July 16, 2005
Members of the Notre Dame women’s soccer program – past, present and future – have been busy during the past few months competing on a high level for various teams throughout the nation and the world. Updates follow below and be sure to check back to und.com throughout the rest of the summer and early fall for results from the various national and world tournaments involving players with Notre Dame connections.
In other news, Notre Dame’s 2005 signee class was rated 9th in the nation (per Soccer Buzz, with Soccer America yet to release its rankings). Most teams have the benefit of signing larger classes while the Irish are set to return nearly the bulk of their 2004 national championship team and thus signed just four players.
(from left) Notre Dame incoming freshmen Carrie Dew, Kerry Inglis, Brittany Bock and Rebecca Mendoza – each ranked among the top recruits in the nation – are keeping busy this summer with various top soccer teams.
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Soccer Buzz also rated the recruits individually and the quality of Notre Dame’s class was shown with three players – midfielders Brittany Bock and Rebecca Mendoza and defender Carrie Dew – among the top-25 (USC, with four, was the only school with more players in the top-25 while UCLA, Santa Clara, UNC and Virginia each had three). The fourth Notre Dame signee, defender/midfielder Kerry Inglis, was included on the Soccer Buzz top-100 recruits list. Bock, Dew and Inglis all received high school All-America honors during the 2004-05 academic year.
Here’s an update of the Notre Dame players, alums and future players active in the various levels of summer soccer:
Versatile veteran Candace Chapman – who is set to return for her fifth season of eligibility with the Irish this fall – has been a starter at central defender with the Canadian National Team.
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Canadian National Team (www.canadasoccer.com) – former ND All-America defender Melissa Tancredi and two current members of the Irish squad, rising senior forward Katie Thorlakson and versatile veteran Candace Chapman (who will return for a 5th season in the fall of ’05), remain regulars of the Canadian National Team … each recently played vs. the U.S. in a game shown live on ESPN2 (Chapman played the entire game as a central defender, Thorlakson started and played most of the game and Tancredi entered as a late midfielder sub) … Canada next is in action with a pair of “friendly” games vs. Germany, on Sept. 1 in Vancouver (near Thorlakson’s hometown of Langley, B.C.) and Sept 4 in Edmonton.
U.S. National Team (www.ussoccer.com) – two former ND players, defender Kate Sobrero Markgraf and midfielder Shannon Boxx, are among the top players currently on the U.S. roster … they recently battled the Canadian side featuring three players with ND connections … Boxx – now widely considered to be the worlds’s top defensive midfielder in the women’s game – also plays for the WPSL club team Ajax America that will play an FC Indiana team featuring several other ND players in the USASA Open Cup (Aug. 5, in Dallas; see more info. below).
Former Notre Dame standout midfielder Anne Makinen (the 2000 national player of the year) led Finland to the quarterfinals of the 2005 European Championship.
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Finland National Team – former ND standout midfielder Anne Makinen recently helped the Finland National Team make an historic run to the semifinals of the European Championship (Finland’s best finish in the history of the event) … Makinen, a 14-year veteran of Finland’s full national team, helped her squad advance out of pool play after a 3-2 loss to host England, a scoreless tie with Spain and a 2-1 win over Denmark (Finland then lost to the world’s top team, Germany, in a 4-1 game) … current ND rising sophomore F/M Jannica Tjeder will play with Finland’s U-21 National Team at the upcoming Nordic Cup (July 20-26, in Sweden), where she could face ND teammates Erika Bohn and Jen Buczkowski … Finland is slotted in Group A (opposite the U.S.) and will play England on July 20, host Sweden on July 22 and Norway on July 24 … Tjeder’s busy summer – which includes playing with her FC Espoo club team – then will conclude by playing with Finland at the World University Games (Aug. 11-21, at Izmir, Turkey; schedule TBA) … incoming ND freshman F/M Rebecca Mendoza also could play in the World University Games with Mexico.
Jen Buczkowski has been a longtime member of the U.S. youth national programs and currently is in Sweden with Notre Dame teammate Erika Bohn as members of the U.S. Under-21 national team that will compete at the Nordic Cup.
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U.S. Under-21 National Team (www.ussoccer.com) – rising senior goalkeeper Erika Bohn and junior-to-be midfielder Jen Buczkowski recently departed for Sweden as members of the U.S. Under-21 National Team that will compete in the annual Nordic Cup, an eight-team tournament between teams comprised primarily of players 21 years of age or younger (plus a handful of under-24 exemptions) … the weeklong tournament will be held July 20-26 in Sweden, at 10 small venues roughly 150 miles west of Stockholm (the first U.S. game is July 20, vs. Iceland) … another member of the ND women’s soccer program, rising sophomore M/F Jannica Tjeder, also will play in the Nordic Cup with Finland (the U.S. is in the opposite group but could place Finland in the medal round) … the ’05 Nordic Cup team won an exhibition on July 13 vs. the New Jersey Wildcats, one of the top teams in the W-League … Buczkowski started the game and Bohn played in the second half … Lindsay Tarpley and Lori Chalupny scored for the U.S. side while the Wildcats featured a number of noteworthy players, including Karina LeBlanc, Cat Reddick and Christie Welsh (the game marked the first loss for the Wildcats since July 27, 2003) … five previous Notre Dame players – defenders Kate Sobrero (’94, ’97) and Jen Grubb (’96-’99), M/F Jenny Streiffer (’97-’99), `keeper LaKeysia Beene (’97-’99) and forward Meotis Erikson (’97) – have competed with the U.S. at the Nordic Cup (an under-20 event prior to ’99) … several other ND players have played in the Nordic Cup with teams from other countries, including Chapman with Canada (’01), recently-graduated defender with Iceland (’98, ’99, ’00, ’02) and Tjeder and Makinen with Finland.
Incoming Notre Dame freshman midfielder Brittany Bock was one of 32 players called in for a recent U.S. Under-20 National Team camp.
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U.S. Under-20 National Team (www.ussoccer.com) – Bock recently joined Bohn and Buczkowski in a unique U.S. Women’s National Team Program training camp event, held May 22-28 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. … the event featured 32-players rosters for the U.S. under-20 and under-21 teams, with Bock training as a member of the U-20 unit (the U.S. has upgraded its U-19 team to a U-20 group).
W-League (www.wleague.uslsoccer.com) – Seven current, former or future Notre Dame players are competing in the 34-team W-League this summer (see below).
Katie Thorlakson is among the leading scorers for one of the W-League’s top teams, the Vancouver Whitecaps.
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Vancouver Whitecaps (www.whitecapsfc.com) – Thorlakson is in the midst of her third season with the Whitecaps and ranks as the team’s 2nd-leading scorer with 5G-5A (behind Amber Allen’s 12G-1A) … team is 11-1-0 and has clinched a spot in the W-League playoffs … looking to repeat after winning the ’04 W-League title (4-2 in PKs vs. the New Jersey Wildcats) … will face Arizona Heatwave in Western Conference title game, with the winner advancing to the W-League semifinals at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, N.J. (Aug. 5, with championship game on Aug. 7) … Thorlakson’s teammates on the Whitecaps include fellow Canadian national teamers Kara Lang and Brittany Timko … … W-League games remaining: at home vs. Fort Collins Force (Sun., July 17, 7:00 p.m.) and San Diego Gauchos (Sun., July 24, 7:00 p.m.), both at Swangard Stadium … also will play two exhibitions vs. the Washington Freedom (a former WUSA team that continues to play exhibitions, with a new roster) on July 19 at Caledonia Park Soccer Stadium in Nanaimo (6:30 p.m.) and at home on the 21st (7:00 p.m.).
Melissa Tancredi (left) – one of three players with Notre Dame connections on both the Canadian National Team and the W-League’s Atlanta Silverbacks – gives chase of Kristine Lilly during Canada’s recent game vs. the U.S.
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Atlanta Silverbacks – three members of ND’s 2004 team play for Atlanta: Tancredi, Chapman and rising senior D/M Jenny Walz … team currently ranks 3rd in the Atlantic Division of the Central Conference (6-5-1) … Tancredi (5G-2A in 9 GP) is the team’s 2nd-leading scorer while Chapman has 4 assists (9 GP) and Walz has played in 10 games … their teammates include former Nebraska standout and Canadian National team product Sharlota Nonen, former UNC players Nell Fettig and Leslie Gaston and current Michigan goalkeeper Megan Tuura … games remaining: vs. Northern Virginia Majestics (Sun., July 17, 2:00 p.m.) and Central Florida Krush (Sun., July 24, 2:00 p.m.), both at DeKalb Memorial Stadium.
Cleveland Internationals (http://www.internationalssoccer.com) – rising junior `keeper Nikki Westfall is back with the Internationals this summer while sophomore-to-be forward Amanda Cinalli also is playing in her home state … the team currently is 2nd in the Midwest Division standings (5-5-0) and still has a chance to join the Detroit Jaguars in the Central Conference playoffs (to be held in Cincinnati) … Westfall has a 1.77 goals-against avg., 30 saves and 8 goals allowed in 5 games played while platooning with Virginia Bondi … Cinalli has totaled 2G-2A in 6 GP … their teammates include Dayton’ Laura Boland (sister of former ND player Mary Boland), former UNC player Alyssa Ramsey and Indianapolis high school standout Coutney Rosen (the youngest member of the ’05 Nordic Cup team) … games remaining: at Chicago Gaels (July 16, 6:00 p.m.; Moraine Valley CC Stadium), at West Michigan Firewomen (Sun., July 17, 7:00 p.m.; West Ottawa HS), at home vs. West Michigan (Fri., July 22, 7:00 p.m.; Valley Sports Limited/Struthers) and at home vs. Cincinnati Ladyhawks (Sun., July 24, 7:00 p.m.; Foltz Field) … Cinalli also helped the Internationals Under-19 team win the Ohio-north state title (her ND classmate Lauren Karas served as a goalkeeper on that team).
Chicago Gaels – Buczkowski has played sparingly for the Gaels (5 GP, 2G-2A) due to her U.S. under-21 schedule while her fellow junior-to-be midfielder Jill Krivacek has 3G-1A in 11 GP … team is 5th in the Midwest Division standings (4-6-1) … games remaining: at home vs. Cleveland Internationals (Sat., July 16, 6:00 p.m.; Moraine Valley CC Stadium), at West Michigan Firewomen (Tues., July 19, 7:00 p.m.; West Ottawa HS) and at home vs. Fort Wayne Fever (Sun., July 24, 4:00 p.m.; MVCC Stadium).
WPSL (http://www.wpsl.info/) – the Women’s Premier Soccer League is an independent national soccer league with 21 teams in 12 states … the FC Indiana team has a distinctive Notre Dame flair (see below).
Nikki Westfall (back left) and Kerry Inglis (bottom right) celebrate with their FC Indiana teammates after winning the Region 2 Open Cup title – sending them on to a national semifinal vs. Ajax America later this summer.
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FC Indiana (www.fcindiana.com) – several former, current and future ND players have helped FC Indiana earn a spot in the prestigious Open Cup national semifinals … team earned that honor after winning the Region 2 title, thanks to victories over the NORCO team from Missouri (3-0), Chicago Eclipse (4-2) and Nebraska FC (14-0), with all games played in Cleveland … two rising juniors – goalkeeper Westfall (who is splitting her duty with the Internationals) and defender Christie Shaner and incoming freshmen Bock and Inglis (Bohn was on the initial roster but has not played due to her U-21 commitments) … Westfall and Inglis (1G-2A) have been starters while Bock and Shaner had played mostly in reserve roles for the early part of the season (both were exptected to emerge as starters) … note that the Lindsay Jones listed on the FC Indiana roster is a former Goshen HS player and is not the Lindsey Jones who played at ND and South Bend’s Adams HS (she is listed on the roster for the Steel City Sparks, another WPSL team) … FC Indiana will play in the Open Cup semifinals on Friday. Aug. 5 (10:00 a.m.; at Frisco Sports Complex in Dallas) vs. an Ajax America team that features two current U.S. National Team starters (former ND standout midfielder Shannon Boxx and forward Abby Wambach, who played collegiately at Florida) … Ajax is based in southern California and will be representing Region 4 … the other Open Cup semifinal will feature the Texas-based DSC Titans from Region 3 and the German Hungarians (based out of Pennsylvania) from Region 1, with the championship game set for Aug. 6 … team’s other ’05 results have included pair of wins over fellow Central Division team St. Louis Archers (5-1, 4-0), two other wins over the Chicago Eclipse (6-1, 7-0), a 1-0 win over the WPSL team California Storm that includes former ND defender Monica Gonzalez (who combined with Jones as the senior leaders of ND’s 2001 team) and a 1-0 loss to the Washington Freedom reserves … their other teammates include twins Julie and Nancy Augustyniak (who starred at Clemson and in the WUSA), former BIG EAST forward Katie Barnes (West Virginia) and Mexican national teamer Fatima Leyva (who has faced the Irish in several spring scrimmages at Alumni Field) … other remaining games include two at the Goshen Soccer Complex vs. the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s National Team (Tues., July 19; Thur., July 21), both at 7:30 p.m., plus a home game vs. the Houston Stars (Sun., July 17, 1:00 p.m.) and a road game vs. the Stars at Houston Christian HS (Sat., July 23, 6:00 p.m.).
Nikki Westfall (back row, far left) and Kerry Inglis (back row, second from right) pose as members of the starting 11 prior to a recent FC Indiana game.
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Dallas Texans – standout forward Kerri Hanks, who started her ND career last spring after playing with the U.S. Under-19 National Team in the fall of ’04, continues to play a leading role with the Dallas Texans club team that she helped win the 2003 national title … Hanks and the Texans ’86 team are back in the USYSA national semifinals (for the under-19 division), to be held July 26-31 in Orlando at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex … the Texans won the Region III. title (June 24-26; in Plano, Texas), after early-round wins over the North Carolina-based CASL Spartans Elite (5-2), the Vestavia (Ala.) Attack (2-0) and fellow north-Texas team D’Feeters (3-1) before topping the Georgia-based Silverbacks in the semifinals (3-2) and the Challenge team from south-Texas in the final (1-0, on a 25th-minute goal by Hanks) … the Texans earlier won the north-Texas title with a 2-1 semifinal win over their rival Dallas Sting and a 1-0 title-game win over D’Feeters … the first day of nationals in Orlando (June 27) will feature the Texans vs. the Carmel (Ind.) Commotion, on Field 6 at 7:00 p.m. … ND’s Susan Pinnick is a former member of that Carmel Commotion team … the Texans then will play Stars of Massachusetts (July 28, 11:30 a.m., Field 3) and the Colorado Rush Nike (July 29, 7:30 a.m., Field 4), with the championship final set for July 31 at 12:15 p.m.
Kerri Hanks has returned to the national club championships with her Dallas Texans club team.
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Dallas Sting – Mendoza also will be playing in the USYSA club national tournament, as a member of the Dallas Sting `87s in the under-18 competition … the Sting won the Region III. title in Plano, with early-round wins over Tennessee-based Diadora Impact (5-1), Arkansas SC Fire (9-0) and the Vestavia (Ala.) Attack (4-0), then topping the Louisiana-based BRSC/MSC United in the quarterfinals (2-0) and the Dallas Inter Blue in the semifinals (3-0) before edging the Texans in PKs (4-3) after a scoreless tie in the title game … the Sting earlier won the north-Texas title, after wins over D’Feeters (7-0), Solar (6-0), Inter Blue (4-0) and their rival Texans (3-0) … the Sting will open play at nationals in Orlando vs. the Kansas City Dynamo on July 27 (9:30 a.m., Field 3), followed by games on the 28th vs. the Bethesda (Md.) Excel (7:30 a.m., Field 8) and on the 29th vs. the Laguna Hills (Calif.) Eclipse (7:00 p.m., Field 6), with the U-18 championship game slated for July 31 at 8:15 a.m. … Mendoza also is a member of the Mexican National Team and could compete in the World University Games (Aug. 11-21, in Izmir, Turkey).
Rebecca Mendoza and her Dallas Sting teammates have advanced to the USYSA national semifinals.
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Brittany Bock Update – in addition to training with the U.S. Under-20 team and playing with FC Indiana, Bock helped her Neuqua Valley High School team win the Illinois state title this past spring, totaling 24G-7A in 24 GP … NVHS trailed 3-0 in the state-title game before scoring the final six goals of the game to knock off the two-time defending champs New Trier … she also nearly led the Illinois `87s to the 2005 USYSA national title, scoring twice in the semifinal win over Cal-South (2-1) before seeing Maryland win the 1-0 final … Bock had played up an age group two years ago in helping the Illinois `85s win the 2003 national title (three of her future ND teammates, Buczkowski, Krivacek and Kim Lorenzen, also were on that team) … she was one of two Illinois players named to the 2005 Parade high school All-America team, earning that honor for the second straight year (in addition to being a three-time NSCAA youth All-American).
Carrie Dew recently earned a spot on the USASA Select Under-23 National Team.
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USASA Under-23 Select Team – another incoming ND freshman, 5-foot-9 defender Carrie Dew, recently was named to the U.S. Amateur Soccer Association team that will compete in the world under-23 tournament in Mexico (the U.S. scheduled includes a game vs. the host team on July 19) … Dew recently qualified for the team after attending a tryout at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. … she also was one of 25 players named to the EA Sports 2005 high school All-America team, was rated by Soccer Buzz as a top-25 national recruit, has earned NSCAA youth All-America honors three times and totaled 36 career goals and 25 assists from her defensive position while leading La Costa Canyon High School to a pair of state titles (LCCHS was 17-4-1 this season, with Dew earning state player-of-the-year honors) … Dew’s San Diego Surf club program won the U-18 state title (1-0 vs. WSC Impact, after a 3-1 opening-round win over the Wolfpack and a 4-1 semifinal vs. San Clemente United).