the result of skilled play from several players, showcasing the tremendous technical ability of a potent team that now is slated to return 24 of its 28 players in ’04 … the ND forwards set the tone with stifling pressure that kept Hartford on its heels throughout the game while the midfield dominated their counterparts with crisp distribution … in the back, senior Melissa Tancredi and junior Gudrun Gunnarsdottir showed composure on the ball and top-level ball skills that are rarely seen with a pair of central backs on the college level – while freshmen Kim Lorenzen (rightside starter), Christie Shaner (leftside starter) and Lizzie Reed (reserve) each logged solid debuts at outside back.

FIRST-HALF FLURRY – ND totaled just 12 first-half goals in all of the 2002 season but erupted for five in the first 45:00 vs. Hartford (on just seven shots) … the Irish wasted little time displaying their impressive interplay and pinpoint passing, with a five-player combination sequence yielding the first goal in the 7th minute … junior Mary Boland started at forward and made an immediate impact, scoring the first two Irish goals and adding a third in the second half (for her first career hat trick), in addition to threading a perfect thru-pass that sprung senior F Amanda Guertin for the 5-1 halftime cushion … the Irish nearly reached a double-digit goal total … ND’s constant pressure also was evidenced in the 10 offside calls that went against the Irish.

#6 NOTRE DAME 5 4 – 9

HARTFORD 1 0 – 1

ND 1. Mary Boland (Amy Warner) 6:32; ND 2. Boland (Warner) 15:19; ND 3. Kim Carpenter (Annie Schefter) 27:01; ND 4. Maggie Manning (-) 28:55; HART 1. Hilde Bakke (Jeanette Akerlund, Erin Mucha) 41:47; ND 5. Amanda Guertin (PK) 43:09; ND 6. Guertin (Boland) 50:36; ND 7. Manning (Guertin) 58:07; ND 8. Boland (Katie Thorlakson, Schefter) 71:55; ND 9. Warner (-) 80:58.

Shots: ND 7-17 – 24, HART 5-2 – 7.

Corner Kicks: ND 2-3 – 5, HART 1-1 – 2.

Fouls: ND 8, HART 10.

Saves: ND 4 (Erika Bohn 3, Nikki Westfall 1), HART 5 (Heather Hinton).

Offsides: ND 10, HART 10.

NOTES FROM 3-0 WIN OVER WAKE FOREST (Aug. 31)

FIRST FOR THE ROOKIES – Midfielder Jill Krivacek opened the scoring 0:26 before halftime, becoming the first member of the freshman class to find the net … senior F Amy Warner set the sequence in motion on a pass to freshman M Jen Buczkowski … the rookie playmaker then quickly moved the ball down the left endline and slid a pass to her former club and ODP teammate, with Krivacek roofing a close-range shot that ripped into the upper-left topnetting.

NINE-POINT WEEKEND – Junior F Mary Boland scored in the 65th minute vs. WFU, knocking home a deflected Amanda Guertin shot to round out her nine-point showing at the UConn Classic (4G-1A).

BACK-TO-BACK – The 12 goals scored at the UConn Classic are the most by an ND team in back-to-back games since the first year of the Randy Waldrum era, when his ’99 team scored 16 in wins over Miami (7-1) and Wisconsin (9-2) … the 2002 team totaled just 10 goals in its first five games and averaged just 2.2 goals for all of ’02 (46G in 21 games).

VS. THE ACC – The Irish are 11-0-1 in their last 12 games vs. Atlantic Coast Conference teams other than perennial power North Carolina, with two wins and two ties vs. UNC in that 12-year stretch (dating back to ’92) … that run vs. the ACC includes a 6-0-1 mark vs. Duke, 2-0-0 vs. both WFU and Maryland and a win over N.C. State.

BOUNCE BACK – The win over WFU could signal a new trend for an ND program that has met with mixed results when playing the second day of a weekend, going just 4-4 in the ’02 regular season when playing two days after a previous game.

ALL-TOURNAMENT PICKS – Four Notre Dame players were named to the UConn Classic all-tournament team: sophomore G Erika Bohn, junior F Mary Boland, junior D Gudrun Gunnarsdottir and senior F Amy Warner.

WAKE FOREST 0 0 – 0

#6 NOTRE DAME 1 2 – 3

ND 1. Jill Krivacek 1 (Jen Buczkowski, Amy Warner) 44:34; ND 2. Mary Boland 4 (Amanda Guertin) 64:13; ND 3. Warner 2 (-) 89:50.

Shots: WFU 4-4 – 8, ND 10-10 – 20.

Corner Kicks: WFU 3, ND 6.

Fouls: WFU 11, ND 12.

Saves: WFU 7 (Kenna Healy), ND 6 (Erika Bohn 5, team 1).

Offsides: WFU 0, ND 4.

NOTRE DAME PLAYER QUICK FACTS (see PDF for complete lineup with individual stats and notes

NOTRE DAME TEAM QUICK NOTES

DEPTH CHARGES – ND returned 12 of its top 13 players from the 2002 roster (including Candace Chapman and Randi Scheller, now both out for the year), with the biggest loss being ace defensive M Ashley Dryer … the addition of nation’s 5th-rated freshman class gives the Irish the greatest depth of the five-year Randy Waldrum era.

FIRE & ICE – Seniors Amy Warner (31 career goals) and Amanda Guertin (41) could emerge as one of the nation’s premier forward tandems, with both among 12 total players named to the preseason all-BIG EAST team.

MIDFIELD SHIFT – ND has altered the alignment of its three central-based midfielders, with one of those players in a defensive role and two in more attacking roles (the Irish used that shape in ’99, then two back and one forward in ’00-’02).

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky in May 2003 became the third chemical engineering major (and first since ’74) to graduate from ND with a 4.0 cumulative GPA … Pruzinsky is a two-time Academic All-American, with ND’s other top candidates for that award in ’03 including junior F/M Mary Boland (3.87, psychology), sophomore M/D Annie Schefter (3.67, College of Science) and sophomore G Erika Bohn (3.67, College of Business).

INJURY WOES CONTINUE: Notre Dame’s 2002 season was hampered by injuries to several top players (totaling 64 games missed) and the Irish now must play the 2003 season minus two other crucial players – as junior All-America D Candace Chapman suffered a torn ACL knee injury while training with the Canadian National Team (in preparation for the World Cup) while senior M Randi Scheller is undergoing hip surgery this weekend … three others – junior starting central D Gudrun Gunnarsdottir (broken arm during all-tournament effort at UConn Classic), sophomore M Jenny Walz (ACL), freshman D Kari Kennedy (foot) and junior D Kate Tulisiak (back) – are sidelined for several weeks while veteran defenders Vanessa Pruzinsky (ankle) made a full-time return to action at the ND Classic … Scheller will have the option to apply for a fifth year of eligibility in ’04, as will central defender Melissa Tancredi (she missed the 2000 season with an ACL injury) … Pruzinsky is a current fifth-year player (out most of ’02 with the ankle injury) while Chapman will be a senior in ’04 and then have her own option at a fifth year in ’05 … here is the updated injury report:

Candace Chapman (Jr., D) – torn ACL while training with Canada for World Cup (out for year

Randi Scheller (Sr., M) – hip capsule surgery in late Aug. (out for year)

Jenny Walz (So., M) – rehabbing from ACL knee surgery (could return mid-season)

Gudrun Gunnarsdottir (Jr., D) – broken arm at UConn Classic (out this week; longterm status TBA)

Kate Tulisiak (Jr., D) – nagging back injury (out indefinitely)

Kari Kennedy (Fr., D) – preseason foot injury (out 2-3 weeks)

PLAYER OF THE WEEK DELUXE – Junior F Mary Boland (Hudson, Ohio) was named the BIG EAST women’s soccer offensive player of the week, after totaling 4G-1A in wins over Hartford and Wake Forest at the UConn Classic … Boland became the first women’s soccer player ever to be named BIG EAST offensive and defensive player of the week during her career, earning the defensive honor in 2002 after playing a key role in shutout wins over Rutgers and Seton Hall … Boland scored twice to open the scoring in the 9-1 win over Hartford and later one-timed a corner-kick deflection to complete her first hat trick with the Irish … she also sent a perfect thru-ball that split two defenders and led to an Amanda Guertin goal in the win over the Hawks, completing her seven-point game … two days later, Boland scored the key second goal midway through the second half of the 3-0 win over Wake Forest (she also had an unofficial assist on a lead pass that sprung Amy Warner for the final goal vs. WFU) … as a sophomore, Boland played a key defensive midfielder role in a 1-0 overtime win over Rutgers and scored on a diving header two days later to beat Seton Hall (1-0), en route to BIG EAST defensive player-of-the-week honors.

HAT TRICK OPENERS – Mary Boland is the fifth ND player ever to register a hat trick in a season opener and now has scored in all three openers of her Irish career (including ND’s first goal of the season in ’01 and ’03), with a diving header to open the scoring in the ’01 win over Penn State (2-1) and the final goal in the ’02 win at Providence (3-0) … previous Irish players with hat tricks in openers include Rosella Guerrero as a freshman vs. N.C. State in ’92 (4-3 loss), Guerrero and then-sophomore Michelle McCarthy in ’93 at LaSalle (12-0 win) and then-senior Amy Van Laecke and then-sophomore Monica Gerardo in ’96 at Providence (14-0).

SEVEN-POINT START – Mary Boland’s seven points in the opener vs. Hartford (3G-1A) are the most points by a Notre Dame player since Jenny Streiffer also had 3G-1A vs. Miami on Oct. 1, 1999, in the first year of the Randy Waldrum era … Streiffer also holds the ND record for points in a game, with nine (3G-3A) in the 1996 win over Providence (14-0).

TOURNAMENT-TESTED: Notre Dame owns an 80-23-6 all-time record (.762) in tournament action, including 34-13-5 in regular-season tournaments, 22-0-0 in conference tournaments and 24-10-1 in the NCAAs … beginning in 1994 (which ended with an NCAA runner-up finish), ND owns a 25-6-3 record in regular-season tournaments – with 17 of those wins vs. ranked teams … since ’94, the Irish have lost just six regular-season tournament games: vs. UNC twice (2-0 in ’95, in Houston; 3-2 at the ’99 KBC), vs. SCU in ’96 (3-1, at Duke), vs. SMU in ’99 (1-0; in Klein, Texas, minus star player Anne Makinen and ’02 games vs. the potent duo of SCU and Portland … ND’s impressive showing on the road in regular-season tournaments recently has included a pair of wins at the 2000 Portland Invitational (5-0 vs. Washington and 1-0 vs. Portland, elevating ND to No. 1), 2002 wins at the Fila Classic vs. Hartford (2-1) and host Maryland (5-2) and the 2003 opening wins over Hartford (9-1) and Wake Forest (3-0) at the UConn Classic … ND was slated to play at SCU’s ’01 tournament (vs. the Broncos and Stanford) but the event was canceled due to the 9/11 tragedy.

HEADS OF THE CLASS – Notre Dame has plenty of quality options in the air, led by senior central D Melissa Tancredi (5 of 8 career goals on CK headers, including all four in ’02) … junior Mary Boland also has converted several header goals in her career while 5-10 freshman defensive M Jill Krivacek could emerge as a devastating presence in the air (her classmate, central D Christie Shaner, also is noted for her play in the air) … senior F Amanda Guertin’s pinpoint corner kicks and free kicks could find the heads of the above players with regularity in 2003 (nine of her 11 assists in ’02 came on set pieces, including eight on CKs).

PRUZINSKY, BOHN HAVE TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO NUTMEG STATE – Two of ND’s top players – fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky (Trumbull HS; Weston Wild Things) and sophomore G Erika Bohn (Brookfield HS; Yankee United Rage) – are Connecticut natives who helped the Irish go 2-0 at the UConn Classic, with Bohn’s family recently moving to Rutland, Vt. … Pruzinsky in 2001 became the second ND student-athlete ever named first team Academic All-America as a sophomore and junior but was not eligible for that honor in ’02 due to her season-ending ankle injury (she was the ’02 preseason BIG EAST player of the year and in the mix at that time for a spot on the U.S. under-21 team) … she went on to become the third chemical engineering major (first since ’74) to graduate from Notre Dame with a 4.0 cumulative GPA … Pruzinsky was the NSCAA national player of the year after her senior season at Trumbull HS, led Trumbull to three state titles ( 65-8-3 four-year record) and helped the Weston Wild Things win the ’98 national title … her 20-0 senior-year team at Trumbull did not allow a goal while she finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer (79G-59A), playing as a forward … Bohn had a solid debut season with the Irish (1.28 GAA), finishing strong with 8 GA allowed in the final seven games (one on a PK) and totaling 14 games with 0-1 GA (she then allowed just 2G in five 2003 spring games) … she posted a 0.68 GAA and 41 shutouts in her Brookfield career (state runner-up in ’99 and ’01), also scoring 16 goals as a free-kick and PK specialist … Bohn also helped the Yankee United Rage win five state titles.

ALUMNI UPDATE – Several former Notre Dame women’s soccer players have been in the news during recent weeks:

* D Kate Sobrero (’98) and M Shannon Boxx (’99) were named to the 18-player U.S. National Team roster that will compete in the upcoming World Cup (Sept. 23-Oct. 12) … Sobrero also played for the U.S. team that won the 1999 World Cup and was on the 2000 Olympic team … Boxx was the surprise of the roster, with no previous National Team experience but an impressive 2003 season in the WUSA.

* Sobrero and Boxx were two of five former ND players who played in the Women’s United Soccer Association 2003 all-star game, with others including Washington Freedom D Jen Grubb (’00), Boston D Monica Gonzalez (’02) and San Jose CyberRays G LaKeysia Beene (’00) … Sobrero and Gonzalez helped Boston win the WUSA regular-season title while Grubb – who has not missed a single minute of action in the first three WUSA season – captained the Freedom to the 2003 WUSA Founders Cup title after a 2-1 overtime win over the Atlanta Beat … four other ND alums played in the WUSA during the 2003 season: M Anne Makinen (’01; Philadelphia Charge), D Lindsey Jones (’02; N.Y. Power), D Kelly Lindsey (’01; San Jose) and M Monica Gerardo (’99; Washington).

* Three of the above players recently became college assistant coaches: Gerardo at the University of Pittsburgh (where former ND assistant Sue-Moy Chin is the first-year head coach), Lindsey at the University of Colorado and Boxx at Cal State Dominguez Hills … Boxx also is enrolled in graduate school at Pepperdine and is one of several former ND players who are set to be married in coming months (as are Sobrero and former midfield great Holly Manthei).

SCORING BOOST – The Irish headed into ’03 looking for increased goal production, with several “newcomers” among the top candidates to provide that boost: sophomore M/D Annie Schefter (dnp in ’02; 47G as prep senior at West Valley, Wash., HS), the freshman midfield duo of Jen Buczkowski (69G in three seasons at Elk Grove, Ill., HS) and Jill Krivacek (set Rosary HS record with 78G in career) and freshman D/M Lizzie Reed (2nd in Ramapo, N.J., Regional HS history with 126 career goals) … junior F Mary Boland (Hudson, Ohio) also has emerged as a goalscoring boost (6G in first five games), nearly matching her combined total from the ’01 and ’02 seasons (7G, after totaling 27 as a senior at Hudson HS).

FRESHMAN CLASS RANKED AMONG BEST IN NATION – Soccer America rated Notre Dame’s current 10-player freshman class as the fifth-best group of incoming recruits, behind Santa Clara, UCLA, Texas and Portland … Jen Buczkowski (Elk Grove, Ill.) was No. 6 on the list of top individual recruits (second among midfielders, behind Nebraska’s Brittany Timko, who is No. 2 overall) … Notre Dame D Christie Shaner (Ambler, Pa.) is No. 22 on that list, making the Irish one of seven schools with multiple players on that top-25 list … M/D Lizzie Reed (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) joins the above two players as ND freshmen who were prep All-Americans.

PRIMETIME PLAYERS: Notre Dame went 24-8-1 during the previous three seasons (’00-’02) when facing an NSCAA ranked team and/or when playing in the postseason, with a 69-33 scoring edge in those 33 “big games” … senior F Amanda Guertin has racked up 50 points in those big games (20G-10A) … her classmate Amy Warner owns 8G-5A vs. ranked or postseason opponents (she missed half of the 2000 season due to injury).

HEAD COACH Randy Waldrum: The Irish are 79-16-3 (.821) in the tenure of head coach Randy Waldrum (since ’99), including a 68-13-3 mark in the last 84 games (since losing 4-2 at SCU on Oct. 17, 1999) … Waldrum’s ND record spans the career of fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky … Waldrum – who repeated as BIG EAST coach of the year in 2000 – in ’99 became the only coach in the 18-year history of the NCAA women’s soccer championship to lead a team to the title game in his first season as that team’s head coach … he was the fourth first-year coach to take his team to the NCAA semi’s, with the Irish beating top-ranked and previously unbeaten Santa Clara in their backyard of San Jose … Waldrum’s 21-plus-year record as a college head coach (with both men’s and women’s teams) is 262-121-22 (.674) … he owns a 186-66-15 (.725) record in 12-plus seasons as a Division I women’s coach, including 61-36-9 in six years at Tulsa (.580) and 46-14-3 in three seasons at Baylor … Waldrum entered 2003 ranked seventh among active women’s coaches for career winning percentage (min. 10 Div. I seasons).

FAR AND WIDE: Notre Dame’s 2003 roster includes players from 14 states, two Canadian provinces (British Columbia and Ontario) and Iceland … the states on the ’03 roster touch all corners of the nation: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.

HAT TRICKERY: Amy Warner’s 3G at Georgetown (9/29/02) made her the 13th ND player ever to post multiple hat tricks (also vs. Providence on 9/3/00- earliest ever by an ND freshman) … 10 previous ND players have three-plus hat tricks, led by Jenny Heft’s six (’96-’99) and five each from Rosella Guerrero (’92-’95) and Monica Gerardo (’95-’98).

FIRST-HALF FORTRESS: Notre Dame did not allow a 1st-half goal in its first nine games of ’02, with the next five producing eight 1st-half goals by the opposition (2 by Georgetown and WVU, 3 by Purdue, 1 by UConn) – followed by just two in the final seven games … ND (12) and its opponents (10) combined for just 22 first-half goals in 2002, compared to more than twice as many (49) in the 2nd half (32 by ND, 19 by opp.) … the Irish allowed opponents an average of just 3.9 shots and 1.6 CKs in the first half of 2002 games… the Irish also were stingy in the first half during 2001 (seven 1st-half GA in 20 games) and own a 12-3 first-half scoring edge in 2003 (10-0 in the second half) … spanning the 2001-03 seasons, ND has allowed just 20 first-half goals in 47 games (0.43/gm; with 28 GA in the second half).

LIGHTING THE SPARK: Current sophomore F Katie Thorlakson – a key part of Canada’s attack in the 2002 U-19 World Championship and the ’03 Pan Am Games – experienced an offensive breakthrough in the second half of her freshman season (’02), scoring to tie the game in the 3-1 comeback vs. #8 UConn, adding the goal that forged a 1-1 tie vs. BYU (3-2 loss), posting 1G-1A in the 6-0 win over Syracuse and scoring the GWG vs. Ohio State in the NCAAs (she also had the thru-ball that sprung Amanda Guertin for the first goal in the NCAA win over Purdue) … all four of Thorlakson’s goals as a freshman (and two of three assists) came in the final eight games of ’02, coinciding with her full-time move to forward.

PUNCHING THE CLOCK: Three Notre Dame seniors entered the 2003 season riding streaks of nearly 40-plus consecutive starts … Amanda Guertin has played in all 72 games of her ND career (66 starts), with starts in 36 straight before coming off the bench in the ’03 opener vs. Hartford … fellow F Amy Warner has seen action in ND’s last 54 games, with an active streak of 48 straight starts … M Randi Scheller had started 38 straight games prior to ’03, playing in 65 of 67, but that streak has ended last week as she is sidelined for all of the ’03 season with a hip injury.

GOING THE DISTANCE: Notre Dame is unbeaten in its last 13 overtime games (10-0-3), dating back to the 3-2, double-OT loss to UNC in the ’99 opener … that team went on to post a 2-1, double-OT win at UConn and played to a 1-1 tie at Nebraska in the NCAA quarterfinals (advanced on PKs) … the 2000 team had three OT wins – over Stanford, at West Virginia and vs. Santa Clara in the NCAA quarterfinals (all 2-1), also playing to a scoreless tie at UConn … the ’01 season featured an unprecedented five OT games, with 2-1 wins vs. Indiana, Villanova, WVU and Michigan and a 2-2 tie with Wisconsin … the OT streak continued in ’02, with 1-0 wins over Rutgers and at Boston College.

OT MASTERS: Senior Amanda Guertin holds the ND record for career OT goals (3), with her classmate Amy Warner and ’96 national player of the year Cindy Daws ranking second with two (including Daws’ goal vs. Portland in the ’95 NCAA title game) … Guertin (3G-2A) owns eight career points in OT, followed by Warner (6; 2G-2A) … Guertin’s other OT goals came at WVU in 2000 and at home vs. WVU in ’01 (both 2-1) … in addition to her double-OT goal on Sept. 20, 2002, vs. Rutgers (1-0), Warner scored in OT vs. Villanova (’01) and had the primary assist on Kelly Tulisiak’s OT goal in ’01 vs. Indiana (both 2-1) … she also had the cross that produced an OT own-goal to beat Stanford in ’00 and assisted on Guertin’s OT goal in ’02 at BC (1-0), playing a key role in five of ND’s last nine OT goals (Guertin on five of the last eight).

CONFERENCE CALL: ND’s all-time record in regular-season conference games is 87-7-2 (.917), including 68-7-2 (.896) in BIG EAST games (since ’95) … the Irish own a 48-1 record in all-time home games vs. BIG EAST teams, with 44 straight home BIG EAST wins since a 5-4 OT loss to UConn in ’95 (225-16 scoring edge, 30 shutouts, 13 games with 1 GA) … since joining the BIG EAST, ND’s overall record vs. BIG EAST teams (1-1-0 vs. UConn in NCAAs) is 87-8-2 (.907).

Amanda Guertin NOTES

OVER THE CENTURY MARK, FAR FROM TOP 10: Senior Amanda Guertin’s career point total (106; 41G-24A) would rank near the top of the record book at many schools but she stands just 13th in Notre Dame history – 29 points shy of the top 10 (her 40G are three out of that top-10 list) … players ahead of Guertin include Suzie Zilvitis (112, 43G-26A, ’88-’91) and another early frontrunner, All-American Alison Lester (126, 45G-36A; ’90-’93) … the 10th spot is held down by Shannon Boxx (135, 39G-57A; ’95-’98), now a hard-nosed defensive midfielder with the WUSA’s New York Power who was a surprise addition to the 2003 U.S. World Cup roster … Guertin’s nine points in the ’02 NCAAs moved her past M Jody Hartwig (87; ’91-’94), F Amy VanLaecke (90; ’94-’96) and All-America M Tiffany Thompson (91; ’91-’94).

STREAK #1: Amanda Guertin scored a goal in the final 10 games of 2001 – third-longest in Div. I women’s soccer history (Brandi Chastain had a 15-game goal streak for Santa Clara in ’90, Hartford’s Maria Kun an 11-game streak in ’97).

STREAK #2: Guertin scored goals in an ND-record seven straight postseason games, spanning the 2001 and ’02 seasons (she has totaled nine goals in 15 career postseason games) … her postseason goal streak (10G-1A) included 2001 BIG EAST Tournament goals vs. St. John’s, Boston College and West Virginia, followed by NCAA Tournament games vs. Eastern Illinois (2) and Cincinnati in ’01 and then Ohio State (2) and Purdue (2) in ’02.

STREAK #3: Guertin had points in eight straight games (7G-6A) before the 1-0 loss at Stanford in the third round of the 2002 NCAAs, after just 6G-5A in the first 12 games of ’02… her ’02 point streak broke down as follows: Purdue (G), UConn (2A), Michigan (G), BYU (A), Syracuse (2A), BC (G), Ohio State in NCAAs (2G) and Purdue in NCAAs (2G-1A).

‘TIS BETTER TO GIVE?: Despite an early-season dropoff in her 2002 goal production, Amanda Guertin emerged as one of the nation’s most dangerous playmakers in ’02 due to pinpoint corner kicks and effectiveness on other set plays … she had one-third of ND’s assists in ’02 (11 of 34), besting her combined total in ’00 and ’01 (10) … eight of Guertin’s assists in ’02 came via the CK – two each in comeback wins over #25 Maryland (5-2, to classmate Melissa Tancredi on 2nd and 4th goals) and #8 UConn (3-1, to Randi Scheller and Tancredi after 1-1 tie), two more in the 6-0 win over Syracuse (to Scheller and Mary Boland) and Tancredi’s header that capped the 3-1 NCAA win over #14 Purdue, plus the kick that produced Cat Sigler’s goal for 3-0 lead vs. Pittsburgh (4-0) … another Guertin set play (a free kick off the left post) set up Candace Chapman’s goal that opened the scoring vs. BYU (3-2 loss).

GETTING THE GWGs: Amanda Guertin continues to add clutch goals and assists to her career totals (41G-23A, in 72 GP) – with her 16 gamewinning goals already ranking third on the ND all-time list (three shy of Jenny Heft’s record) … seven of Guertin’s GWGs have come in one-goal games, including three in OT (an ND record) … nearly half of Guertin’s career goals (16 of 41, or 39%) have been gamewinners – well ahead of the others on the GWG list (see PDF):

QUALITY & QUANTITY: Amanda Guertin has delivered in countless clutch situations during her ND career (see PDF for yearly highlights):