Sept. 30, 2003
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Amanda Guertin cracked the Notre Dame top-10 scoring list with her 43rd career goal while her teammates’ steady pressure also yielded a penalty-kick score from Mary Boland and Kimberly Carpenter’s header off a cross from Boland, as the second-ranked Irish continued their winning ways with Tuesday night’s 3-0 victory over visiting Indiana State at Alumni Field.
Notre Dame (9-0-1) racked up a 32-1 shot advantage and attempted the only corner kicks of the game (7) while getting significant playing time for many of the reserves. Guertin’s sixth goal of the season came on a 14-yard shot from the center of the box, after taking a pass from fellow senior forward Amy Warner and sidestepping a pair of defenders before drilling the ball into the lower right corner. The 11th-minute strike (10:01) held up as Guertin’s 17th game-winning goal of her Notre Dame career, good for third in the Irish record book behind Jenny Heft’s 19 and Rosella Guerrero’s 18.
The Irish pushed their season scoring edge to 40-5 – already matching the team’s goal output from all of the 2002 regular season – while extending their first-half scoring edge to 22-3 (compared to just 12-10 in ’02).
Indiana State (5-3-2) became the fifth team this season that has failed to post what would have been a rare win over Notre Dame in the series opener between the teams, as the Irish now are 35-5 in their last 40 series openers (since ’93) and are 36-3-1 versus first-time visitors to Alumni Field during that same 11-year stretch.
Boland converted a penalty kick in the 42nd minute for her team-leading ninth goal of the season. The junior forward then added a leftside cross early in the second half that led to Carpenter’s header, the second goal of the season for the senior midfielder (51:19).
Guertin’s 43 goals are tied with Suzie Zilvitis (’92) for 10th on the Notre Dame career goalscoring list, two behind ’94 graduate Alison Lester. Guertin (113) also slid past Zilvitis (112) into 12th on the Irish career points list, now 23 points behind current U.S. World Cup team member Shannon Boxx for 10th place on that list.
NOTES: The Irish defense has not allowed more than two shots on goal in each of the last seven games (26 total in 10 games) and has held the opposition to 0-1 goals in each of the last 20 games (including five ’03 spring games) … sophomore G Erika Bohn is 18-1-1 in her last 20 starts with the Irish (10 GA, 10 shutouts) … her last 15 fall games with ND include a 13-1-1 record, 7 GA and 8 shutouts … ND improved to 68-25-2 all-time in series openers and 48-8 in series openers played at home (21-3 since ’93) … ND now is 194-3-1 (98-1 all-time when scoring 3-plus goals (98-1 in the last 99) and 265-8-1 when allowing 0-1 goals … the Irish are undefeated after 10 games for the 7th time in the program’s history … ND still has trailed just once all season, for seven minutes early in the ASU game (Sept. 5) ? the Irish are 120-8-2 in their last 130 overall home games … ND improved to 122-20-8 all-time in Aug./Sept. (93-7-4 since ’93) ? Warner made her 53rd consecutive start while fifth-year defender Vanessa Pruzinsky logged her 82nd career game and 80th start with the Irish.
Indiana State 0 0 - 0#2 Notre Dame 2 1 - 3
ND 1. Amanda Guertin 6 (-) 10:01; ND 2. Mary Boland 9 (PK) 41:29; ND 3. Kimberly Carpenter 2 (Boland) 51:19.
Shots: ISU 0-1 – 1, ND 17-15 – 32.
Corner Kicks: ISU 0-0 – 0, ND 5-2 – 7.
Saves: ISU 13 (Carey Patton), ND 1 (Erika Bohn 1, Nikki Westfall 0).
Fouls: ISU 2, ND 4.
Offsides: ISU 0, ND 1.
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