Aug. 25, 2004
Two Notre Dame women’s soccer players have received top preseason billing from various national organizations, as fifth-year central defender Mellissa Tancredi (Ancaster, Ont.) and senior right back Candace Chapman (Ajax, Ont.) are among 12 players named to the Soccer Buzz preseason All-America squad while both also are among the 25 players named to the 2004 preseason watch list for the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy national player-of-the-year award. Tancredi earlier had been picked to repeat as the BIG EAST Conference defensive player of the year (an award that Chapman won in 2002) and also is one of 11 players named to Soccer America’s 2004 preseason All-America team. Tancredi was a Soccer Buzz first team All-American in 2003, also receiving second team All-America honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Chapman – who also could play at forward or midfield during the upcoming season – had been an NSCAA second team All-American in 2002 before missing the 2003 season due to an ACL knee injury. The 2004 season will mark just the second time in Notre Dame’s history (and first since 1997) that the Irish have featured two returning NSCAA All-Americans in the defense. Notre Dame’s 1997 team, still the most dominant all-around team in the program’s history, featured two players – senior Kate Sobrero and sophomore Jen Grubb – who previously had received NSCAA All-America honors (in ’96). Tancredi – who like Chapman has starred for the Canadian National Team – could prove to be the nation’s top defensive player in 2004, with Tennessee senior Keeley Dowling representing the only other defender on both the Soccer America and Soccer Buzz preseason All-America teams. Tancredi, Chapman, Dowling and Virginia’s Becky Sauerbrunn are the only defenders on the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list. Notre Dame – ranked as high as second in the national polls – opens its season on Friday night versus Baylor, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. Tancredi is one of nine players listed on both the Soccer America and Soccer Buzz preseason All-America teams, with the other including Dowling, midfielders Carli Lloyd (Rutgers), Lindsey Huie (Portland), Leslie Osborne (Santa Clara) and Lori Chalupny (North Carolina), Portland forward Christine Sinclair and the UNC forward tandem of Lindsay Tarpley and Heather O’Reilly. Notre Dame joined UNC and Portland as teams with multiple players on the Soccer Buzz “Elite 12” preseason All-America team while the Irish were one of five teams with multiple players on the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list (as were UNC, Portland, Texas and Virginia). Chapman was on the 2003 watch list (prior to suffering her season-ending injury) while Tancredi and former Notre Dame forward Amy Warner later were included on the list of the final 15 candidates for the 2003 MAC Hermann Tropy. SOCCER AMERICA 2004 COLLEGE WOMEN’S PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM G Nicole Barnhart (Stanford), Sr. D Keeley Dowling (Tennessee), Sr. D/M Jill Oakes (UCLA), Jr. D Melissa Tancredi (Notre Dame), Sr. M Lori Chalupny (North Carolina), Jr. M Lindsey Huie (Portland), Jr. M Carli Lloyd (Rutgers), Sr. M/F Leslie Osborne (Santa Clara), Sr. F Heather O’Reilly (North Carolina), Soph. F Christine Sinclair (Portland), Jr. F/M Lindsay Tarpley (North Carolina), Jr. Soccer Buzz 2004 Preseason All-Americas – “The Elite 12” Player … School, Year, Position … 2003 Notes Leah Gallegos … Florida State, Junior, Forward …1st Team A-A, All-ACC 18G-3A Heather O’Reilly … North Carolina, Sophomore, Forward … National Freshman of Year, 16G-11A NCAA Tourney Offensive MVP Christine Sinclair … Portland, Junior, Forward … 2002 National Player of Year 26 goals in 2002 was tops in NCAA Lindsay Tarpley … North Carolina, Junior, Forward … National Player of Year, ACC POY Led NCAA in scoring with 23G, 27A Lori Chalupny … North Carolina, Junior, Midfielder … 1st Team A-A, All-ACC 11G-12A, NCAA All-Tournament Team Lindsey Huie … Portland, Junior, Midfielder … 1st Team A-A, All-WCC, Buzz POY Finalist Led WCC in assists (13) and pts (37) Carli Lloyd … Rutgers, Senior, Midfielder … 3rd Team A-A, All-Big East All Mid-Atlantic 1st Team, 13G-2A Leslie Osborne … Santa Clara, Senior, Midfielder … 2nd Team Buzz A-A, WCC POY All-West Region 1st Team, 11G-6A Keeley Dowling … Tennessee, Senior, Defender … 1st Team A-A, Buzz POY Finalist SEC Defensive POY Candace Chapman … Notre Dame, Junior, Defender … 2002 2nd Team A-A 2002 Big East Defensive POY Melissa Tancredi … Notre Dame, Senior, Defender … 1st Team A-A, Buzz POY Finalist Big East Defensive POY Kati Jo Spisak … Texas A&M, Junior, Goalkeeper … 2nd Team A-A, All-Big 12 .93GAA, 77 saves in over 2,000 mins Women’s 2004 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List Player, Position, Class, School, Hometown Leisha Alcia, G, Sr.:, Illinois, Mississauga, Ont., Canada Nicole Barnhart, G, Sr., Stanford, Gilbertsville, Pa. Lori Chalupny, M, Jr., North Carolina, St. Louis, Mo. Candace Chapman, D, Sr., Notre Dame, Ajax, Ont., Canada Keeley Dowling , D, Sr., Tennessee, Carmel, Ind. Stephanie Freeman, M, Sr., Florida, Clearwater, Fla. Leah Gallegos, F, Jr., Florida State, Los Angeles, Calif. Kristin Graczyk, F, Sr., Connecticut, Albuquerque, N.M. Kelly Hammond, M, Jr., Virginia, Bowie, Md. Lindsey Huie , M, Jr., Portland, Mission Viejo, Calif. Natasha Kai, F, Sr., Hawaii, Kahuku, Hawaii Carli Lloyd, M, Sr., Rutgers, Delran, N.J. Kelly McDonald, F, Sr., Texas, Littleton, Colo. Iris Mora, F, Jr., UCLA, Cancun, Mexico Heather O’Reilly, F, So., North Carolina, East Brunswick, N.J. Leslie Osborne, M, Sr., Santa Clara, Menomonee Falls, Wis. Becky Sauerbrunn, D, So., Virginia, St. Louis, Mo. Christine Sinclair, F, Jr., Portland, Burnaby, B.C., Canada Julianne Sitch, M, Jr., DePaul, Oswego, Ill. Caroline Smith, F, Jr., Kansas, Edina, Minn. Kati Jo Spisak, G, Jr., Texas A&M, Manchester, Mo. Melissa Tancredi, D, Sr., Notre Dame, Ancaster, Ont., Canada Lindsay Tarpley, F, Jr., North Carolina, Kalamazoo, Mich. Tiffany Weimer , F, Jr., Penn State, North Haven, Conn. Kelly Wilson, F, Jr., Texas, Odessa, Texas