Women's Soccer Meets Miami In Big East Quarterfinal

Nov. 1, 2003

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NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SOCCER
vs. Miami, BIG EAST Quarterfinal (Sunday, Nov. 2; 1:00 EST)

The second-ranked Notre Dame women’s soccer team (18-1-1; 65-8 scoring edge) looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season (3-2 vs. Michigan) in a BIG EAST quarterfinal game vs. Miami on Sunday, Nov. 2, at Alumni Field (1:00 EST)…the Irish and Hurricanes met in mid-Oct., with homestanding ND posting a 3-0 win in the sixth game on the 10-game shutout streak that ranked 5th-longest in Division I women’s soccer history…ND finished 1st in the BIG EAST Mid-Atlantic Division (6-0-0) while Miami (9-8-1) slipped to a tie for 3rd (3-3-0) and ended up as the 4th seed from the Northeast Division…the Irish have not lost at home vs. a BIG EAST team since a wild 5-4 OT game vs. UConn in ’95 (a 49-game win streak) and are 127-9-2 (.928) in their last 138 overall home games (149-13-2 all-time at home)…ND has been ranked in the top two of the NSCAA coaches poll nine of the last 11 years (all but ’01 and ’02), earning No. 1 in ’94, ’95, ’96 and ’00.

INFORMATION HIGHWAY – The ND-Miami game will be available via an internet audio broadcast at www.und.com, with livestats also available via the main page at und.com…the audio is available to SportsPass subscribers (see und.com audio/video link), who also can listen to audio from other ND sports and from other schools that are part of SportsPass (ND tentatively plans on providing audio for all home postseason games)…for schedule and result information on all 26 Notre Dame varsity sports, call the ND Sports Hotline at (574) 631-3000 (press “4” for soccer information and then ‘2″ for women’s soccer results)…see hurricanesports.com for opponent information.

SCOUTING THE IRISH – ND ranks 2nd in the nation with a 0.39 goals-against average and 3.25 goals per game…ND’s dynamic and diverse attack includes eight players who have posted multiple-goal games, led by the potent forward quartet of seniors Amy Warner (10G-11A) and Amanda Guertin (10G-6A), junior Mary Boland 12G-4A) and sophomore Katie Thorlakson (9G-9A)…senior central D and All-America candidate Melissa Tancredi headlines a defense that held 16 straight opponents to 0-3 shots on goal, including just 14 shots on goal in the recent 10-game shutout streak (5th in NCAA history)…sophomore G Erika Bohn now ranks 2nd in the nation with a 0.37 GAA and posted a 981-minute shutout streak that ranks 5th in the NCAA record book…Boland and Tancredi missed the Michigan game with nagging ankle injuries…the Irish had not trailed for 16 games (team record) prior to the Michigan game…ND has totaled 19 more goals (65) than opponent shots on goal (46)…ND’s dominating season is all the more noteworthy with two starters sidelined all season (All-America junior right back Candace Chapman is out with an ACL knee injury while second team all-BIG EAST senior M Randi Scheller had season-ending hip surgery)…ND solidified its spot among the nation’s top teams in mid-Sept. with a dominating defensive effort vs. perennial powers Stanford (0-0) and Santa Clara (2-1) before a convincing win over #5 West Virginia (2-0).

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE – The winner of the ND-Miami quarterfinal will advance to the BIG EAST Championship weekend at Rutgers Yurcak Stadium, with a semifinal matchup on Friday, Nov. 7 (5:00 p.m. EST), versus the winner of the Rutgers at Boston College quarterfinal…both semifinals will be broadcast by College Sports Television (delayed, on Nov. 8) while Fox Sports Net affiliates will broadcast the Nov. 9 BIG EAST final…the other quarterfinals feature Villanova at UConn and St. John’s at West Virginia (all four games are set for Sunday at 1:00).

STREAKS ON THE LINE – The Irish are 28-2-0 in all-time postseason games at Alumni Field and never have lost a BIG EAST Tournament game (18-0-0; ’95-’01 BIG EAST champs)…ND also carries a 49-game home winning streak versus BIG EAST opponents, dating back to a 1995 classic versus Connecticut (a 5-4 Huskies win).

SERIES NOTES – Notre Dame has won all five previous meetings in the series (22-1 scoring edge)…the series includes four previous games at ND: regular-season wins in ’99 (7-1) and ’03 (3-0) and BIG EAST quarterfinal wins in ’99 (5-0) and ’00 (3-0)…the only game played in Miami was a ’01 regular-season game (4-0).

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

CAREER STATS VS. MIAMI – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky has played in all five previous games vs. Miami and assisted on Jenny Heft’s goal (2-0) in the 1999 series opener (7-1)…other ND players with point in previous Miami games include: senior forwards Amanda Guertin (3G) and Amy Warner (3G), senior D Melissa Tancredi (2A), sophomore F Katie Thorlakson (G-A), junior F Mary Boland (G), freshman D Christie Shaner (1A) and freshman M Jill Krivacek (1A).

RECAPPING THE LAST ND-MIAMI GAME – Notre Dame’s earlier win over Miami on Oct. 12 capped a rugged stretch of six games in 13 days for the Irish, with ND owning a 17-4 shot edge (plus 7-2 in corner kicks) while holding the Hurricanes to just two shots on goal…the opportunistic ND offense cashed in three of its seven shots on goal in that game, the first coming on a Katie Thorlakson-to-Mary Boland header sequence, following Christie Shaner’s rightside corner kick…Thorlakson also played a part in the second goal, making a “dummy fake” on Melissa Tancredi’s long thru-ball before Amanda Guertin converted a 12-yard crossing shot from the right side…Thorlakson completed her strong game by sending in a rebounded Jill Krivacek.

HURRICANES NOTES – Miami was on track to challenge for the BIG EAST Northeast Division title after an early win over favorite Connecticut – but the Hurricanes then slipped down in the standings, capped by a 1-0 loss at Providence…Miami has been outscored 29-23 this season, with sophomore Lindsay Yach (9G-3A; after 9G-5A in ’02) representing the only UM player with more than three goals or 11 points…the Hurricanes returned just 12 letterwinners and six starters from their ’02 team that went 9-9-1, with freshman Alex Alford logging every minute in goal this season…Miami has posted wins over Indiana (1-0 in OT, at FAU), Loyola (2-0, at FAU), at South Florida (2-1), Columbia (2-0), Jacksonville (3-1, at FSU), UConn (3-1), at Pittsburgh (1-0) at Virginia Tech (2-0) and vs. Syracuse (2-1), with other losses at Florida Atlantic (1-2, OT), at Central Florida (0-1), vs. West Virginia (1-3), at Florida State (1-7) and at BC (0-3), plus a 2-2 tie at East Carolina.

ALL-TIME BIG EAST QUARTERFINAL RESULTS – The BIG EAST Tournament expanded to eight teams in 1998, with ND posting quarterfinal wins over West Virginia in ’98 (5-0), Miami in ’99 (5-0) and 2000 (3-0) and St. John’s in 2001 (2-0).

CONFERENCE CALL – Notre Dame’s all-time record in regular-season conference games is 95-7-2 (.923; 76-7-2/.906 in BIG EAST) … the Irish are 52-1 in home games vs. BIG EAST teams, with 49 straight home wins over BIG EAST teams since a 5-4 OT loss to UConn in ’95 (239-16 scoring edge, 36 shutouts, 13 with 1 GA) … since ’95, ND’s overall record vs. BIG EAST teams is 93-8-2 (.913; 1-1-0 vs. UConn in NCAAs).

FANTASTIC FOUR – Notre Dame boasts possibly the nation’s top four-player forward rotation: seniors Amy Warner (10G-11A) and Amanda Guertin (10G-6A), junior Mary Boland (12G-4A) and sophomore Katie Thorlakson (9G-9A)…Boland and Warner are one of just three pairs of teammates in the nation with double-digit goals (the others are Southeastern Louisiana’s Kendra Oney, 19, and Kim McNally, 16, and Oklahoma State’s Adriane Radtke and Jolene Schweitzer, both with 12)…the Irish have three double-digit goalscorers for the first time since 2000 (when Meotis Erikson had 13, Guertin 11 and Warner 10)…10 of the last 14 ND teams have featured three or more double-digit scorers (four in ’94, ’98 and ’99, six in ’93 and ’96, seven in ’97)…the four double-digit scorers in ’99 included Jenny Heft (20), Jenny Streiffer (19), Erikson (14) and Anne Makinen (13)…the ’97 team racked up 135 goals, led by: Makinen (23), Erikson (22), Streiffer (20), Heft (20), Shannon Boxx (13), Monica Gerardo (10) and Monica Gonzalez (10).

QUICK TEAM NOTES ON THE IRISH

• Streak #1 – ND’s streak of 10 straight shutouts (13 of last 16) was longest in the program’s history and 5th in NCAA history, besting ND’s 1995 NCAA-title team that went eight games without a goal allowed…the shutout streak covered 956 minutes, besting the ’95 team’s record of 726 straight shutout minutes…prior to the Michigan loss, the Irish had allowed just one goal in 15-plus games, with an earlier 418-minute shutout streak ending on an unstoppable upper-90 shot by SCU’s Marian Dalmy…just four previous Division I women’s soccer teams have posted longer shutout streaks, led by SCU’s 16 in 1998, plus two UNC teams (13 in ’89, 12 in ’87) and the 1984 N.C. State squad (12)…ND’s total of 14 shutouts is seventh in the Irish record book, behind 18 in ’97 and ’98 (also 16 in ’96, ’98 and ’00 and 15 in ’94).

• Streak #2 – Notre Dame’s 19-game unbeaten streak was tied for fourth in ND history (the ’94, ’97 and ’00 teams all started 23-0-1 while the ’95 and ’96 teams combined for a 24-0-0 streak).

• Streak #3 – ND’s 12-game winning streak ranked sixth in the program’s history, with the top win streaks as follows: 24 games from ’95-’96, 17 in ’97, 16 in ’00, 14 from ’92-’93 and 14 in ’94.

• Streak #4 – The Irish recently had a stretch of 138 minutes without allowing a shot (vs. Butler and Georgetown, on Oct. 7 and 10) and went 149 minutes without an opponent shot on goal.

• Balanced Dominance – Notre Dame and top-ranked UNC were the final unbeaten teams remaining among 297 Division I women’s soccer programs, with the Irish also ranking second behind UNC in the nation for scoring (3.25 goals per game) and goals-against average (0.39) – with UNC checking in at 3.67 and 0.33.

• Big Gamers – The current senior class carries a 27-8-2 career record when playing in the postseason and/or facing an opponent ranked in the NSCAA top-25.

• BIG EAST Home Winning Streak – UConn was the last BIG EAST team to beat Notre Dame at Alumni Field (5-4 in ’95), with the Irish winning their last 49 home games vs. BIG EAST teams (93-8-2 overall vs. BIG EAST teams since ’95).

• Games-a-Plenty – The Irish recently completed a rugged stretch of six games in 13 days (Sept. 30-Oct. 12), followed by four days off before the showdown with BIG EAST rival Connecticut, ending a rare eight-game homestand.

• 8-to-1 Scoring Margin -The Irish now own a 65-8 season scoring edge, including 28-1 in the recent eight-game homestand (plus a 166-26 total shot edge/93-11 in shots on goal during that eight-game stretch).

• Unbeaten Start – The 2003 campaign marked the fourth time that ND went 19-plus games into a season without suffering a loss (the ’94, ’97 and ’00 teams all started 23-0-1).

• Historic Dominance – The only previous ND teams to allow comparable goals in the first 20 games were the record-setting 1997 squad that owned a 107-5 scoring edge at the 20-game mark (before a 6-1 win over UConn) and the 2000 squad that held a 67-6 scoring edge after 20 games (before a 1-0 win over UConn).

• Rear-View Mirror – Prior to the Michigan game, the Irish had trailed only once in ’03 (no deficits in team-record 16-plus games), for 7:18 in the third game vs. ASU (the Irish have led 69% of the minutes and trailed 0.4%, for 66 minutes).

• One (Or None) Is Enough – Prior to the 3-2 loss to Michigan, ND logged 24 games with 0-1 GA to tie the team record streak for not allowing multiple goals (it also was the 2nd-best start, 19 games with 0-1 GA)…the 2000 team went 24 games before allowing UNC to score twice in the NCAA semifinals.

• Turnaround Success – ND now is 10-0 this season when playing two days after a previous game (28-2 scoring edge), after going just 4-5 (18-16 scoring edge) in 2002 regular-season “bounceback” games.

• Magic Number – The recent win over Georgetown avenged a 4-3 loss at GU in ’02 (minus 4 ND starters), the only time since a ’95 loss vs. UConn (5-4) that ND has scored three-plus goals and not won (now 102-1-0 in the last 103).

• Quick Strikes – Last week’s action at Seton Hall marked the 8th game this season ND has scored in the first 7:00.

• Half & Half – The Irish have been equally dominant in the first (35-5) and second half (29-3) this season, after managing just a 12-10 first-half scoring edge in ’02.

• Sharpshooters – The efficient ND offense is averaging one goal every 5.8 total shots and every 3.2 shots on goal…the Irish have scored 5-plus goals in 5 games this season and have scored 3-plus goals in 11 games.

• Strong Stretch – After allowing a 26th-minute goal by Oklahoma on Sept. 7, ND’s next 15-plus games (spanning 1,415 minutes) included just 2 goals allowed, 66 opponent shots (22 on goal) and 36 corner kicks, for 90-minute averages during that stretch of 0.13 goals, 4.2 shots, 1.4 shots on goal and 2.3 corners (prior to the 3-2 loss to Michigan).

• Depth Charges – Notre Dame players have combined to miss 157 games due to injury spanning the ’02 and ’03 seasons (40 games played; 31-8-1 record), with seven players already combining to miss 93 games due to injury in ’03.

• Far & Wide – ND’s ’03 roster includes players from 14 states, two Canadian provinces and Iceland…the program’s all-time roster canvasses 30 states and three foreign countries…ND’s student-athlete population in the ’02-’03 academic year included nearly 800 individuals from 47 states (all but Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada) and 20 countries.

• OT-Tested – The Irish are unbeaten in their last 15 overtime games (11-0-4).

• Poll Position – ND has been ranked 1st or 2nd in the NSCAA poll during nine of the last 11 seasons (1st in four).

• Winning When They Should – Notre Dame is 104-4-1 all-time at Alumni Field when facing an unranked opponent.

ND WOMEN’S SOCCER 2003 AWARDS (see PDF)

QUICK PLAYER NOTES

• Net Zero – Sophomore Erika Bohn has extended her shutout streak to an ND-record 981 minutes (5th NCAA history, besting Liz Wagner’s ND record 701 in ’00) before the first goal by Michigan on Oct. 29…Bohn enters the postseason ranked 2nd in the nation with a 0.37 GAA (on pace with LaKeysia Beene’s team-record 0.37 in ’97)…allowed just one goal over 15-plus games (1,256 min., starting with the OU game and ending vs. Mich.)…her last 30 starts include a 27-2-1 record (13 GA)…her shutout streak was longest since ’99, trailing two UNC ‘keepers (Anne Sherow’s 1,670 consecutive shutout minutes, spanning ’87 and ’88, and Jenni Branam’s 1,114 in ’99), SCU’s Crystal Gordon (1,269 in ’98) and Tiffany DeCoff of Holy Cross (1,004 in ’99)…has logged 94% of the team’s minutes in ’03 (86% in ’02).

• Senior Spark – Senior M Kimberly Carpenter has emerged as a key offensive player at attacking midfielder, ranking 5th on the team with 13 points (5G-3A) after totaling just five combined points in her first three seasons (’00-’02) … she had a 6-game point streak that ended vs. Miami and had scored three times in a stretch of six ND goals.

• Fire & Ice – Amy Warner and Amanda Guertin have combined for 84 goals (Guertin is 9th in ND history with 47, Warner 12th with 37), 28 GWGs (17 by Guertin) and five OT goals (ND record 3 by Guertin).

• Big-Goal Scorer – Junior F Mary Boland registered her 5th game-winning goal of ’03 at Pittsburgh (tied for 9th in ND history) and has opened the scoring four times in ’03 … she enters the week ranked 29th in the nation for goals (12) and 27th in points (28)…Boland spent most of her prep career playing as a forward but her ND career also has included time at outside back and in the midfield, with her quick start (ND record 6G in first 3 games) igniting the ’03 offense.

• Iron Women – Senior F Amy Warner has made 63 consecutive starts while fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky has logged 92 career games and 90 starts (good for 10th in the ND record book).

• Getting Right Back – Versatile freshman Kim Lorenzen (Naperville, Ill.) was impressive in preseason training at forward but has found a home in the defense, as a starter both centrally and now right back.

• 4.0 Focus – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky graduated in May of 2003 with a 4.0 cumulative GPA as a chemical engineering major, the third ND student (first since ’74) ever to complete that feat.

• Fabulous Frosh – ND’s freshman class was ranked #5 by Soccer America, with M Jen Buczkowski (6th) and D Christi Shaner (22nd) rated among the top 25 freshman players.

• Goal Patrol – Irish players have combined for 11 multiple-goal games (compared to five in ’02) by eight players: Mary Boland vs. Hartford (3) and ASU (2), Maggie Manning and Amanda Guertin vs. Hartford (both with 2, with Guertin doing so again vs. Georgetown), Jen Buczkowski vs. Oklahoma (2), Katie Thorlakson and Annie Schefter vs. Western Kentucky (both with 2, then Thorlakson at Rutgers), Melissa Tancredi vs. North Texas (2) and Amy Warner at Seton Hall (3).

• Meet You In The Middle – Despite the graduation of four-year starter/defensive ace Ashley Dryer and season-ending hip surgery to senior Randi Scheller (2nd tm all-BIG EAST in ’02), the midfield has been energized by the emergence of two “newcomers”: sophomore Annie Schefter (4G-4A; missed ’02 with ACL) and freshman Jen Buczkowski (2G-6A) – ranking 6th and 8th on the ND scoring charts.

• Furious Forwards – ND’s system includes a pressuring “forecheck” from the team’s frontrunners…five of those players – Mary Boland (2), Amanda Guertin (2), Katie Thorlakson (2), Amy Warner and Maggie Manning – have posted multiple-goal games this season, with Warner also ranking seventh in the nation with 11 assists.

• Setup Specialist – Sr. F Amy Warner ranks 4th nationally in assists (career-best 11), 21st in points (31), 35th in goals (10).

NOTRE DAME PLAYER QUICK-FACT SHEET (see PDF)

WALDRUM NEARING 200th WOMEN’S SOCCER WIN – Fifth-year ND head coach Randy Waldrum is on the verge of his 200th career win as a Division I women’s head coach, carrying a 199-67-16 mark (.734) in 14 combined seasons at Tulsa, Baylor and Notre Dame…the Irish are 91-17-4 (.830) in the five-year Waldrum era, including 76-13-3 in the last 92 games (since losing 4-2 at SCU on Oct. 17, 1999) ?his ND record spans the career of 5th-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky…Waldrum – who repeated as BIG EAST coach of the year in 2000 – in ’99 became the only coach in the 18-year history of the NCAA women’s soccer championship to lead a team to the title game in his first season as that team’s head coach … he was the fourth first-year coach to take his team to the NCAA semi’s, beating top-ranked and previously unbeaten Santa Clara in San Jose…Waldrum’s 22-plus-year record as a college head coach (men’s and women’s) is 275-122-23 (.682) … his women’s soccer record includes 61-36-9 in six years at Tulsa and 46-14-3 in three seasons at Baylor … Waldrum entered ’03 ranked 7th among active women’s coaches for career winning percentage (min. 10 Div. I seasons).

PRIMETIME PLAYERS – ND is 27-8-2 in the last four seasons (’00-’03) when facing an NSCAA ranked and/or postseason opponent ( 75-34 scoring edge in those 36 “big games”) … Amanda Guertin has 50 points in those big games (20G-10A) while Amy Warner owns 8G-5A vs. ranked/postseason opponents (missed half of ’00 due to injury).

FRONTRUNNERS – Prior to the 12th-minute goal by Michigan, ND had not faced a deficit for nearly two months and 16-plus games, the longest streak in the program’s history…the only previous time the Irish had trailed came early in the third game, for 7:18 vs. ASU (ND quickly claimed the lead and went on to a 3-1 win)…the Irish have led for 69% of the 1,828 minutes in ’03 while trailing for less than 1% (0.4%; 66 minutes), with Santa Clara being the only team to come back and tie the Irish (ND retook the lead for good 12 minutes later)…the previous team record for longest streak without facing a deficit was a 14-game stretch in 1997, starting with a 5-0 win over Duke (9/21, after trailing two days earlier in a 2-2 tie vs. UNC)…the ’97 streak continued through a 6-1 win over UConn in the BIG EAST title game (11/9) and ended one week later, when Cincinnati opened the scoring in a first-round NCAA Tournament game (ND dominated for a 7-1 win)…the ’97 team spent all season ranked No. 2 in the NSCAA poll…ND’s 2000 squad earned the top ranking after seven games and did not face a deficit for the first 13 games (BC scored first and led for 28 minutes, in a 3-1 ND win)…that team added six more games without trailing before falling behind UNC in the 82nd minute of the NCAA semifinals (2-1 loss).

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA NOMINEES – Four Notre Dame players recently were nominated for Verizon Academic All-America honors, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (the awards are TBA): fifth-year defender Vanessa Pruzinsky (4.00 cumulative GPA; chemical engineering major), senior midfielder Kimberly Carpenter (3.41; pre-professional science), junior forward Mary Boland (3.87; psychology) and sophomore goalkeeper Erika Bohn (3.67; business)…Pruzinsky was a first team Academic All-American in 2000 and ’01 (she was injured in ’02), becoming just the second ND student-athlete ever to be a first team Academic All-American as a sophomore and junior (freshmen are not eligible).

KEEP ON CRANKING – Prior to the Michigan loss, ND had avoided pitfalls that have hit other top teams, as the Irish and UNC had been the only unbeaten teams for several weeks while the other 295 Div. I programs include just five others with one loss: UCLA, Princeton, Cal Poly, SE Louisiana and Hofstra.

CLUTCH CANADIAN – Sophomore F Katie Thorlakson (Langley, B.C.) has picked key times for all four of her game-winning goals in 2003…two of her GWGs have come vs. top-15 teams (#10 Santa Clara and #15 Connecticut), plus the overtime goal vs. Villanova and the early strike at Rutgers (3-0)…she also is the only current ND player with multiple career goals vs. UConn (her goal tied the ’02 game, 1-1, in a 3-1 win)…the ’02 ND-UConn game proved to be a key turning point for the program, with current senior Melissa Tancredi making the full-time move from F to central D while Thorlakson shifted permanently from M to F…since those key shifts, the Irish are 24-3-1 in their last 28 games.

PLAYING THE BEST – ND has played some of its best soccer vs. ranked opponents, going 24-10-3 vs. NSCAA ranked teams in the Waldrum era (since ’99) … that trend held true in 2001 (5-1-0): 2-1 vs. Penn St., 2-0 vs. Hartford, 2-1 vs. WVU, 3-0 vs. Miami, 0-3 at UConn, 2-1 vs. Michigan … the Irish posted 2002 wins over #25 Maryland (5-2), #8 UConn (3-1), #13 Michigan (1-0) and #14 Purdue (3-1) … over the course of the ’01-’03 seasons, ND owns an 11-6-1 record vs. NSCAA top-25 teams (29-5-1 vs. unranked teams), including 2003 wins over #16 Santa Clara (2-1), #8 West Virginia (2-0) and #15 UConn (2-0) and a scoreless tie vs. #24 Stanford.

NCAA STAT LEADERS – ND entered the weekend ranked second in the nation for both goals-against avg. (0.39) and is scoring (3.25 goals per game), with top-ranked UNC atop both lists (0.33 and 3.67)…senior F Amy Warner enters the weekend with 11 assists, trailing just Oklahoma State’s Nikki Wojtowicz (16), UNC’s Alyssa Ramsey (16) and Portland’s Lindsey Huie (14)…Warner also ranks 21st in the nation in points (30) and 35th in goals (10) while junior F Mary Boland is 29th in the nation with 12 goals and 27th in points (29)…ND’s Erika Bohn now ranks second nationally in GAA (0.37), behind UNC’s Aly Wingert (0.35).

GLORY DAYS – Notre Dame’s current 65-8 scoring edge is comparable to the program’s five-year dominance in the mid-1990s, with 20-game scoring margins of: 92-14 in ’93, 93-8 in ’94, 79-15 in ’95, 118-10 in ’96 and 107-5 in ’97 (average of 98-11) … ND’s 0.39 team GAA is tied with the 2000 team for second in Irish history (trailing only the 0.36 in ’97).

QUICK-STRIKE ARTISTS – Notre Dame has scored in the first 7:00 of eight games this season (total of nine quick-strike goals), with junior F Mary Boland responsible for three of those early scores while six other players each have scored one quick goal this season…the team’s quickest goals have come vs. West Virginia (1:24; Boland volley on long serve from Melissa Tancredi), at Seton Hall (1:30; Amy Warner near-post shot after taking pass from Jill Krivacek) and twice at Rutgers (2:44 by Katie Thorlakson from close range, after leftside pass from Warner; and at 3:53 on Tancredi header, via Thorlakson corner kick)…other quick-strike goals by ND in 2003 have come vs. Hartford (6:32; Boland puts back own rebound, after classic 5-player combination sequence that includes right endline cross from Warner), vs. Oklahoma (5:58; Jen Buczkowski knocks in rebound after flurry in box), at Santa Clara (5:03; Boland on lunging poke after leftside service from Katie Thorlakson), vs. North Texas (4:28; Amanda Guertin shot from top of the box via short pass from Warner) and vs. Georgetown (5:39; Kimberly Carpenter redirects Vanessa Pruzinsky shot).

GOING THE DISTANCE – ND is unbeaten in its last 15 overtime games (11-0-4), since the 3-2, double-OT loss to UNC in the ’99 opener … that team went on to post a 2-1, double-OT win at UConn and played to a 1-1 tie at Nebraska in the NCAA quarter’s (adv. on PKs) … the 2000 team had OT wins over Stanford, at West Virginia and vs. Santa Clara in the NCAA quarter’s (all 2-1), also playing to 0-0 at UConn … ’01 featured an unprecedented five OT games (2-1 vs. Indiana, Villanova, WVU and Michigan; 2-2 vs. Wisconsin) while the ’02 team added 1-0 OT wins over Rutgers and BC…the ’03 team has played to a scoreless tie with Stanford (at SCU) and beat Villanova in OT (1-0).

SHARING THE WEALTH IN OT – ND’s 11 overtime wins in the five-year Randy Waldrum era include goals from seven players (plus an own goal vs. Stanford in ’00): Anne Makinen (vs. UConn in ’99), Amanda Guertin (ND record 3; vs. WVU in ’00, Michigan in ’01, BC in ’02), Meotis Erikson (vs. SCU in ’00 NCAA quarter’s), Kelly Tulisiak (vs. IU in ’01), Amy Warner (2; vs. VU in ’01, Rutgers in ’02), Mia Sarkesian (vs. WVU in ’01) and Katie Thorlakson (vs. Vill. in ’03).

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

STILL NO LOSSES – Notre Dame went unbeaten after 19 games for the fourth time in the program’s history…here’s a look at the other longest season-opening unbeaten streaks in the ND record book (see PDF):

MOVING ON UP – ND’s impressive career record book can be seen in the fact that Amanda Guertin did not crack the Irish top-10 career scoring list until notching her 43rd goal, roughly half of the record total racked up by 1999 graduate Jenny Heft (80)…here’s a look at where Guertin and classmate Amy Warner stand on the career points and goals list (see PDF):

STREAKY PLAYER – Amanda Guertin scored a goal in the final 10 games of 2001 – third-longest in Div. I women’s soccer history (SCU’s Brandi Chastain had a 15-game goal streak in ’90, Hartford’s Maria Kun an 11-game streak in ’97)…Guertin also scored goals in an ND-record seven straight postseason games, spanning ’01 and ’02 (she has 9G in 15 career postseason games) and had points in eight straight games (7G-6A) before the 1-0 loss at Stanford in ’02.

GETTING THE GWGs – Amanda Guertin continues to add clutch goals and assists to her career totals (46G-24A, in 84 GP) – with her 17 gamewinning goals ranking third on the ND all-time list (two shy of Jenny Heft’s record) … seven of Guertin’s GWGs have come in one-goal games, including three in OT (ND record)…nearly half of Guertin’s career goals (17 of 46, or 39%) have been gamewinners – well ahead of the others on the GWG list (see PDF):

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

INJURY WOES CONTINUE – ND’s ’02 season was hampered by injuries to several top players (totaling 64 games missed, plus 93 thus far in ’03 for a total of 157)…the Irish are playing in the ’03 season minus two top players – as junior All-America D Candace Chapman suffered a torn ACL knee injury while training with the Canadian National Team (in preparation for the World Cup) while senior M Randi Scheller underwent preseason hip surgery…sophomore M Jenny Walz (ACL) has returned to practice after being injured in the spring…junior starting central D Gudrun Gunnarsdottir has returned in a reserve role (after missing four games with a broken arm) while freshman D Kari Kennedy (foot) and junior D Kate Tulisiak (back) made their 2003 debuts on Oct. 10 vs. Georgetown…veteran D Vanessa Pruzinsky (ankle) made a full-time return at the ND Classic…Scheller will have the option to apply for a 5th year of eligibility in ’04, as will central D Melissa Tancredi (she missed ’00 with an ACL injury)…Pruzinsky is a current 5th-year player (out most of ’02 with ankle injury) while Chapman will be a senior in ’04 and have her own option at a 5th year in ’05…Tancredi missed three of the final five games in the ’03 regular season while junior F Mary Boland recently has missed two games (both players have been sidelined due to nagging ankle injuries).

BOHN ON A ROLL – Sophomore G Erika Bohn is 29-3-1 in her last 33 starts (28-1-1 last 30), allowing just 17 goals in that 33-game stretch (20 shutouts, 11 with 1 GA)…her only losses in that stretch: 3-2 game BYU with a fluke goal (clearance deflected off referee) and a rare late-game PK; the season-ending loss at top-ranked Stanford, with the only goal coming in the 81st minute; and the 3-2 loss to Michigan in the final game of the ’03 regular season (UM’s final two goals came on corner-kick breakdowns by the ND defense)…prior to the Michigan game, Bohn had logged 29 consecutive games with the Irish (24 fall, 5 spring) without allowing multiple goals (previously done by BYU on Oct. 19, 2002).

MAGIC NUMBERS — The 3-goal mark has been virtually an automatic win in ND history, with the Irish 198-3-1 all-time (.983) when scoring 3-plus, losing to N.C. State in the ’92 opener (4-3), UConn in ’95 (5-4, OT) and at Georgetown in ’02 (4-3), plus a 3-3 tie vs. Vanderbilt in ’91? the Irish had won 88 straight when scoring 3-plus, before the GU loss (now 102-1-0 since Oct. 6, 1995)…ND is 274-8-11 (.954) in all-time games when holding the opponent to 0-1 goals, including tough 1-0 losses in ’02 to eventual NCAA champ Portland and top-ranked Stanford…prior to the UP loss, the Irish had been 56-0-3 in the previous 59 games when allowing 0-1 GA (dating back to 1-0 loss to SMU in ’99, playing minus Finnish national teamer Anne Makinen)…the program’s 16-year history includes just 281 goals allowed in 361 games (0.78 GA per game)…the Irish have allowed more than one goal in only 68 all-time games (19%) and have yielded 3-plus goals in just 32 all-time games (9%; including two 6-goal games by the opponent, four 5-goal and six 4-goal)…91% of ND’s all-time games have seen the Irish hold the opponent to 0-2 goals (ND is just 4-27-1 all-time when allowing 3-plus).

FIRST-HALF FORTRESS – The ND defense has been particularly stingy in the first half the past three seasons, allowing just 20 goals in the first half of those 61 games…the first half in ’02 featured little scoring (12-10 ND edge), compared to a 35-5 first-half edge in ’03.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE – Fifth-year D Vanessa Pruzinsky in May 2003 became the third chemical engineering major (and first since ’74) to graduate from ND with a 4.0 cumulative GPA…Pruzinsky is a two-time Academic All-American, with ND’s other top candidates for that award in ’03 including junior F/M Mary Boland (3.87, psychology), senior M Kimberly Carpenter (3.41, psychology) and sophomore G Erika Bohn (3.67, College of Business).

EARLY SPARK – Mary Boland is the fifth ND player to register a hat trick in an opener and has scored in all three openers of her career (including ND’s first goal in ’01 and ’03), with a diving header to open the scoring in ’01 vs. Penn State (2-1) and the final goal in the ’02 win at Providence (3-0) … previous Irish players with hat tricks in openers: Rosella Guerrero as a freshman vs. N.C. State in ’92 (4-3 loss), Guerrero and sophomore Michelle McCarthy in ’93 at LaSalle (12-0 win), and senior Amy Van Laecke and sophomore Monica Gerardo in ’96 at PC (14-0)…Boland’s 7 points vs. Hartford (3G-1A) are most by an ND player since Jenny Streiffer had 3G-1A vs. Miami on Oct. 1, 1999…Streiffer holds the ND record for points in a game, with 9 (3G-3A) in the ’96 win over Providence (14-0).

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

• D Kate Sobrero (’98) and M Shannon Boxx (’99) were named to the U.S. National Team that finished third at the World Cup, both serving as starters…Sobrero played for the U.S. team that won the ’99 World Cup and was on the ’00 Olympic team…Boxx had no previous National Team experience but had an impressive ’03 season in the WUSA (she became the first player ever to score in her first three games with the National Team, in two tuneup games and the 3-1 opener vs. Sweden)…she also headed in a Mia Hamm corner kick for the gamewinning goal vs. Canada in the third-place game and was one of 16 players named to the all-World Cup team.
• Sobrero and Boxx were two of five former ND players who played in the WUSA 2003 all-star game, as were Washington Freedom D Jen Grubb (’00), Boston Breakers D Monica Gonzalez (’02) and San Jose CyberRays G LaKeysia Beene (’00)…Sobrero and Gonzalez helped Boston win the WUSA regular-season title while Grubb – who played every minute in the first three WUSA seasons – captained the Freedom to the ’03 WUSA Founders Cup title (2-1 in OT vs. Atlanta Beat)…other ND alums in the ’03 WUSA: M Anne Makinen (’01; Phil. Charge), D Lindsey Jones (’02; N.Y.), D Kelly Lindsey (’01; San Jose) and M Monica Gerardo (’99; Wash.).
• Three of the above now are college assistants: Gerardo at Pittsburgh (where former ND assistant Sue-Moy Chin is the first-year head coach), Lindsey at Colorado and Boxx at Cal State Dominguez Hills…Boxx is enrolled in graduate school at Pepperdine and is one of several former ND players set to be married in coming months (as are Sobrero and former midfield great Holly Manthei).

FRESHMAN CLASS RANKED AMONG BEST IN NATION – Soccer America rated ND’s freshman class 5th in the nation, behind Santa Clara, UCLA, Texas and Portland…Jen Buczkowski (Elk Grove, Ill.) was No. 6 on the list of top recruits (second among M, behind Nebraska’s Brittany Timko, who was 2nd overall)…D Christie Shaner (Ambler, Pa.) was No. 22, making ND one of seven schools with multiple players on that top-25 list…M/D Lizzie Reed (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) also was a prep All-American.

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

See PDF for game capsules with linescores and notes