Oct. 20, 2000

DOWN THE STRETCH: The top-ranked Notre Dame women’s soccer team (16-0-0) closes its regular season with two more road games: Sat., Oct. 21 at 25th-ranked Connecticut (7:00 p.m.) and Tues., Oct. 24, at Michigan (3:00 p.m.) … the UConn game previously was listed as 1:00 p.m. but shifted to a night start due to the recent addition of lights to Marrone Stadium … the Irish return home for a BIG EAST quarterfinal matchup vs. Miami on Sun., Oct. 29 (1:00 p.m.) … the Irish are in the midst of a six-day trip during fall break that included a 4-0 win at Yale on Oct. 18 … the Miami game will complete a 27-day stretch in which the Irish will have played just one home game (and six on the road) … due to the mid-afternoon start of the Michigan game, the Irish will head to Ann Arbor on Monday night … the Michigan game will complete an Oct. 14-24 stretch in which the Irish will have been on the road for 10 of 11 days (all but Monday, Oct. 16).

REAL-AUDIO FEED AVAILABLE FOR UCONN GAME: A radio broadcast of the Notre Dame-Connecticut game will be carried live on the internet and can be accessed at www.whus.org or www.whusfm.saup.uconn.edu.

Notre Dame Women’s Soccer Schedule (listings indicate local starting times

Sat., Oct. 21 at Connecticut (7:00 p.m.

Tues., Oct. 24 at Michigan (3:00 p.m.)

IRISH POST BEST START: Notre Dame’s 16-0-0 record has bested the ND record for top won-loss record to open a season (the `96 team opened 13-0-0) … that ’96 team posted a 66-6 scoring edge through the first 13 games before dropping a 3-1 game at ninth-ranked Santa Clara (just days after the Irish had risen to No. 1 in the polls) … the ’96 team owned five wins over ranked teams during that 13-0 start, including victories over No. 14 Wisconsin (3-1), No. 13 Washington (4-0), No. 4 UConn (2-1), No. 1 UNC (2-1, OT) and No. 18 Stanford (4-0) … by comparison, the current Irish squad owns a 56-5 scoring edge and has posted three wins over teams that were ranked in the NSCAA poll at game time: No. 2 Santa Clara (6-1), No. 10 Stanford (2-1, OT) and No. 15 Washington (5-0).

PLAYOFF PICTURE: ND has clinched home field for the BIG EAST quarterfinals and will face Miami (Fla.) for the second straight season (Oct. 29, 1:00 p.m.) … Seton Hall (3-3-0) and Rutgers (3-2-1) also have clinched from the Mid-Atlantic Division, with Georgetown (2-1-1) and West Virginia (2-3-0) battling for the last spot … the four playoff teams from the Northeast Division (in order) will be UConn, BC, Syracuse and Miami … BC’s quarterfinal opponent will be the third-place finisher from the Mid-Atlantic (GU, RU or SHU)-with the winner of that game facing the ND-Miami winner in the semifinals (Nov. 3, at ND) … RU and GU could claim the Mid-Atlantic No. 2 spot while three teams could be fourth seed (WVU, SHU and GU) … the only divisional game left is GU at WVU (Oct. 25).

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Game 1: #4 MA Georgetown, Seton Hall or West Virginia at #1 NE Connecticut

Game 2: #3 MA Seton Hall, Rutgers or Georgetown at #2 NE Boston College

Game 3: #4 NE Miami at #1 MA Notre Dame

Game 4: #3 NE Syracuse at #2 MA Rutgers or Georgetown

Game 5: Games 1 and 4 winners (semifinal) – Nov. 3 at Notre Dame (5:00 p.m.)

Game 6: Games 2 and 3 winners (semifinal) – Nov. 3 at Notre Dame (7:00 p.m.)

Game 7: Games 5 and 6 winners (final) – Nov. 5 at Notre Dame (noon)

PERFECT MARK: The Irish concluded Mid-Atlantic Division play with an undefeated record (6-0-0) for the second consecutive season and now own a 54-2-1 (.956) all-time record in BIG EAST regular-season play (including cross-divisional games) … ND has won its last 25 games versus BIG EAST Conference teams, including 19 regular-season games plus six BIG EAST Tournament wins in that span … ND’s only blemishes in BIG EAST regular-season play include a 5-4 overtime loss to Connecticut during the 1995 NCAA Championship season, a 1-1 tie at UConn in ’98 and a 3-2 loss two days later at Seton Hall … since joining the BIG EAST in 1995, the Irish own a 67-3-1 record (.951) in all games versus BIG EAST opponents (including a 2-0 win over UConn in the 1995 NCAA quarterfinals and a 2-1 loss to UConn in the ’97 NCAA semifinals).

SCORING AND STOPPING: Notre Dame entered the week as the nation’s only team currently ranked in the top seven for scoring offense and team goals-against average … ND’s 3.50 goals per game ranks 6th while the Irish are tied with Hartford for 2nd in the nation with a 0.308 team goals-against average (narrowly trailing UCLA’s 0.300) … ND last week became the nation’s only remaining unbeaten team (among 274 Division I women’s soccer programs) and just three teams currently in the NSCAA top-25 have one loss and no ties: No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Nebraska and No. 5 Clemson (unranked Furman and Jacksonville also have just one loss).

STAT LEADERS: Senior M Anne Makinen entered the week ranked 12th in the nation for assists/gm (0.79, now 0.80) … ND junior Liz Wagner now ranks 3rd in the nation for GAA (0.354), behind Brown’s Mary Jo Markle (0.150) and UCLA’s Cici Peterson (0.334) … Wagner (1,271) has played 200 more minutes than Peterson while Markle’s stats are skewed by the fact that she splits time in the goal for Brown (Wagner has played nearly 700 more minutes than Markle) … four ND players are ranked among the BIG EAST’s top-12 overall scorers: Makinen (2nd, 11G-12A-34P), senior F Meotis Erikson (4th, 10G-6A-26P) and freshman Fs Amy Warner (9th, 8G-4A-20P) and Amanda Guertin (9th, 9G-2A-20P) … ND leads the BIG EAST in goals (56), GAA (0.31) and shutouts (11).

16-GAME CHECKUP: With 16 games in the books (the Irish could play as many as 26 games this season), Notre Dame is on pace to challenge several team records … ND has allowed just five goals (the team record is nine, in ’97) while the 0.31 team GAA is below the record of 0.36 (also set in ’97) … ND’s other projected 26-game totals include 670 shots (record 766 in 1997) and 114 shots allowed (record 101 in ’97) … the Irish have posted 11 shutouts and could make a run at the record (18, in ’95) while ND is looking to score in every game for the third time in the last four seasons (also in ’97 and ’98) … ND has bested the team record for best start (13-0-0, also in ’96) and is one win shy of tying the record for longest single-season winning streak in Irish history (the `97 team won 17 straight midseason games) … ND also has won 20 straight regular-season games (the previous team record was 18, from ’95-’96) … on the individual side, Anne Makinen’s record for shots in a season (106, in ’98) could be bested this season by either Makinen (on pace for 113 over 26 games) or Meotis Erikson (on pace for 109) … Makinen already owns five game-winning goals this season (Rosella Guerrero’s eight in ’94 are the ND record) while Erikson (12) has an outside shot at Jenny Heft’s Irish record for career GWGs (19, ’96-’99).

IRISH LOOK TO MAINTAIN SHARPSHOOTING: Notre Dame will be looking to continue its improved shooting accuracy, as the Irish were averaging one goal ever 7.8 shots before scoring three times on 12 shots at Syracuse and four times on 19 shots at Yale (an average of one goal every 4.4 shots over the course of those two games) … the current overall average of 7.4 shots/goal is highest in ND history, up slightly from the ’98 (6.8) and ’99 (6.1) campaigns … the best shot-to-goal ratio in ND history was 4.40 (in ’96) … the 2000 Irish are averaging 25.8 shots per game, which ranks ahead of every previous ND season except 1997 (30.9) and `98 (26.8) … seniors Anne Makinen (68 shots) and Meotis Erikson (67) have taken the bulk of ND’s shot this season (they have combined to average 8.4 shots per game) … the top shooting percentages among ND regulars include junior F Kelly Tulisiak (4G on 12 shots, 3.0 shots/goal) and freshman Fs Amy Warner (7 on 37, 5.3) and Amanda Guertin (9 on 48, 5.3).

SHUTOUT CITY: ND’s current team goals-against average (0.31) is on pace to best the team record (0.36) set in ’97, when the Irish allowed just five goals in the regular season and nine overall … junior G Liz Wagner (Spring, Texas) and the Irish defenders have allowed just two goals (on a PK at West Virginia and on a counterattack by BC) in the last 1,038 minutes of action, stretching back to Stanford’s goal in the 80th minute on Sept. 10 … the Irish have posted seven shutouts in the last eight games, allowing just 22 shots (nine on goal) and 10 corner kicks during that eight-game stretch … ND is two shutouts shy of tying the team record for fewest goals allowed in the regular season (5, also in 1997) … Wagner and the Irish allowed just one goal in each game of the KeyBank Classic, vs. two of the nation’s top teams (Santa Clara, Stanford), before posting a pair of shutouts in the Portland adidas Invitational (vs. current #3 Washington and current #14 Portland), the 2-1 win at WVU and the five straight shutouts vs. Pittsburgh (1-0), Seton Hall (6-0), Rutgers (2-0), Georgetown (8-0) and Villanova (1-0), followed by shutouts at Syracuse (3-0) and Yale (4-0).

TWO MORE BIG EAST AWARDS: ND continues to rack up the BIG EAST weekly awards, as the Irish produced two award winners following the wins over Boston College and Syracuse: junior M Mia Sarkesian (offensive player of the week) and sophomore Vanessa Pruzinsky (defensive player of the week) … Sarkesian (Canton, Mich.) entered the week with just one point in the 2000 season before posting five points and having a hand in three of five Irish goals vs. BC and SU … her first goal of the season-and 5th of her career-came on a looping shot from 20 yards out and forged a 1-1 tie with the Eagles, after the Irish had faced their first deficit of the season … Sarkesian put the Irish on the board in the second minute at SU-after a skillful trap and volley from close range, set up by a rightside corner kick … she later helped put the game out or reach in the 70th minute, after working a give-and-go outside the top of the box to set up Randi Scheller’s goal for the 3-0 lead … Pruzinsky earned her third straight defensive award after again playing a leading role in the sturdy Irish defense that allowed just five shots (three on goal) during last week’s two games, despite the absence of injured senior captain Kelly Lindsey … she helped limit BC to three shots and one corner kick while helping hold SU to a pair of shots and two CKs.

SILVER STREAKS: Notre Dame is on the verge of tying the team record for consecutive wins in a season (the `97 squad won 17 straight before losing 2-1 to UConn in the NCAA semifinals) … ND’s last regular-season loss came one year ago this week (Oct. 17, 1999), in a 4-2 game at then-No. 1 Santa Clara … since that time, the Irish have set a team record by winning 20 straight regular-season games (the `94-’95 teams combined to win 17 straight regular-season games) … ND is 26-1-1 in its last 28 games overall … a win over UConn also would equal the second-longest overall winning streak in the 13-year history of the Notre Dame women’s soccer program (the 1995 and `96 teams combined to win 24 straight).

GREAT HOSPITALITY: The current six-day roadtrip has included a dinner hosted by Vanessa Pruzinsky’s family (in their native Trumbull, Conn.) and a full day of sightseeing in New York City, including a visit to the New York Stock Exchange and a ride on the Staten Island Ferry (the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Staten Island served as excellent hosts to the team’s visit).

UCONN CONNECTIONS: Notre Dame sophomore D Vanessa Pruzinsky is a native of Trumbull, Conn., where she was an NSCAA prep All-American at Trumbull HS while twice earning the Gatorade New England regional player-of-the-year award … Pruzinsky led Trumbull to three state titles and a 65-8-3 record during her four-year career … she earned three team MVP awards, finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 79G-59A and was part of a 20-0-0 team during her senior year that did not allow a goal … Pruzinsky also helped her Weston Wild Things club team capture the 1998 national title … first-year ND assistant coach Barb Chura was a student assistant coach at UConn during the 1993 season, after starring for the Huskies 1989-92 squads … Chura helped UConn reach the 1990 NCAA title game and finish each of her seasons in the NSCAA top 10 … she was a 1992 team captain and finished her playing days ranked fourth at UConn in career assists.

RACKING UP THE HONORS: During the past seven weeks, Notre Dame has amassed 15 of 25 weekly BIG EAST awards for offensive player, defensive player and rookie (UConn is next with four, followed by BC and Georgetown with two each) … due to the strong play in front of her, Irish junior Liz Wagner has been nominated just twice for BIG EAST goalkeeper of the week-when she totaled seven saves in the wins over Santa Clara and Stanford and when she totaled six saves in wins over Washington and Portland (Wagner has faced just 19 shots on goal over the course of ND’s other 12 games) … the Irish have produced three straight BIG EAST offensive players of the week (senior M Anne Makinen and senior F Meotis Erikson preceded junior M Mia Sarkesian) while ND players have collected seven straight BIG EAST defensive player-of-the-week awards (including three by Kelly Lindsey and one by fellow senior Kerri Bakker, plus three by sophomore Vanessa Pruzinsky) … Amanda Guertin was the third Irish freshman to be honored by the BIG EAST in as many weeks, following in the footsteps of fellow F Amy Warner (a three-time honoree) and M Randi Scheller.

SCOUTING THE IRISH: Notre Dame returns 16 of 22 letterwinners but lost five starters from its ’99 team that went 21-4-1 and advanced to the NCAA title game … senior M and leading national player-of-the-year candidate Anne Makinen (11G-12A) has scored or assisted on nearly half of ND’s goals this season (23 of 56) while other top scorers include freshman forwards Amy Warner (7G-4A) and Amanda Guertin (9G-1A) and senior F Meotis Erikson (10G-6A) … junior Elizabeth Wagner has played most of the minutes in the nets, with 27 saves and five goals allowed (one on a PK).

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Information on Connecticut can be found at www.uconnhuskies.com while Michigan information is located at www.goblue.com.

MOTORING: Senior F Meotis Erikson scored three goals on Oct. 6 at Georgetown, becoming the 11th ND player to post three-plus hat tricks in her career (senior M Anne Makinen also owns three career HTs) … Erikson previously had registered three goals twice in a five-game span during late October of the 1997 season … just four previous ND players have turned in four-plus hat tricks: Jenny Heft (6, ’96-’99), Rosella Guerrero (5, ’92-’95), Michelle McCarthy (4, ’92-’95) and Monica Gerardo (4, ’95-’98) … Erikson’s hat trick is the 49th in ND history and the 25th in the last five seasons (freshman Amy Warner had 3G vs. PC on Sept. 3) … Erikson has points in four of last five games (5G-2A) and five of last seven (6G-3A) … Erikson’s recent surge gives her 151 points (56G-39A) for her career, just five behind `96 graduate Michelle McCarthy for 7th on the ND all-time scoring list … her 56 goals have pushed Erikson past `96 grad. Rosella Guerrero into 7th in ND history, three behind McCarthy, with Erikson edging past McCarthy (37) into 10th on the assists list.

INJURY REPORT: ND freshman F Amy Warner (Albuquerque, N.M.) remains out indefinitely with a leg injury suffered in the Sept. 29 game vs. Seton Hall (she has missed the last six games) … senior central defender and second-year team captain Kelly Lindsey was injured late in the first half at Villanova on Oct. 8 and has missed the last three games … Warner’s spot in the starting lineup is being filled by sophomore Ali Lovelace, who had 1G-1A in the 8-0 win at Georgetown … the Irish have developed significant depth on the back line in recent weeks, with four players-Lindsey and fellow senior Kerri Bakker, plus sophomores Vanessa Pruzinsky and Nancy Mikacenic-capable of playing in the central positions while Pruzinsky, junior Lindsey Jones and senior Monica Gonzalez have seen significant time on the flanks … Mikacenic has started the last three games at Lindsey’s spot.

PLAYING WITH THE LEAD: ND has trailed just once this season while holding the lead for nearly 60% of the minutes … just three teams have managed to forge a tie (1-1) versus the Irish this season-Providence, Stanford and West Virginia-while Boston College is the only team to hold a lead on ND in 2000, doing so for 28 minutes-meaning the Irish have trailed for just 1.9% of the minutes this season.

QUICK STRIKES: Notre Dame jumped out to 1-0 leads in the first 12 minutes of six games this season, including three of the last six (Seton Hall, Georgetown and Syracuse) … the Irish also opened the season by scoring in the 12th minute vs. Detroit and scored in the eight minute the next week versus Providence … the most important quick-strike goal of the season came in the Sept. 17 game at Portland, as Meotis Erikson’s score in the 8th minute quieted the raucous 3,500-plus crowd and held up as the game’s only goal (the Irish ascended to the top of the national rankings one day later).

ND’s Quickest First Goals in 2000

1:32 at Syracuse (Mia Sarkesian)

7:20 at Portland (Meotis Erikson)

8:38 Providence (Amy Warner)

9:24 Seton Hall (Anne Makinen)

9:49 at Georgetown (Amanda Guertin)

11:36 Detroit (Makinen)

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: The Irish have scored first-half goals in 11 of 16 games this season while going past the 55-minute mark without any ND scoring in just two games … senior M Anne Makinen has come to the rescue several times this season with ND needing a second-half goal … on Sept. 1 vs. Tulsa, the ND offense was struggling before Makinen fired home a shot in the 69th minute and scored again for the 2-0 victory … one month later, the ever-reliable Makinen converted a penalty kick in the 53rd minute vs. Rutgers and ND went on to another 2-0 win … one week later at Villanova, Makinen’s leftside corner kick bent toward the goal and led to the decisive own goal in the 80th minute … most recently, Makinen came off the bench in the 54th minute at Yale and set up the first ND goal less than two minutes later, after slicing through the Bulldogs defense and sliding a pass to Meotis Erikson for the 1-0 lead (Makinen converted a free kick in the 83rd minute to spark a late flurry in the 4-0 win) … Mia Sarkesian’s first goal of the season-in the 53rd minute vs. BC-helped erase ND’s only deficit of 2000 (Erikson assisted on that looping shot from 20 yards out).

ND’s Latest First Goals in 2000

79:11 at Villanova (own goal set up by Anne Makinen corner kick)

68:17 Tulsa (Makinen)

53:58 at Yale (Makinen)

52:56 Rutgers (Makinen)

52:40 Boston College (Mia Sarkesian)

YOU NEVER KNOW: Conventional thinking predicted that the 2000 Notre Dame women’s soccer team would experience a dropoff after losing five starters from the 1999 NCAA runner-up team to graduation, including three All-Americans (F/M Jen Streiffer, D Jen Grubb and G LaKeysia Beene) and ND all-time leading goalscorer Jenny Heft (80 career goals, with Streiffer ranking 2nd at 70), plus hard-nosed D Kara Brown (who ranks 5th in ND history with 99 games played) … those five seniors combined to log 485 games from 1996-99, including 440 starts …while struggling at times this season with consistently finishing its scoring chances, ND has risen to the top of the national soccer polls thanks to a skilled midfield that excels in possession and distribution and steady play in the defensive third that has yielded just five goals in 16 games (compared to 15 GA in the first 16 games of `99) … ND’s trio of central-based midfielders-senior Anne Makinen, junior Mia Sarkesian and sophomore Ashley Dryer-has provided consistent ball control that has yielded huge edges in shots (412-70), shots on goal (240-35) and corner kicks (106-31) … the Irish defense has thrived thanks to a seven-player group that has found strong chemistry despite limited experience … that group has included junior G Liz Wagner, senior central defenders Kelly Lindsey and Kerri Bakker, junior right back Lindsey Jones and sophomore left back Vanessa Pruzinsky … senior Monica Gonzalez also has seen significant time on the flank while sophomore Nancy Mikacenic has done a solid job when called on to play in the middle-giving the Irish defense an effective six-player rotation … Lindsey is the only player among the six D who had made more than 26 career starts in the Irish defense prior to this season (Jones made 17 starts as a freshman M while Gonzalez was used strictly as a F prior to 2000 … and Wagner had no previous career starts).

ROAD WARRIORS: Since dropping a 4-2 game at Santa Clara on Oct. 17, 1999, ND has posted a 12-1-1 record in its last 14 games away from Alumni Field … the Irish have put up solid numbers on the road in the 2000 season (7 games), including a 24-1 scoring edge (the other 4 GA have come at home), a 132-40 shot edge (19-6 avg.) and a 79-16 edge in shots on goal (11-2 avg.).

KEEP THAT MOTOR RUNNING: Notre Dame senior F Meotis Erikson (Kennewick, Wash.) has been a durable and reliable member of the Irish lineup throughout her career, appearing in all 92 of ND’s games during the past four seasons (starting 79 of them) … Erikson could become the 8th Irish player to appear in every game of her career (see list below) and only three players currently on that list logged more games than Erikson: M Shannon Boxx (101, `95-’98), D Kate Fisher (98, `93-’96) and G Jen Renola (98, `93-’96) … Erikson also ranks 12th on the ND list for career games played, recently passing current Irish G coach LaKeysia Beene (90, `96-’99) and F Rosella Guerrero (91, `92-’95) … Erikson could catch M Cindy Daws (`93-’96) on that list by playing in the upcoming UConn and Michigan games and would match F Jenny Heft (`96-’99) by adding two postseason games … others on that list include D Kate Sobrero (97, `94-’97) and three with 98 GP: Fisher, Renola and F Monica Gerardo (`95-’98) … M/D Kara Brown (`96-’99) ranks 5th on that list with 99 GP while the top four include Boxx and three with an even 100 GP: M Holly Manthei (`94-’97), M/F Jenny Streiffer (`96-’99) and D Jen Grubb (`96-’99).

ND Players Who Have Appeared In Every Game Of Their Career

Shannon Boxx … 1995-98 … 101

Kate Fisher … 1993-96 … 98

Jen Renola … 1993-96 … 98

Meotis Erikson … 1997-2000 … 92

Rosella Guerrero … 1992-95 … 91

Tiffany Thompson … 1991-94 … 86

Suzie Zilvitis … 1988-91 … 82

Alison Lester … 1990-93 … 81

GAINING EXPERIENCE … AND WINS: Notre Dame’s regular starting lineup during the 2000 season includes three players who had no previous starts on the Division I level-freshman Fs Amy Warner and Amanda Guertin and junior G Liz Wagner-plus several others with limited starting experience prior to 2000: senior D Kerri Bakker (3 GS prior to 2000), freshman M Ashley Dryer (15), junior M Mia Sarkesian (17), junior D Lindsey Jones (17) and sophomore D Vanessa Pruzinsky (26) … the only members of the everyday starting 11 with more than 26 starts prior to 2000 were senior D Kelly Lindsey (68), senior M Anne Makinen (66) and senior F Meotis Erikson (63) … by comparison, the Irish headed into the 1999 season with eight players who had more than 26 career starts.

BIG-GAME PERFORMER: Despite facing just 28 shots on goal all season, junior Liz Wagner has made several big plays vs. ranked opponents … in the 6-1 win over then-No. 2 Santa Clara, Wagner made seven big saves, including an early breakaway and a diving stop in the second half … she finished the KeyBank Classic (which included a 2-1 OT win over Stanford) with 10 saves, as the backstop to a defense that allowed just 16 shots … Wagner then made six saves at the Portland Invitational but turned in several other big plays in both games (she thwarted two early scoring chances by current No. 4 Washington before holding off current 17th-ranked Portland’s late charge) … Wagner is in the midst of her first season as a starter while facing the challenge of replacing All-American LaKeysia Beene and losing two starting defenders from the ’99 team (including four-time All-American Jen Grubb).

50-50 PROPOSITION: Senior M Anne Makinen (Helsinki, Finland) scored on Sept. 29 and Oct. 1 vs. Seton Hall and Rutgers, giving her 60 career goals to move past ’96 graduate Michelle McCarthy (59) into 5th on the ND all-time list (she then scored vs. Georgetown to move into a tie on the ND goalscoring list with 97 grad. Cindy Daws before adding her 62nd career goal at Yale) … Makinen was stuck on 49 career assists since Sept. 17 before assisting on all three Meotis Erikson goals in the 8-0 win at GU (Oct. 6)-becoming the 13th player in Division I history, and the third ND player, to eclipse the 50-goals-50-assists plateau (she entered 2000 as the nation’s only active 40-40 player) … Jenny Streiffer (70G-71A, ’96-’99) and Daws (61G-67A) are the only previous ND players to reach 50-50 … Makinen still has shot at reaching 60-60, needing 7A to become the sixth Division I player to earn that distinction … members of the 60-60 club include Streiffer, Daws, Carin Jennings (102G-60A, UC Santa Barbara, ’83-’86), Mia Hamm (103G-72A, North Carolina, ’89-’93) and Mandy Clemens (67G-65A, Santa Clara, ’96-’99) … nine more goals and 17 more assists would place Makinen alongside Streiffer and Hamm in the very exclusive 70-70 club.

ANNE’S ARSENAL: Anne Makinen reached 10 points in three games this season and 20 (6G-8A) through seven games, despite being marked heavily as ND’s top returning offensive weapon (she now has 34 points, 11G-12A) … Makinen’s start factors out to 55 points over the course of 26 games, with just three previous ND players topping 60 points in a season (’96 saw Cindy Daws record 72 and Jenny Streiffer 66, while Jenny Heft had 61 in ’98) … Makinen heads into the UConn game with a career average of 2.21 points/gm (177 points in 80 games) … her 53 career assists are tied with Jen Grubb (`00) for 6th on the ND career list … Makinen’s 177 career points push into 5th on the ND all-time list, moving past Holly Manthei’s career total from ’94-’97 (176) to trail only Streiffer (211), Monica Gerardo (190, `95-’98), Daws (189) and Heft (189) … Makinen needs to total 48 points this season-she needs 14 more-to pass Gerardo into 2nd on the ND all-time scoring list (Makinen would need a 69-point season-or 35 more points-to surpass ND’s all-time leading scorer, Streiffer).

MAKIN’ WAVES: Anne Makinen-who has points in 10 of 13 games this season-has been the focal point of the Irish offense this season, as the three-year All-American has scored or assisted on nearly half of ND’s goals (21 of 47), including five game-winning goals and three primary game-winning assists (her outlet pass also sprung Amy Warner for the cross that led to the game-ending own goal versus Stanford while her bending corner kick led to the own goal in the 1-0 game at Villanova) … with her team struggling to cash in its chances vs. Tulsa on Sept. 1, Makinen took over in the lategoing by scoring a pair of goals for a 2-0 win … two days later, in the 5-1 win over Providence, her play from her central midfield spot helped the Irish eclipse 30 shots for the third straight game … her pass into the middle set up Amy Warner’s second goal of the PC game and Makinen added a long cross late in that game that Warner half-volleyed to complete her hat trick … Makinen had 1G-2A in the 6-1 win over No. 2 Santa Clara before setting up the game-ending sequence versus Stanford … at the Portland Invitational, Makinen’s long cross set up Ali Lovelace’s goal for a 2-0 lead on Washington and Makinen added a rebound goal and PK goal in that 5-0 game … the next day, her cross from the right set up Meotis Erikson’s goal in the 1-0 win over Portland … most recently, Makinen’s rocket shot from the top of the box held up as the only score in a 1-0 game with Pittsburgh before she opened the scoring to ignite the 6-0 win over Seton Hall and converted a second-half PK to give ND the lead in the 2-0 game with Rutgers … she then came off the bench in the 53rd minute to spark the 4-0 win at Yale, setting up Meotis Erikson for the first goal before sending a free kick over the wall and into the left corner for a late 2-0 cushion.

ROAD STRETCH: Notre Dame is in the midst of playing six of its final seven regular-season games away from home, with the lone home game in that stretch being the Oct. 13 matchup with Boston College … despite the six road games in October, the Irish potentially could spend most of the postseason playing at Alumni Field (the BIG EAST semifinals and final will be played at Notre Dame, on Nov. 3 and 5)-with as many as six straight postseason games in the home confines.

IRISH REMAIN NO. 1: Notre Dame has returned to the top of the national polls for the first time since 1996, following a pair of quality wins on Sept. 16-17 over current No. 3 Washington (5-0) and current No. 10 Portland (1-0), coupled with North Carolina’s 2-1 loss earlier that week at upstart Clemson … North Carolina (now 12-2-0) dropped out of the top spot and was ranked second in this week’s National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) poll (before losing to Florida State) … the Irish are ranked first in the NSCAA poll and various other polls conducted by soccer-specific publications and websites, including the long-running poll compiled by the editors of Soccer America magazine, the SoccerTimes.com national coaches poll and the American Soccer Writers media poll (coordinated by collegesoccerdaily.com).

BIG GAPS: Notre Dame continues to add to its dominating statistical edges, including: 56-5 in scoring, 412-70 in shots ( avg. 25-4), 240-35 in shots on goal (avg. 15-2) and 106-31 in corner kicks (avg. 7-2) …the Irish have held seven teams to 0-2 shots and have allowed more than eight shots just twice (10 by Santa Clara, 11 by Portland) … ND has allowed 0-2 shots on goal in 11 games (none in three) while SCU (7) is the only team to uncork more than four shots on goal vs. the Irish this season … 14 of the 16 ND opponents have been limited to 0-3 corner kicks (Portland had 7, Yale 4).

WALDRUM WORKING WONDERS: Second-year Notre Dame head coach Randy Waldrum has seen his Irish teams post an impressive 37-4-1 combined record (.893), including a solid 9-3-1 mark versus NSCAA top-25 teams and a 1999 season that ended in the NCAA Championship title game … Waldrum 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-finals, with the Irish beating top-ranked and previously unbeaten Santa Clara in their backyard of San Jose, Calif. … Waldrum’s 19-year record as a college head coach (with both men’s and women’s teams) is 220-109-20 (.659) … he owns a 144-54-13 (.713) record in 10-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 the 2000 season ranked 15th among active women’s coaches for career winning percentage (he ranks 26th on the total wins list).

BREAKING THE SEAL: Three different Notre Dame players-senior M Anne Makinen, senior F Meotis Erikson and freshman F Amy Warner-each scored the first goal of the game three-plus times in the first 11 games before freshman F Amanda Guertin joined that group with the first goal in the 8-0 win at Georgetown … junior M Mia Sarkesian then did the honors vs. BC and Syracuse, followed by Erikson netting the first goal at Yale … Makinen recently opened the scoring in three consecutive games (vs. Pittsburgh, Seton Hall and Rutgers), after earlier scoring the first goal versus Detroit and Tulsa … Erikson scored first vs. Santa Clara, Washington, Portland and Yale while Warner broke the ice vs. Providence, Stanford and West Virginia.

ANOTHER TYPE OF SHUTOUT: In the season-opening win over Detroit (6-1), the Titans nearly scored the game’s first goal during an early flurry but ND responded by holding the Titans without a shot for the final 83 minutes … the final shot margin (49-2) ranks as one of the largest in ND history (the team record for shots in a game is 59) … the Irish gave up an early shot (not on goal) by Pittsburgh on Sept. 24 before holding the Panthers without a shot in the final 76 minutes … one week later, ND allowed Seton Hall just one shot (off goal) in the final 86 minutes of that game before holding Rutgers without a shot of any kind … the RU game marked the 13th time in ND history-and sixth time in the last six seasons-that the Irish have held the opponent without a shot.

HOMESTANDERS: Notre Dame’s home record in 10-plus seasons at Alumni Field is 112-7-1 (.938), including an 88-3-1 mark in the last 92 games-highlighted by a 27-game winning streak from 1992-95 (the fifth-longest home winning streak in NCAA women’s soccer history) … ND’s last three home losses have been at the hands of fifth-ranked Connecticut in ’95 (5-4, OT), sixth-ranked Portland in the ’98 NCAA quarterfinals (2-1) and top-rated North Carolina in the ’99 opener (3-2, OT) …the Irish currently carry a 20-game home winning streak … ND’s all-time record at Alumni Field vs. teams not ranked in the NSCAA poll is 77-1-0 (35-6-1 vs. ranked teams), with 70 straight home wins over unranked teams dating back to a 1990 loss to Creighton (2-0) … ND played at Moose Krause Field in the program’s first two seasons (’88 and ’89) , with a home record of 19-5-1 during that span (all vs. unranked teams).

NO. 1 HISTORY: The previous year in which Notre Dame sat atop the NSCAA poll during the regular season was 1996, when the Irish owned the top spot for the final two months of the season (a 2-1 win over UNC on Oct. 4 of that year, followed by a 2-0 win over Duke, bumped the Irish up from the No. 2 spot) … ND also spent the final month of the ’94 season as the No. 1-ranked team, thanks to an earlier 0-0 tie with UNC and the Tar Heels’ loss to Duke in early October.

RISING TO THE TOP: Notre Dame is the only undefeated teams left in all of Division I women’s soccer (spanning 274 teams) … ND’s strength of schedule has improved since the start of the 2000 season, as Portland (10th), Washington (3rd), Boston College and Michigan (both not currently ranked) each have entered the NSCAA poll in recent weeks … other 2000 Irish opponents currently ranked in the NSCAA poll include No. 20 Stanford, 11th-ranked Santa Clara and No. 25 Connecticut.

BULLSEYE ON THEIR BACKS: The Irish own a 29-3-0 all-time record (18-1-0 in the regular season) when playing as the top-ranked team in the NSCAA poll … ND’s losses as the No. 1 team have come at Santa Clara in the 1996 regular season (3-1) and in a pair of NCAA title games vs. UNC (5-0 in ’94, 1-0 in ’96).

RUGGED STRETCH: The Sept. 17 game at Portland completed a challenging stretch in which the Irish posted three consecutive wins over ranked opponents (then-#2 Santa Clara, then-#10 Stanford and #15 Washington), followed by the win over a Portland team that entered the NSCAA poll the next week at #14 … the last time ND played three straight NSCAA ranked opponents was during the 1995 NCAA championship run … early in that `95 season, ND posted successive wins over #13 Wisconsin, #19 Michigan State and #3 Stanford … later in `95, a rugged four-game stretch in the regular season yielded a 5-4 loss to #5 UConn, a 1-0 win over #6 SCU, a 2-2 tie with #11 Duke and a 2-0 loss to top-ranked North Carolina.

BRONCO BUSTERS: Notre Dame’s 6-1 win over Santa Clara marked: SCU’s first consecutive losses since Sept. of 1994 (vs. LMU, Stanford and UNC), the first time SCU was outshot (23-10) in 19 games, and the most goals by an SCU opponent in 20 seasons-dating back to an 8-0 loss to UC Davis in ’80 (the last team to reach five goals vs. SCU was UNC, in ’91) … ND also became the first team to post more than 20 shots vs. Santa Clara since Washington did it in ’94 (23-18, in a 2-2 game).

SANTA CLARA’S JERRY SMITH ON ANNE MAKINEN: “Anne Makinen is the best player in college soccer. She is a great international player, let alone a great college player. The international game is a much tougher game to be good than the college level. … I have such a high opinion of (Anne) that she would have to play just awesome for me to be kind of surprised. We talked about it in our team meeting. We just don’t have enough players that can kind of corral her.”

CORNER KICKERS: Despite being one of ND’s most dangerous players in the penalty box area, senior M Anne Makinen has taken many of ND’s corner kicks this season and is considered the team’s top option for that role due to her strong leg and pinpoint accuracy … senior F Meotis Erikson and freshman F Amanda Guertin also have been used recently on CKs … Erikson set up an Irish goal versus PC with one of those set plays, as did Makinen in the Detroit game … Makinen’s late corner in last week’s game at Villanova was bending into the goal before being kicked into the net by a VU player, for the game’s only goal … Guertin’s CK at Syracuse led to a header-volley combination by Ashley Dryer and Mia Sarkesian in the first two minutes of that 3-0 win.

NEW FACES IN THE NETS: Three-year starter and Notre Dame career goals-against average leader (0.63) LaKeysia Beene has moved on to the coaching ranks as a current Irish graduate assistant, leaving the goalkeeping position open to three capable players … junior Liz Wagner made her first career start in the Detroit game (she has started all 16 games this season) while sophomore Sani Post has played in the second half vs. Providence, Santa Clara, Seton Hall and Syracuse … freshman Lauren Kent (Laguna Nigel, Calif.) showed surprising development during the Brazil trip and has appeared in the lategoing vs. Detroit, Rutgers and Georgetown … due to the strong play in front of them, Post (132:03 played) and Kent (57:07) have yet to face a shot on goal.

YALE RECAP (4-0, Oct. 18) – Senior M Anne Makinen showed once again why she is widely considered the top player in women’s college soccer, as the three-time All-American came off the bench in a rain-soaked game to spark the top-ranked Irish past a feisty Yale squad, with the last three goals coming in the final minutes … Makinen-who was being held out of her second straight game, in preparation for the showdown at BIG EAST rival UConn-was sorely missed during the scoreless first half, with ND holding just a 5-4 shot edge at the intermission while the Bulldogs had nearly scored twice on shots off the posts … less than two minutes after checking into the game, Makinen made an immediate impact by slicing through the Yale defense and setting up the 10th goal of the season from senior F Meotis Erikson, on a turn-and-shoot move near the center of the box (53:58) … Makinen’s presence helped the Irish dominate the midfield battle while igniting an offense that generated 14 shots in the second half and limited Yale’s counterattack (the Bulldogs had no shots in the final 45:00) … ND put the game away in the closing moments, with Makinen sending a free kick over a five-player wall into the upper left corner (83:04) before freshman M Randi Scheller set up a rebound goal by classmate Amanda Guertin (her 9th, at 86:48) and scored her own goal to cap the scoring … Erikson set up the final goal with a cross from the right side of the box and Scheller quickly redirected a shot from the left side for her fourth goal of the season (88:51).

#1 NOTRE DAME (16-0-0) 0 4 – 4

YALE (7-6-1) 0 0 – 0

ND 1. Meotis Erikson 10 (Anne Makinen) 53:58, ND 2. Makinen (free kick) 82:03, ND 3. Amanda Guertin 9 (Randi Scheller) 86:48, ND 4. Scheller 4 (Erikson) 88:57.

Shots: ND 19, YALE 4.

Saves: ND 0 (Liz Wagner), YALE 6 (Sarah Peterson).

Corner Kicks: ND 1, YALE 4.

Offsides: ND 2, YALE 1.

Fouls: ND 11, YALE 8.

Yellow Card: ND – Monica Gonzalez (1).

ND HEAD COACH RANDY WALDRUM ON THE YALE GAME: “Tonight was a classic example of why Anne Makinen is the best player in college soccer. She takes the game to another level for our team and presents a whole different set of challenges for teams trying to defend us. It was amazing how the game changed so quickly after she checked in. … This was one of the most competitive games we have played this season. I have to credit Yale because they came out and played with us. Even after we had taken the lead, they kept adding forwards to try to generate some offense and that opened things up at the end.”

YALE HEAD COACH RUDY MEREDITH ON MAKINEN: “I’d always known Anne was a great player from watching her on TV but this was the first time I’d seen her in person and she completely changed the game from the moment she stepped on the field. She was creating great offensive chances but also made her teammates better. That’s the sign of great player and she’s the best I’ve seen this year.”

DYNAMIC DUO: Notre Dame senior M Anne Makinen and senior F Meotis Erikson have joined 2000 graduates Jenny Streiffer (70G-71A, 211 pts) and Jenny Heft (80G-29A, 189 pts) as the second pair of ND classmates to each reach 150 career points … Makinen ranks 5th in ND history with 177 points (62G-53A) while Erikson ranks 8th with 151 (56G-39A).

FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC: Junior midfielder Mia Sarkesian has totaled just five goals in her ND career but many of them have come in clutch situations … most recently, she scored on a looping 20-yard shot in the second half to tie the BC game and halt ND’s only deficit of the season (that was her first goal of the season, to go along with one assist) … two days later, Sarkesian’s volley of a corner kick-header combination gave ND a 1-0 lead in the first two minutes at Syracuse and she worked a give-and-go to set up Randi Scheller’s clinching goal late in the game (3-0) … all three of Sarkesian’s 1999 goals came in big games: versus top-ranked North Carolina in the ’99 opener (UNC won 3-2 in OT), vs. Seton Hall in the BIG EAST semifinals (a 5-0 win) and vs. Stanford in a 1-0 NCAA third-round game.

BC RECAP (2-1, Oct. 13) – ND faced its first deficit of the season but battled back behind an opportunistic first goal of the season from junior M before freshman F Amanda Guertin netted the game-winner early in the second half … BC opened the scoring on a counterattack in the 10th minute, when Megan Moore skirted the top of the penalty box before ripping a low crossing shot that tucked inside the left post (ending ND’s shutout streak at 493 minutes) … ND tied the game when senior F Meotis Erikson dropped the ball a few yards outside the top of the box, with Sarkesian making a run onto the ball and finding some space while sliding to her right before lofting an arcing shot toward the upper left corner of the net-with the shot coming from 20 yards out while rising high into the night before tumbling toward the far corner (37:57) … ND posted a dominating 16-3 shot edge in the 2nd half (21-5 overall) …Guertin netted her eighth goal of the season and second game-winner in as many weeks, after picking off a clearing attempt and quickly shooting inside the near right post (52:40) … the game marked ND’s 3rd-lowest shot total and fourth-smallest shot margin (+16) … BC had two shots in the first five minutes before being held without a shot for the next 40 … the pregame ceremonies including an unusually early senior night, which paid tribute to student manager Kevin Murphy and the squad’s five departing seniors (Erikson, Ds Kelly Lindsey and Kerri Bakker, Makinen and M Carolina Marino).

BOSTON COLLEGE (11-5-0) 1 0 – 1

NOTRE DAME (14-0-0) 1 1 – 2

BC 1. Meghan Moore 8 (-) 9:59, ND 1. Mia Sarkesian 1 (Meotis Erikson) 37:57, ND 2. Amanda Guertin 8 (-) 52:40.

Shots: BC 5, ND 21.

Corner Kicks: BC 1, ND 2.

Saves: BC 11 (Courtney Schaeffer), ND 2 (Liz Wagner).

Fouls: BC 13, ND 13. Offsides: BC 0, ND 0.

Yellow Card: Nancy Mikacenic (ND, 1st).

WALDRUM ON THE BC GAME: “Mia seems to pick the right time to score her goals and she couldn’t have picked a better time tonight, because defensively BC is a tough team to break down. This was one game where you just kind of had those bad feelings, because you are banged up and injured and changing your lineup a little bit. But I thought overall that we still pretty much controlled the game but they scored a great goal to get the lead and then all of a sudden you’re in trouble. But I was very proud to see how we responded and come back the way we did. … Mia is not necessarily a goalscorer, although she is capable of it. Her strengths are winning head balls in the middle defensively and distributing the ball. She is so skillful and composed when she is under pressure. She is more of a schemer and playmaker for us.”

SYRACUSE RECAP (3-0, 10/15) – Despite playing without the services of its top two scorers (Anne Makinen and Amy Warner) and its defensive leader (Kelly Lindsey), ND received an early goal from junior M Mia Sarkesian and allowed just two shots in the game … Sarkesian struck 92 seconds into the game, on a play set up by freshman Amanda Guertin’s rightside corner kick … several players from both teams contested the cross but Irish sophomore Ashley Dryer won the header, with Sarkesian trapping the ball and volleying a shot from close range for the early lead … the Irish posted a 2-0 cushion early in the second half, on a free kick from just outside the top of the box, as Meotis Erikson bent a low shot around the right side of the wall (48:04) … Randi Scheller capped the scoring in the 70th minute, after working a give-and-go with Sarkesian near the top of the box and striking a shot from 20 yards that sailed inside the near right post (69:29) … ND equaled its season-low with 12 shots but also enjoyed one if its most efficient shooting games of the season … the Irish rested most of their regulars during the final 15 minutes, with freshman forward Lizzy Coghill making the first appearance of her Irish career.

#1 NOTRE DAME (15-0-0) 1 2 – 0

SYRACUSE (10-6-0) 0 0 – 0

ND 1. Mia Sarkesian 2 (Ashley Dryer, Amanda Guertin) 1:32, ND 2. Meotis Erikson 9 (free kick) 48:04, ND 3. Randi Scheller 3 (Sarkesian) 69:29.

Shots: ND 12, SU 2.

Corner Kicks: ND 5, SU 2.

Saves: ND 1 (Liz Wagner 1, Sani Post 0), SU 6 (Katie Karlander).

Fouls: ND 3, SU 4.

Offsides: ND 0, SU 0.

Series Game No. 1 … #5 CONNECTICUT 5, #2 NOTRE DAME 4 (OT) … Oct. 6, 1995

BIG EAST Regular-Season Game (at ND’s Alumni Field)

The first game of the ND-UConn series-and Notre Dame’s first BIG EAST competition in any sport-featured a rare three-goal overtime, with Jana Carabino scoring twice for a 5-3 Huskies lead while Monica Gerardo capped the scoring with a PK in the final minute of play … Ginny Woodward had given UConn an early lead before ND’s Cindy Daws scored early in the 2nd half … UConn’s Margaret Tietjen and ND’s Holly Manthei then traded goals and the Huskies took their third lead on a goal by Anika Martinez in the 74th minute … Manthei then set up a Gerardo’s six-yard shot, tying the game with 8:30 left in regulation, forcing OT … ND held a 26-19 shot edge … the game remains one of just three all-time losses for the Irish at Alumni Field.

Series Game No. 2 … #5 NOTRE DAME 1, #5 CONNECTICUT 0 … Oct. 26, 1997

Regular-Season Game (at ND’s Alumni Field)

BIG EAST Tournament MVP Amy Van Laeke scored the game’s only goal, with an assist from Gerardo in the 18th minute … the tight game featured an 11-8 shot edge for the Huskies.

Series Game No. 3 … #4 NOTRE DAME 2, #5 CONNECTICUT 0 … Nov. 26, 1997

NCAA Quarterfinal (at ND’s Alumni Field)

The teams’ third meeting of 1995 produced another shutout for ND, with Jen Renola making seven saves … the Irish opened the scoring in the 21st minute, with defender Julie Vogel scoring one of her three career goals (assisted by Manthei) … Daws and Kate Sobrero assisted on the second goal, with Van Laecke haunting the Huskies again (at the 51:00 mark) … UConn held a 12-10 shot edge but ND launched seven corner kicks (to UConn’s four) … the Irish went on the next week to capture the NCAA title, with a pair of 1-0 wins over North Carolina and Portland.

Series Game No. 4 … #2 NOTRE DAME 2, #4 CONNECTICUT 1 … Sept. 22, 1996

BIG EAST Regular-Season Game (at UConn Soccer Stadium)

Gerardo scored the game-winning goal three minutes into the second half to break a 1-1 tie to put the Irish in command of the BIG EAST race.

Series Game No. 5 … #1 NOTRE DAME 2, #4 CONNECTICUT 1 … Nov. 10, 1996

BIG EAST Championship Game (at ND’s Alumni Field)

Notre Dame jumped out to a three-goal lead thanks to two goals from Daws … the Huskies rallied to knot the score (3-3) before Jenny Heft tapped in a long service from Sobrero for the game-winner and ND’s third one-goal win over UConn in a four-game span.

Series Game No. 6 … #2 NOTRE DAME 1, #5 CONNECTICUT 0 … Oct. 26, 1997

Regular-Season Game (at ND’s Alumni Field)

Freshman F Meotis Erikson scored early in the first half for the game’s only score and what remains her only career goal vs. the Huskies … ND scored the game’s only goal in the 16th minute, as Erikson took a cross from Kelly Lindsey and sent a shot from the right side that slipped through the hands of UConn goalkeeper Jennifer Traw … the Irish finished with a 13-3 shot edge.

Series Game No. 7 … #2 NOTRE DAME 6, #4 CONNECTICUT 1 … Nov. 9, 1997

BIG EAST Championship Game (at Rutgers, Yurcak Field)

Freshman M Anne Makinen’s hat trick earned her tournament MVP honors … ND took control early, scoring just 2:27 into the contest when Gerardo blasted a shot from 10 yards that bounced out of the hands of Traw, with Jenny Streiffer knocking the loose ball into the upper right corner … four minutes later, a hard foul on Gerardo set up Makinen’s PK for a 2-0 lead (6:40) and Makinen score again after volleying a failed clear from 20 yards out, with the ball tucking under the center of the crossbar … ND put the game out of reach with two goals in the final five minutes before halftime … Streiffer split the defense with a pass from the top of the box to Shannon Boxx who dribbled in from the left wing and scored into the upper right corner (39:51) … Monica Gonzalez capped the first half when she intercepted a goal kick and fired a low shot from 20 yards into the right corner (44:37) … the Irish held a 17-1 shot edge in the first half (30-9 overall) while scoring the most goals ever allowed by UConn in the first half … UConn scored its lone goal at 54:35, when Sarah Barnes headed in a pass from the top of the box from Jen Tietjen … Makinen completed her hat trick in the closing minutes (85:52), after taking a feed from Erikson just past midfield and converting the breakaway shot from just inside the box, into the right corner of the net … the six goals matched the most ever allowed by UConn (UNC 1990, UMass 1979).

Series Game No. 8 … #5 CONNECTICUT 2, #2 Notre Dame 1 … Dec. 5, 1997

NCAA Semifinals (at North Carolina-Greensboro Stadium)

Two goals by senior F Sara Whalen helped UConn hand ND its first loss of the 1997 season … ND held sizable edges in shots (28-6) and corner kicks (10-0) … Whalen’s goals pushed her season total to 21 (plus 22A) … the first half saw ND fall behind 1-0, despite posting a 12-1 shot edge and taking eight CKs … Whalen raced up the left side and blasted a shot past a diving LaKeysia Beene for the game’s first goal (41:01, assisted by Jen Carlson) … midway through the second half, Whalen went one-on-one with Beene and dribbled around the right side of the ND `keeper before shooting into the open net (64:37, assisted by Jen Tietjin) … ND peppered the posts and crossbars several times, with the lone Irish goal coming at the 76:01 mark, when Streiffer headed a pass from Manthei into the net … the game halted ND’s series winning streak at six games and gave UConn a team-record 23 wins for the season … it also marked just the second time in the `97 season that ND allowed more than one goal (with a 2-2 tie vs. UNC and just five other goals allowed in all of `97).

Series Game No. 9 … #2 NOTRE DAME 1, #4 CONNECTICUT 1 … Oct. 16, 1998

Regular-Season Game (at UConn’s Morrone Stadium)

ND scored seven minutes into the game and held a 29-18 shot edge (including three off the posts) but failed to score in the game’s final 113 minutes … the tie snapped ND’s streak of 36 consecutive wins in BIG EAST regular-season and tournament play … Heft’s 18th goal of the season gave ND the early lead … Kara Brown lofted a pass down the left side and Heft quickly fired a shot that skimmed off the left post and settled into the right side of the net … UConn freshman Mary-Frances Monroe tied the game in the 30th minute, after winning a ball near midfield, driving to the goal and firing a shot from 16 yards into the lower right corner (29:52) … a 20-yard free kick from ND’s Anne Makinen slammed off the right post and Heft also found the post with a header try in the second minute of overtime … the game featured a matchup of two of the nation’s leader in goals per game (ND 4.77, UConn 4.15) and team GAA (ND 0.50, UConn 0.81).

Series Game No. 10 … #5 NOTRE DAME 1 , #3 CONNECTICUT 0 … Nov. 8, 1998

BIG EAST Championship Game (at UConn’s Marrone Stadium)

Makinen’s goal at 80:39 was the only score as Irish won their fourth consecutive BIG EAST title … Makinen repeated as tournament MVP … the goal was set up by a corner kick from Jen Grubb, with the kick sailing past the goal before being deflected by a UConn player to Husky defender Laura Molinaro, whose shanked the clearing try … the ball went directly to Makinen, who quickly sent a five-yard shot from the left side inside the far right post … ND held a 19-16 shot edge (12-8 second half) and a 9-4 edge in corner kicks … Beene had seven saves while recording her ninth solo shutout … the 81st-minute goal marked ND’s latest first goal of the `98 season.

Series Game No. 11 … #6 NOTRE DAME 2 , #8 CONNECTICUT 1 … Oct. 22, 1999

BIG EAST Cross-Divisional Game (at ND’s Alumni Field)

Makinen scored the game-winner in the 112th minute, in rainy and wind-swept conditions … Heft tied the ND record for career goals (73) in the 15th minute for an early lead but UConn freshman Sarah Popper sent the game into OT with her first career goal, in the 89th minute … ND held a 25-10 shot edge (7-3 first half, 11-6 second half, 6-0 second OT) … both teams managed just one shot in the first OT … UConn’s Maria Yatrakis made four of her 12 saves in the second OT … the UConn defense saved a header off the backline from Streiffer in the 64th minute … Makinen scored her third career GWG vs. UConn at 111:03, after Grubb served a corner kick that the Huskies failed to clear … Makinen collected the loose ball and sent a six-yard shot towards the upper right corner, with the ball deflecting off a UConn player and into the net … the game was Makinen’s 10th straight with a point … Popper scored in the closing moments (88:21), taking a pass from Salla Ranta and dribbling into the box before placing an 18-yard shot into the upper right corner … Heft gave ND the lead at 73:52, after settling a Kara Brown corner kick and half-volleying a shot that sailed below the crossbar.

Series Game No. 12 … #6 NOTRE DAME 4, #13 CONNECTICUT 2 … Nov. 7, 1999

BIG EAST Championship Game (at Rutgers’ Yurcak Stadium)

ND used goals by three different players and took advantage of a UConn own-goal to win its fifth consecutive BIG EAST title … Heft and freshman Ali Lovelace tallied second-half goals to lead the Irish … Streiffer was named tournament MVP (she had 1G-1A in the title game) … ND held an 11-9 shot edge on the blustery day, with the Irish scoring twice on three shots to pull away early in the second half … Streiffer struck in the ninth minute, on a play set up by Grubb’s cross from the right flank … Streiffer ran onto the ball on the left wing and dribbled inside the box before scoring past Yatrakis, who had come off her line (8:12) … later in the opening half, UConn played the ball back to Yatrakis but it slipped under her heel and went into the left corner of the net (36:05) … UConn forged a 2-1 game early in the second half, when Alexa Borisjuk served a ball over the Irish back line to Salla Ranta, who lofted a shot from the upper right corner of the box into the upper left corner of the net (48:22) … Heft restored the two-goal cushion at 55:37 when she blasted a shot from 18 yards on the left wing into the upper right corner (the play was set up when Makinen won the ball at midfield and dribbled down field before dropping a pass to Heft on the left wing) … Lovelace pushed the lead to 4-1 at 71:48, scoring on an open shot from seven yards near the right post (Heft brought the ball into the box and passed to Streiffer, who tapped the ball to an unmarked Lovelace) … UConn’s Mary-Frances Monroe closed out the scoring at 85:37 with a right-corner shot from 20 yards to beat backup Liz Wagner.

CAREER STATS VS. UCONN: The current ND players have combined to score eight career goals vs. UConn but most of that success belongs to senior M Anne Makinen (5G-1A, 3 GWG) … senior F Meotis Erikson scored vs. UConn in a 1-0 win during her freshman year but is long overdue for her second career goal vs. the Huskies (she has 27 shots vs. the Huskies since that goal in 1997) … sophomore F Ali Lovelace scored vs. UConn in the 1999 BIG EAST title game (all four of her `99 goals came in the postseason).

ND CAREER STATS VS. THE HUSKIES

Liz Wagner: played final 5:27 of 4-2 ND win in `99 BIG EAST title game (1 GA, 0 SV).

SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame leads the series 7-2-1, including a pair of wins in 1999: 2-1 in double overtime (at ND) and 1-0 in the BIG EAST title game (at Rutgers) … ND owns a 29-16 scoring edge over the course of the previous 12 meetings with UConn, including 15-7 in the last six games … UConn has scored more than two goals vs. ND just twice (5-4 Huskies win in `95, 4-3 ND win in `96) and the Irish have held UConn to 0-2 goals in each of the last seven meetings … ND owns a 142-68 shot edge (avg. 24-11) during the last six games of the series … the series generally has produced low-scoring games (avg. 3.8 combined goals per game), including three 1-0 games, one 1-1 game, one 2-0 game and three 2-1 games (the others were 5-4, 4-3, 6-1, 4-2) … each team has been ranked in the NSCAA poll during all 13 games of the series, including five games in which each team was ranked among the top-four (10 in which each team was in the top-five) … those rankings dropped off a bit in `99, as ND was ranked sixth prior to both games (UConn was No. 8 and No. 13, its lowest rankings in the series prior to this week’s game) … ND is 67-3-1 vs. BIG EAST teams since joining the conference in 1995, with UConn owning two of those wins and tie … the Irish also are 88-3-1 in their last 92 home games, with UConn handing ND one of those losses (5-4 in OT in `95).

FAR & WIDE: ND’s typical starting 11 is representative of the University’s national student body, as that starting unit includes players from nine states and Finland (senior M Anne Makinen), with the lone duplicate state being Texas (junior G Liz Wagner and freshman F Amanda Guertin) … the other regular starters hail from Connecticut (sophomore D Vanessa Pruzinsky), Indiana (junior D Lindsey Jones), Michigan (junior M Mia Sarkesian), Nebraska (senior D Kelly Lindsey), New Jersey (senior D Kerri Bakker), New Mexico (freshman F Amy Warner), Utah (sophomore M Ashley Dryer) and Washington (senior F Meotis Erikson) … the team’s top five reserves represent three more states: Ohio (junior F Kelly Tulisiak), Pennsylvania (freshman M Randi Scheller) and Georgia (sophomore F Ali Lovelace), plus repeats for Washington (sophomore D Nancy Mikacenic) and Texas (senior D/F Monica Gonzalez) … ND’s entire 27-player roster for 2000 includes players from 19 states and countries (the above 13, plus California, Canada, Florida, Idaho, Illinois and New York) … ND’s all-time women’s soccer roster includes players from 29 states and two countries, the above 19 plus: Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

A-M FREQUENCY DIALED IN FOR SCORING: ND’s 27-player roster includes five players whose first names begin with A and five who begin with M (plus five that start with K and four with L) … five of the 10 players whose names start with A or M have combined to score ND’s first goal in every game, including five by senior M Anne Makinen, four by senior F Meotis Erikson, three by freshman F Amy Warner, two by junior M Mia Sarkesian and one by freshman F Amanda Guertin (Makinen also had the corner kick that led to an own goal in the 1-0 game at Villanova) … all told, seven players from the “A-M frequency” (also sophomore F Ali Lovelace and sophomore M Ashley Dryer) have combined to score 80 percent of the team’s goals (43 of 54), with that 54-goal total not including a pair of own goals that the A-M players helped set up (Makinen’s pass sprung Warner for a cross that was deflected in for a 2-1 overtime win over Stanford) … the names of ND’s top four forwards and entire starting midfield (all listed above) each start with an A or M.

FIRST-YEAR CONTRIBUTORS: Notre Dame F Amanda Guertin and M Randi Scheller have provided boosts to the ND offense in recent weeks while helping fill the void left by the injury to their classmate Amy Warner … Guertin has points in five of the last six games (5G-1A) while Scheller has 2G-2A in that six-game span (equaling her total from the first 10 games).

BACK-TO-BACK GOALS: Despite a dropoff in its overall scoring and shooting efficiency, the 2000 Notre Dame offense has shown the ability to score back-to-back goals in short periods of time during many of its games this season … in fact, the Irish have scored twice in a span of 5:21 or shorter 12 times this season, highlighted by five times when ND scored twice in 2:36 or less and three games in which the Irish erupted for a pair of two scores in a span of less than two minutes … eight different players have combined to score the second goals in those flurries, including two each by sophomore F Ali Lovelace, senior F Meotis Erikson and freshman Fs Amy Warner and Amanda Guertin (plus one each by freshman M Randi Scheller, junior F Kelly Tulisiak, sophomore M Ashley Dryer and senior M Caroline Marino) … ND has scored a pair of bunched twice in the same game vs. Santa Clara, Seton Hall and Georgetown … in addition to the bunched pairs listed below, the Irish also have posted two noteworthy three-goal flurries in the 2000 season, scoring five times in a span of 5:01 to stunningly take a 3-0 lead on Washington while putting the Yale game away with three goals in a late 6:54 stretch (each of those flurries are included below):

* Note: Erikson and Warner’s goals were sandwiched around a score by SCU’s Kathleen Celio (20:26)

ARE WE THERE YET?: There have been times during recent weeks in which the Irish women’s soccer team has felt like it was several weeks farther along in the season, due in large part to the preseason trip to Brazil that included seven games versus Brazilian club teams … including the games in Brazil, ND has played 23 games in 2000 (the equivalent of playing the regular season, three BIG EAST Tournament games and twice in the NCAAs).