Nov. 22, 2000

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Notre Dame Women’s Soccer Game Notes

NCAA Quarterfinal Game

vs. Santa Clara (Nov. 24, 2000)

(check back for PDF version)

DOWN TO EIGHT: The top-seeded Notre Dame women’s soccer team (22-0-1) will resume play in the 2000 NCAA Championship with a quarterfinal game versus 24th-ranked Santa Clara, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Nov. 24, at Alumni Field … the winner faces the winner of the Connecticut at North Carolina game in the semifinals (5:00 or 7:30 PST, Dec. 1 at San Jose’s Spartan Stadium) … ND has advanced to the quarterfinals every year since 1994 and will be looking to make its sixth trip to the semi’s … the Irish were one of 16 teams to enjoy a 1st-round bye before downing Michigan in the 2nd round (3-1) and Harvard in the 3rd round (2-0) … Santa Clara (16-6-1) has battled to the quarterfinals after a home win over Cal Poly (3-1) and wins at 8th-seeded California (2-0) and BYU (2-1, OT) … SCU joined two other traditional powers-UConn and Portland-in knocking off seeded teams to reach the quarterfinals.

GAME COVERAGE OFFERINGS: Media and fans wishing to track the progress of the ND-Santa Clara game may do so through a variety of offerings that are being finalized prior to gametime (please check back at the ND website for updated information in regards to these offerings) … the Notre Dame athletic department tentatively will provide an internet broadcast the ND-SCU game, available via the internet at www.und.com … in-game updates again will be made available on the Notre Dame sports hotline, at (219) 631-3000 … the Notre Dame website (www.und.com) also has added a “breaking news” voice mailbox on the main page (like the hotline, this breaking-news voicebox will be updated periodically during the game).

QUARTERFINAL NOTES: The eight quarterfinalists all are included among the NCAA’s list of the winningest programs since 1990 (see chart), including six of the top seven … one other quarterfinal will be played on Friday (UConn at UNC, 2:00 p.m.) while the other two games will be played on Saturday: Portland at Penn State (1:00 p.m.) and UCLA at Clemson (7:00 p.m.) … the eight quarterfinalists include six returners from 1999 (Nebraska and Hartford failed to return to the final eight) while Portland and UCLA both were quarterfinalists in 1998 … the eight remaining teams have combined to make 64 trips to the quarterfinals: UNC (19, 1st in NCAA history), UConn (15, 2nd), SCU (9, 4th), ND (7, 6th), UP (6, 8th), Clemson (3), PSU (3) and UCLA (2) … the quarterfinals include two teams each from the BIG EAST (ND and UConn) the ACC (UNC, Clemson) and the West Coast Conference (SCU, UP), plus one each from the Big Ten (PSU) and the Pac-10 (UCLA) … ND, UNC and UConn are the only teams to advance to the quarterfinals every season since ’94 (7 straight) … since ND began sponsoring varsity women’s soccer in ’88, just three schools have advanced to more quarterfinals than ND’s seven: UNC (13 of 13), UConn (10) and SCU (9) … ND is tied with Colorado College for 6th on the NCAA list for most all-time appearances in the quarterfinals (7), behind UNC (19), UConn (15), UMass (10), SCU (9) and NC State (8) … the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship included just 12 teams in the first two years of the event (’82-’83) and expanded to 14 teams in ’84 and ’85 before returning to 12 from ’86-’92 … the tournament then expanded to 16 teams in ’93, to 24 beginning in 1994, to 32 in ’96 and to the current 48-team format in ’98.

Winningest Teams Since 1990 (min. 7 seasons)
1. North Carolina .958 261-10-3
2. Notre Dame .875 218-26-12
3. Nebraska .833 126-24-3
4. Portland .809 175-37-11
5. Santa Clara .800 184-42-11
6. Connecticut .778 201-54-9
7. Penn State .774 123-33-8
8. Texas A&M .773 134-38-4
9. Stanford .757 163-49-10
10. UCLA .744 114-36-10
11. Clemson .730 106-38-4

Note: A&M and UCLA started in ’93, Nebraska, PSU and Clemson in ’94.

TRIFECTA: Notre Dame and Penn State are the only schools ranked in the top 20 of the most recent national coaches polls for women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and women’s basketball … the Irish women are ranked No. 1 in soccer, No. 19 in volleyball and No. 5 in basketball (PSU is 6th in soccer and 8th in both volleyball and basketball).

Around The Horn – Quick Notes on the Irish

Team Notes

  • Notre Dame returned 16 letterwinners but lost five starters-three of them All-Americans-from its 1999 team (21-4-1, NCAA runner-up).
  • ND’s typical starting 11 (from nine states and Finland) is representative of the ND’s national student body … the 27-player roster includes players from 17 states, two foreign countries.
  • The Irish are 43-4-2 (.898) in the two-year tenure of head coach Randy Waldrum, including a 32-1-2 mark in the last 35 games (since losing 4-2 at SCU on Oct. 17, 1999).
  • The current senior class has helped ND compile an 87-8-4 (.899) record from 1997-2000.
  • Every team in the nation-except ND-has at least two losses (Nebraska is the only team with two losses, while Clemson and Penn State are the only ones with two losses and one tie).
  • The Irish are one win shy of reaching 23 wins for the 4th time in ND history (UNC is the only other team to reach 23 wins in multiple seasons).

Inside The Numbers

  • Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 73-7, a 10-to-1 ratio that ranks second in ND history behind the 1997 squad (135-9, 15-to-1).
  • ND’s season statistical edges edges include: 560-132 in shots (avg. 24-6), 314-62 in shots on goal (avg. 14-3), 151-52 in corner kicks (avg. 7-2).
  • The 2nd-round NCAA win over Michigan marked the 14th time this season that ND has allowed 0-2 shots on goal (1) … Harvard became the 18th ND opponent this season held to 0-3 CKs.
  • The Irish lead the nation in team GAA (0.30) and rank 8th in scoring (3.17 goals/gm).
  • The Irish have allowed just 4G in the last 18-plus games (1,738 minutes) and have 12 shutouts in the last 15 (84 shots-36 on goal-and 31 CKs allowed in that 15-game stretch).
  • ND has led for 60% of the minutes while trailing just 1.3% of the time (28 minutes, vs. BC). Schedule and Home Field Notes
  • Prior to the BIG EAST quarterfinals vs. Miami, ND had played six of seven games on the road (during a 27-day stretch), including 10-of-11 days on the road from Oct. 14-24.
  • Prior to the Santa Clara game, the Irish will have played just one game in the previous 11 days (Nov. 13-23).
  • Notre Dame’s last game away from home was Oct. 24 at Michigan while SCU is making its fifth road trip since Oct. 24 (with games at San Francisco, San Diego, California, BYU and ND).
  • ND is 117-7-1 (.940) in 11 seasons at Alumni Field, including 92-3-1 in the last 96 and 82-1-0 vs. unranked teams (75 straight wins) … ND’s current 24-game home winning streak includes a 64-10 scoring edge.
  • ND just enjoyed its first full Saturday-Sunday without any competition since returning from the preseason Brazil trip … Oct. 22 was ND’s only Sunday without a game this season, but the Irish were returning that day from the fall-break trip to Connecticut.

Streaks and Records

  • The current 23-game unbeaten is one shy of equaling the team record (24-0-0 from ’95-’96, 23-0-1 at start of ’94 and ’97).
  • The Irish opened 16-0-0, besting the top start in team history (13-0-0 in ’96)
  • ND posted the third unbeaten regular season in its 13-year history (17-0-1 in ’94, 18-0-1 in ’97).
  • ND’s 16 shutouts are two shy of the team record, set in ’95 and ’97.
  • ND has scored in the 1st half 18 times while going scoreless past the 55:00 mark just three times.
  • ND has reached 30 shots six times and has owned a shot margin of 25-plus in eight games.

No. 1 Notes

  • Notre Dame surged to #1 after a tough four-game stretch (Sept. 8-17), beating Santa Clara (6-1, most goals vs. SCU in 20 years) and Stanford (2-1, OT) in ND’s KeyBank Classic and current #2 Washington (5-0) and NCAA quarterfinalist Portland (1-0, in tough atmosphere) at the Portland Adidas Invitational.
  • ND is ranked No. 1 for the first time since the 1996 season (also in ’94).
  • The Irish own a 35-3-1 all-time record when playing as the top-ranked team … with one of those losses coming at SCU in ’95 (the others were vs. UNC, in the 1994 and ’96 NCAA title games).

Postseason and NCAA Notes

  • Notre Dame’s all-time NCAA Tournament winning pct. (.776, 22-6-1) ranks 2nd in NCAA history.
  • The 2000 squad is the second in ND’s 13-year history to enter the NCAAs with an unbeaten record (the ’97 team likewise was 20-0-1).
  • ND headed into the NCAAs as the No. 1 overall seed for the second time in its history (also ’94).
  • The Irish have reached 20 wins and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals every season since 1994.
  • ND is 11-1-1 in its last 13 postseason games (34-7 scoring edge), 16-2-1 in the last 19 (51-11).
  • The Irish own a 15-1-0 all-time record at home during NCAA Tournament play.
  • ND is 28-0-1 in its last 29 games vs. BIG EAST teams (70-3-2/.947 since joining in ’95).
  • The Irish own a 15-0-0 all-time record in the BIG EAST Tournament (54-7 scoring edge).

ND-SCU Series Notes

o ND and SCU played just twice during the first 11 seasons of the Irish program (1988-98)-with no games in the first seven seasons-but Friday’s matchup will be the third meeting between the teams in the last 13 months.

o ND holds a 3-2-0 series edge, after dropping a 4-2 game at SCU’s Buck Shaw Stadium on Oct. 17, 1999, before avenging that defeat with a 1-0 win over the top-ranked Broncos in the 1999 NCAA semifinals (at Spartan Stadium) … ND posted a 6-1 win over a depleted SCU squad earlier this season (Sept. 8), on the first day of ND’s Key Bank Classic.

o ND’s Liz Wagner owns an 0.29 season GAA that would rank 8th in NCAA history while SCU senior Crystal Gordon owns the 2nd and 5th-best season GAAs on that list (0.16 in ’98, 0.21 in ’99 … but 1.10 this season).

o SCU’s Buck Shaw Stadium is named in honor of the former SCU football coach who was an All-America football player at Notre Dame during the early 1920s.

o Four of the six games of the series have seen one of the teams ranked 1st in the NSCAA poll (ND also in ’95, SCU in both ’99 games).

o The home team is 4-0-0 in the series (two at ND, two at SCU), with the Irish winning a neutral-site game in the 1999 NCAA semifinals.

Anne Makinen Notes (3-time All-American, four times 1st team all-BIG EAST)

o Has totaled 20 points (6G-8A) in 14 career NCAA Tournament games and 43 (15G-13A) in 25 career postseason games.

o Stands 4A shy of becoming 6th Division I women’s soccer player ever to reach 60G-60A.

Meotis Erikson Notes (second team all-BIG EAST)

o Has totaled 14 points (4G-6A) in 14 career NCAA Tournament games and 31 points (9G-13A) in 25 career postseason games.

o Has appeared in all 99 games of her career, tied for 5th in ND history … could set the Irish record for career GP (102) by appearing in three more games.

o Has points in eight of her last 10 games (4G-7A).

Makinen-Erikson Combination Stats

o Makinen (63G-56A) and Erikson (58G-41A) are the second pair of ND classmates ever to reach 150 career points.

o Have combined on 20 goals during their career-including 11 during the 2000 season (no other two-player combination has combined on more than four ND goals this season).

o Their combined career stats include 123 goals (28 game-winners), 100 assists and 346 points in 187 games played (176 starts, 88 each).

Liz Wagner Notes (second team all-BIG EAST)

o Has come up big in the big games, totaling 29 saves and just 3 GA in five regular-season games vs. top-25 teams and five postseason games.

o Her 0.29 season GAA (8 solo shutouts, 8 shared) ranks 1st in the nation and ranks 8th in NCAA Division I women’s soccer history.

o Saw her shutout streak snapped at 700 minutes, in the NCAA 2nd-round game vs. Michigan.

o In her first season as starter while facing challenge of replacing All-American LaKeysia Beene and losing two starting defenders from the ’99 team (including four-time All-American Jen Grubb).

o Her season (0.29) and career (0.28) GAA are on pace to best the Irish records set by Beene (0.63 career, 0.36 in ’97).

o Has started all 23 games this season, allowing just six goals while playing nearly 90% of the minutes and not allowing more than one goal in a game.

Other Player Notes

o Forwards Amy Warner (9) and Amanda Guertin (11) and midfielder Randi Scheller (6) are close to joining the 1997 trio of Makinen (23) , Meotis Erikson (22) and Monica Gonzalez (10) as the second threesome of ND freshmen to reach 10G in a season … freshmen have scored 37% of ND’s goals (27 of 73).

o Guertin has 16 points in the last 12 games (7G-2A), Scheller has 12 (4G-4A).

o Senior F Meotis Erikson, sophomore D Vanessa Pruzinsky and junior G Liz Wagner are the only ND players to start all 23 games this season.

o Senior Kelly Lindsey is ND’s only player on the defensive third who had started more than 26 career games prior to 2000 (Makinen and Erikson were the only Ms or Fs with more than 26 GS).

o Junior M Mia Sarkesian-who had the first goal and assisted on the second in ND’s 3-0 BIG EAST semi-final win over Boston College before scoring the second goal in the NCAA win over Harvard (2-0)-was named the BIG EAST Tournament’s “most outstanding player”, after playing a leading role in the pivotal midfield battle in the BIG EAST title game.

NCAA Quarterfinal Appearances

1. North Carolina – 19

2. Connecticut – 15

3. UMass – 10

4. Santa Clara – 9

5. N.C. State – 8

6. Notre Dame – 7

Colorado College – 7

8. Portland – 5

9. William & Mary – 5

Hartford – 5

George Mason – 5

California – 5

UC Santa Barbara – 5

4: Stanford, Central Florida, Wisconsin

3: Harvard, Clemson, Penn State, Cortland State, Virginia

2: Duke, Maryland, Florida, Nebraska, UCLA, Boston College, Brown

1: SMU, Dartmouth, Princeton, Missouri-St. Louis, Florida International

NCAA Quarterfinals (since 1988)

1. North Carolina-13

2. Connecticut-10

3. Santa Clara-9

4. Notre Dame-7

5. Portland-6

6. Hartford-5

Colorado College-5

N.C. State-5

9. Wisconsin-4

Stanford-4

William & Mary-4

UMass-4

3: Clemson, Penn State and Virginia.

2: George Mason, UC Santa Barbara, Duke, Maryland, Florida, Nebraska, UCLA.

1: California, Central Florida, Harvard, SMU, Dartmouth, Florida International.

NCAA Semifinal Appearances

1. North Carolina-19

2. Santa Clara -7

3. Connecticut-6

UMass-6

5. Notre Dame-5

Colorado College-5

7. George Mason-4

Portland-4

9. California-3

2: Central Florida, Wisconsin

1: Missouri-St. Louis, N.C. State, Virginia, Hartford, Duke, Stanford, SMU, Florida, Penn State

NCAA Semifinals (since 1988)

1. North Carolina-13

2. Santa Clara-7

3. Notre Dame-5

4. Portland-4

5. Connecticut-3

Colorado College-3

7. Wisconsin-2

1: N.C. State, Virginia, Hartford, Duke, Stanford, SMU, Florida, Penn State

Notre Dame Records Set in 2000

Best Start … 16-0-0 (13-0-0 in `96)

ND Records/Feats Equaled in 2000

Unbeaten Regular Season … also ’94, `97

Unbeaten Prior to NCAAs … also `97

Seeded #1 for NCAAs … also `94

Ranked #1 … also `94, `96

On Pace For ND Records (Team)

0.30 GAA … 0.36 (’97)

7 Goals Allowed … 9 (’97)

* 7.7 shots per goal (tm hi) … 6.8 (`98)

* – record low is 4.4 shots per goal

On Pace For ND Records (Individual)

Liz Wagner – 0.29 season GAA … Lakeysia Beene (0.36, `97)

Liz Wagner – 0.28 career GAA … Lakeysia Beene (0.63, `96-’99)

Close To ND Records (Team)

23-game unbeaten streak … 24 (`94, `95-’96, `97)

16 shutouts … 18 (`95, `97)

25-game home win streak … 27 (`92-’95)

22 wins … 24 (`96)

Close To ND Records (Individual)

Meotis Erikson – 94 shots in season … Anne Makinen (106, `98)

Meotis Erikson – 99 career games played … Shannon Boxx (101, `95-’98)

Anne Makinen – 6 GWGs in season … Rosella Guerrero (18, ’94)

ND Career Scoring List (G-A-Pts)

1. Jenny Streiffer (`00) … 70G-71A-211

2. Monica Gerardo (`99) … 73G-44A-190

3. Cindy Daws (`97) … 61G-67A-189

Jenny Heft (`00) … 80G-29A-189

5. Anne Makinen (`01) … 65G-56A-186

6. Holly Manthei (`98) … 24G-128A-176

7. Meotis Erikson (`01) … 58G-44A-160

ND Career Goals List

1. Jenny Heft (`00) … 80

2. Monica Gerardo (`99) … 73

3. Jenny Streiffer (`00) … 70

4. Anne Makinen (`01) … 65

5. Cindy Daws (`97) … 61

6. Michelle McCarthy (`96) … 50

7. Meotis Erikson (`01) … 58

ND Career Assists List

1. Holly Manthei (`98) … 128

2. Jenny Streiffer (`00) … 71

3. Cindy Daws (`97) … 67

4. Shannon Boxx (`99) … 57

5. Anne Makinen (`01) … 56

6. Jen Grubb (`00) … 53

7. Meotis Erikson (`01) … 44

SERIES & POSTSEASON NOTES

ND-SCU RECAP (6-1, 9/8/00): Anne Makinen had a hand in half of the goals for 4th-ranked ND while drawing postgame praise from Jerry Smith as “the best overall player in college soccer” … 2nd-ranked SCU played without junior D Danielle Slayton (U.S. Olympic team) and sophomore M Aly Wagner (quad pull) … Meotis Erikson notched the game’s first goal on a clever move in the 18th minute … after SCU senior F Kathleen Celio had scored, a patented thru-ball from Makinen set up another tricky Irish goal-this time from speedy Amy Warner … with SCU pressing for the equalizer midway through the second half, Makinen’s outlet sprung Amanda Guertin for the critical third Irish goal … the hosts tacked on three more scores in the final 10 minutes, including a PK from Makinen and a pair of goals from junior reserve Kelly Tulisiak … Liz Wagner made six timely saves for the biggest win of her first Irish season as the Irish starter.

SANTA CLARA 1-0 – 1

NOTRE DAME 2-4 – 6

ND 1. Meotis Erikson 2 (Guertin) 17:21, SCU 1. Kathleen Celio 4 (Veronica Zepeda/Heather Aldama) 20:26, ND 2. Amy Warner 4 (Makinen, Dryer) 21:57, ND 3. Amanda Guertin 3 (Makinen/Gonzalez) 73:13, ND 4. Makinen (penalty kick) 80:04, ND 5. Kelly Tulisiak 2 (Warner) 86:30, ND 6. Tulisiak 3 (-) 89:06.

SHOTS: SCU 6-4/10, ND 15-8/23. … SAVES: SCU (Alice Gleason) 6-2/8, ND (Wagner) 2-4/6.

CKs: SCU 2, ND 3. … FOULS: SCU 18, ND 19. … OFFSIDES: SCU 4, ND 3.

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).

POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM THE SANTA CLARA GAME

ND’s ANNE MAKINEN: “I think we can go all the way if we play like we played tonight. … They beat us pretty bad last season and then we came back and beat them. So we were kind of ready for them to step up and play tough. … It’s a great honor to hear (the praise from coach Smith). But it’s a team sport and I can only do my part. … I’ve played the top teams in the world. It’s a lot faster, a lot harder. You’ve got to play the ball or you get killed. And, I guess, that’s the only way to learn.”

ND’S RANDY WALDRUM: “To win by that margin, it’s a real surprise. They were without two national team players. We understand what it’s like when we don’t have Anne. It’s a great win but it’s not something to get too excited about. … They pressed so hard in the second half to get the tying goal and when we got the third goal and kind of dominated for a period of time, it just kind of psychologically lets you down. … Liz Wagner was great in goal. Early in the first half, we missed a backside trap and she came up with a breakaway save and she had several saves in the second half that keep it from being tied.”

RECAPPING THE FIRST FOUR ND-SCU GAMES

@ #6 ND 1, #7 SCU 0 (10/8/95) – Monica Gerardo’s goal in the 52nd minute (assisted by Holly Manthei and Michelle McCarthy) provided the only scoring … SCU held a 12-7 shot edge and 9-0 corner-kick margin … Gerardo scored after slipping behind the defense and taking a feed from McCarthy .. SCU’s Mikka Hansen clanged a 12-yard shot off the far post in the 27th minute.

@ #9 SCU 3, #1 ND 1 (10/13/96) – ND’s 24-game winning streak (still the Irish record) came to an end, in front of a Buck Shaw Stadium record crowd (3,714) … SCU’s Mikka Hansen opened the scoring in the 28th minute before Irish D Kate Fisher knocked home a 25-yard shot shortly before halftime (Fisher went on to total just 7G in her career) … Hansen’s cross set up Jacqui Little’s header goal in the 58th minute and Samantha Obara’s breakaway in the 83rd minute capped the scoring, 10 minutes after ND freshman D was red-carded (forcing the Irish to play with 10 players the rest of the way).

@ #1 SCU 4, #6 ND 2 (10/17/99) – SCU scored 4G in an early 9-minute span in front of another record crow (4,051) at Buck Shaw … Aly Wagner scored twice (first on PK) while Mandy Clemens and Devyn Hawkins (header) rounded out the scoring spree … 2nd-half goals by ND’s Anne Makinen and Jen Grubb capped the scoring … the Broncos finished with a 16-8 shot edge and a 6-3 corner-kick margin.

#5 ND 1, #1 SCU 0 (12/3/99, NCAA semi’s, San Jose) – SCU failed to cash in a 17-3 shot advantage (plus 7-1 on corner kicks) while Ali Lovelace scored in the 75th minute … fellow freshman Nancy Mikacenic set up the goal with a mid-field header on a kick from SCU ‘keeper Crystal Gordon … Lovelace raced down the left side and rolled a crossing shot past the Gordon’s outstretched body for her fourth goal of ’99 (all in the postseason) … LaKeysia Beene made seven saves for the Irish while stopping several other tough crosses and thru-balls … 14,006 fans at Spartan Stadium represented the largest crowd ever to see an NCAA women’s soccer semifinal or final.

ND CAREER STATS VS. SANTA CLARA

Name … GP/GS … Shots … G-A-Pts

Anne Makinen … 3/3… 6 … 2-2 -6

Kelly Tulisiak … 1/0 … 2 … 2 … 2-0-4

Amy Warner 1/1 2 1 1 3

Amanda Guertin 1/1 2 1 1 3

Ali Lovelace 3/1 1 1 1 3

Meotis Erikson 3/3 8 1 0 2

Monica Gonzalez 3/2 2 0 1 1

Mia Sarkesian 3/2 1 0 0 0

Kelly Lindsey 2/2 0 0 0 0

Ashley Dryer 3/3 1 0 0 0

Nancy Mikacenic 3/1 0 0 1 0

Lindsey Jones 3/1 1 0 0 0

Vanessa Pruzinsky 3/3 0 0 0 0

Kerri Bakker 2/0 0 0 0 0

Randi Scheller 1/0 2 0 0 0

Megan Rogers 1/0 0 0 0 0

Jennifer Carter 1/0 0 0 0 0

Liz Wagner: 1 GS, 5 SV, 1 GA, 90:00

3rd-Round NCAA Recap

(@ND 2, HARVARD 0, Nov. 17)

Meotis Erikson set up both goals via corner kicks while the ND defense turned in another strong showing … Harvard managed just four shots on goal (eight total) … the game was played in freezing temperatures, with the Notre Dame grounds crew turning in an admirable transformation of a field that was covered by a couple inches of snow and ice at midday … a spirited crowd of 843 fans cheered throughout the game and included a solid contingent of the ND student body … Erikson’s leftside CK set up a header from Anne Makinen near the far post, in the 31st minute … Erikson then served the ball from the right side early in the second half, with Mia Sarkesian sliding onto a loose ball in the goalmouth area to nudge home the second goal … ND finished with an 18-9 shot edge and 7-3 corner kick margin, with Harvard’s first CK not coming until the 82nd minute … Harvard is the 14th straight team to drop a series opener to the Irish … ND’s all-time record in series openers is 57-23-2 (.707), 24-3-0 since ’93 and 37-6-0 at home (12-1-0 since ’93) … since the start of ’93, ND opponents making their first visit to Alumni Field are just 1-1-27 … the Irish now are 4-1-0 all-time in series openers that took place during the NCAAs.

HARVARD (13-9-1) 0 0 0

#1 NOTRE DAME (22-0-1) 1 1 2

ND 1. Anne Makinen (Meotis Erikson) 30:08, ND 2. Mia Sarkesian 5 (Monica Gonzalez, Erikson) 49:24.

Shots: HAR 5-4-9, ND 10-8-18. … Saves: HAR 4-2-6 (Cheryl Gunther), ND 3-1-4 (Liz Wagner). … CKs: HAR 0-3-3, ND 5-2-7.

Fls: HAR 7-2-9, ND 4-4-8. Offsides: HAR 1, ND 4.

Postgame Comments

ND Head Coach Randy Waldrum: “We were very good in the first half but it was disappointing that we had some more great opportunities that we didn’t finish, and we’ve talked about that throughout the season. … It was great to get a handle on the game early and then to get the second goal. That made it a lot tougher for Harvard to get back in the game. … It was a good time to score off a set-piece. At this time of the season, those become big things for you. … We came out with a lot of intensity and we really set the tone for not getting ourselves in to trouble. … We’ve begun to make more of an effort to spend some time on set pieces. Anytime you can set the ball down and run something off it that you want, then you need to be good at it.”

Anne Makinen: “We had a little talk in the lockerroom the other day and we kind of decided that we have to step it up a little.”

Meotis Erikson: “The fans were awesome and they were cheering a ton. It’s always colder when you’re standing and not moving. We’re really proud of our fans and we hope they keep coming back. That really helps a lot.”

Harvard Head Coach Tim Wheaton: “They are the best team that we’ve played this year. They are so athletic and smart and they work so well with the ball.”

2nd-Round NCAA Recap

(@ND 3, MICH 1, Nov. 12)

ND shook off a disjointed 1st half before finishing with a 29-4 shot edge (6-1 CKs) … Michigan managed just two shots in the 1st half but nearly held the lead, with Kacy Beitel smacking a 20-yard shot off the crossbar in the 24th minute before tying the game on a free kick-header combination seven minutes later … Ashley Dryer-who missed the final 16 minutes of the 1st half due to a bruised ankle-sparked the Irish with the primary assist on Amanda Guertin’s go-ahead goal before scoring the 2nd goal of her career … the 1st goal came via Anne Makinen’s free from just outside the left side of the penalty box, with Meotis Erikson volleying the ball into the left side of the net (11:35) … UM’s goal came off a service from 40 yards out by Andrea Kayal, with Beitel nudging a header past charging ‘keeper Liz Wagner (30:23) … ND retook the lead as Ali Lovelace played the ball to Dryer, who made a run at the right side of the box and slid a pass over to Guertin, who paused and sent an eight-yard shot past Carissa Stewart (53:46) … eight minutes later, Dryer took a long pass from Monica Gonzalez, used a combination of moves to slide by a pair of UM players and sent a crossing shot inside the far right post (65:55).

#1 ND (21-0-1) 1-2-3

#25 Michigan (13-9-1) 1-0-1

ND 1. Meotis Erikson 12 (Anne Makinen) 11:35, MICH 1. Kacy Beitel 10 (Andrea Kayal) 30:23, ND 2. Amanda Guertin 11 (Ashley Dryer, Ali Lovelace) 53:46, ND 3. Dryer 2 (Monica Gonzalez) 65:55.

Shots: MICH 2-2-4, ND 13-16-29. … Corner Kicks: MICH 1, ND 6. … Svs: MICH 9 (Stewart), ND 0 (Wagner).

Fls: MICH 12, ND 11. Off.: MICH 2, ND 0

UM Coach Debbie Rademacher: “Notre Dame certainly is the best team we’ve seen this year, in terms of all-around and who they can bring in. … Notre Dame has so many weapons and good speed and everybody is so good on the ball.”

ND’s Randy Waldrum: “During halftime, I didn’t talk to them about anything tactically. I told them, `If you want to waste 21 games over the next 45 minutes by playing like you did the first half, then go do it. If you want to play Friday, then go get this thing turned around.’ We just weren’t focused and that’s my responsibility. … Amanda Guertin is so composed around the box and that showed on her goal. She ran in there with speed, slowed down and settled it before knocking it in. … You want to see how your players are going to respond under pressure and we’ve been under that enough times this season. … We always talk about how Mia Sarkesian and Ashley Dryer don’t get enough credit for what they do. When Ashley went out in the first half, we really lost a handle of things in the midfield. To come back with an assist and a goal, it shows how important a player she is for our team.”

POSTSEASON NOTES

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS: Detailed information on Santa Clara can be found at their official website (www.santaclarabroncos.com).

LET’S CHAT!: Three senior members of the ND women’s soccer team-F Meotis Erikson, M Anne Makinen and D Kelly Lindsey-recently were featured on a live chat sponsored by espn.com (Nov. 21) … originally scheduled for 20 minutes, the chat lasted a full hour as the trio answered as many questions as time allowed from nearly 120 that were submitted … a transcript of the live hat is included on the Notre Dame website (www.und.com), along with a variety of other offerings about the Irish women’s soccer program.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Notre Dame has played in every NCAA Championship since 1993, including eight trips to the quarterfinals, five semi-final appearances, four trips to the title game and the 1995 championship season … the Irish own an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 22-6-1 (.776), with three of those losses coming at the hands of North Carolina in the championship game (5-0 in ’94, 1-0 in OT in ’96, 2-0 in ’99) … ND dropped its first-ever NCAA Tournament game to George Mason in 1993 (2-1) while ending the ’97 season with an NCAA semi-final loss to UConn (2-1) and a 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Portland at Alumni Field … the Irish claimed the 1995 NCAA title with a semi-final win over North Carolina (1-0) and a triple-overtime win over Portland in the title game (1-0).

TOP SEED STORY: Notre Dame received the top seed in the 48-team NCAA tournament, marking just the second time that the Irish have been seeded first overall … the ’94 team was the top seed and posted wins over George Mason (3-1), William & Mary (2-1) and Portland (1-0) before losing to North Carolina (5-0) in the championship game.

REST FOR THE WEARY: ND-which will have played just one game in the 11 days prior to the SCU matchup-recently has enjoyed a pair of six-day breaks from competition (Nov. 6-11, Nov. 18-23)-their longest stretches without a game all season … the Irish closed the regular season by playing four road games and being on the road for 11 days in a 12-day stretch (Oct. 14-24) … ND played twice in a week nine times this season and enjoyed significantly higher production in the first games of a week (38-3 scoring edge) than in the second games (16-2), with most of those games typically played Friday-Sunday.

MAKINEN, SENIORS MAKE FINAL PUSH: Senior M Anne Makinen is putting the finishing touches on her stellar Notre Dame career and is widely considered to be the favorite for national player-of-the-year honors … Makinen and the team’s other fourth-year seniors-F Meotis Erikson, D Kerri Bakker, D Kelly Lindsey and D/F Monica Gonzalez-have helped ND compile a record of 87-8-4 during the 1997-2000 seasons (.899), good for 4th in ND history … the class of 1998 won 92.1 pct. of its games (91-6-4, from ’94-’97) while the classes of ’97 (.903, 87-8-3, from ’93-’96) and ’99 (.901, 89-8-4, from ’95-’98) also enjoyed stellar four-year runs … if ND closes with three more wins to claim the NCAA title, the senior class will finish with a .902 four-year winning pct. (90-8-4) that would rank as the 3rd-best winning pct. and 2nd-most wins during any four-year period of the ND women’s soccer 13-year history.

STINGY: Notre Dame has yielded goals in back-to-back games just once this season, actually doing so in a three-game stretch from Sept. 3-10 vs. Providence (5-1), Santa Clara (6-1) and Stanford (2-1/OT) … since the Stanford game, the Irish have allowed just three goals in their last 18 games (by Boston College and Michigan twice), with shutout streaks of two games, five games, three games and three games in that stretch.

TOUGH TO AVOID THOSE LOSSES: Notre Dame (22-0-1) is the nation’s only unbeaten team among 271 Division I women’s soccer programs, with just one other teams owning a record with two losses or better (twice-beaten Nebraska), following losses in the NCAAs by Furman, Jacksonville and Washington (Penn State and Clemson are next on the season winning pct., each with two losses and one tie) … the Irish headed into the NCAAs without a loss just once previously, in 1997 (also 20-0-1, with that season ending on a 2-1 loss to UConn in the NCAA semifinals).

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 four games versus Brazilian club teams … including the games in Brazil, ND has played 27 games in 2000 (the equivalent of playing the regular season, a full allotment of eight postseason games and one additional game).

POSTSEASON NOTES

SCOUTING THE IRISH: Notre Dame returned 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 (14G-15A) has scored or assisted on 40% of ND’s goals this season (29 of 73) while other top scorers include freshman Fs Amy Warner (9G-4A) and Amanda Guertin (11G-3A) and senior F Meotis Erikson (12G-11A) … junior Liz Wagner has played most of the minutes in the nets, with 48 saves, six goals allowed (one on a PK) and the nation’s top GAA (0.29).

PRIMED FOR POSTSEASON: Senior M Anne Makinen and senior F Meotis Erikson have done their share of scoring during the postseason, with Makinen amassing 43 points (15G-13A, 4 GWG) in 25 career postseason games while Erikson has 32 (10G-12A) … that dynamic duo has combined to average 3.0 points per game in the postseason, including a combined 2.4 points per game in NCAA Tournament play (Makinen has 6G-8A and Erikson 4G-6A in 14 career NCAA Tournament games) … senior D Kelly Lindsey started all of ND’s 20 postseason games during the previous three seasons and has 2G-1A in 14 career NCAA Tournament games (including a game-winning assist in the 2-1 win over Nebraska in ’98, plus the winning sudden-victory penalty kick vs. the ‘Huskers in the ’99 NCAA quarterfinals) … more than half (4G-3A) of sophomore F Ali Lovelace’s 20 career points have come in the postseason … junior G Liz Wagner (who led three shutout efforts in the 2000 BIG EAST Tournament) had limited postseason experience prior to 2000, including short stints in the ’99 BIG EAST Tournament vs. Seton Hall and UConn and 12 minutes of action in the second round of the ’99 NCAAs vs. Dayton … Wagner actually saw some late-game action as a field player in 1998 BIG EAST Tournament routs of West Virginia and Syracuse (roster limits expanded from 18 to 22 players this season).

NOTRE DAME CAREER NCAA TOURNAMENT STATS

Name GP/GS Shots G A GWG Pts (*2000 postseason)

Anne Makinen 14/14 44 6 8 1 20 (2 GS, 7 Sh, 1G-1A-3 pts, GWG)

Meotis Erikson 14/14 37 4 6 1 14 (2 GS, 9 Sh, 1G-2A-4 pts)

Monica Gonzalez 10/2 20 2 3 0 7 (2 GS, 4 Sh, 0G-2A-2 pts)

Mia Sarkesian 8/5 8 2 2 1 6 (2 GS, 4 Sh, 1G-0A-2 pts)

Kelly Lindsey 14/12 2 1 3 0 5 (2 GP, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Ali Lovelace 6/2 9 1 1 1 3 (2 GS, 7 Sh, 0G-1A-2 pts)

Ashley Dryer 7/7 8 1 1 0 3 (2 GS, 7 Sh, 1G-1A-3 pts)

Amanda Guertin 2/2 7 1 0 1 3 (2 GS, 7 Sh, 1G-0A-2 pts, GWG)

Nancy Mikacenic 5/3 3 0 1 0 1 (1 GP, 1 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Lindsey Jones 9/2 7 0 1 0 1 (2 GS, 2 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Vanessa Pruzinsky 7/7 3 0 0 0 0 (2 GS, 1 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Kerri Bakker 9/2 1 0 0 0 0 (2 GS, 1 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Kelly Tulisiak 2/0 1 0 0 0 0 (2 GP, 1 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Amy Warner 2/0 1 0 0 0 0 (2 GP, 1 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Randi Scheller 2/0 0 0 0 0 0 (2 GP, 0 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Liz Wagner: 3 GP/2 GS, 281:50 (1 GA, 8 SV)

NOTRE DAME CAREER POSTSEASON STATS (BIG EAST Tournament & NCAAs)

Name GP/GS Shots G A GWG Pts (*2000 postseason)

Anne Makinen 25/25 83 15 13 3 43 (5 GS, 16 Sh, 3G-2A-8 pts, GWG)

Meotis Erikson 25/25 77 9 12 2 31 (5 GS, 19 Sh, 2G-4A-8 pts, GWG)

Ali Lovelace 12/5 25 4 3 1 11 (5 GS, 18 Sh, 0G-3A-3 pts)

Mia Sarkesian 16/10 21 4 3 2 11 (5 GS, 12 Sh, 2G-1A-5 pts, GWG)

Monica Gonzalez 18/5 30 3 4 0 10 (5 GS, 8 Sh, 0G-2A-2 pts)

Kelly Lindsey 24/20 6 2 4 0 8 (4 GP, 0 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Amanda Guertin 5/5 14 2 0 1 4 (5 GS, 14 Sh, 2G-0A-4 pts, GWG)

Ashley Dryer 13/12 19 1 1 0 3 (5 GS, 7 Sh, 1G-1A-3 pts)

Kerri Bakker 13/5 3 1 0 0 2 (5 GS, 1 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Lindsey Jones 19/5 16 0 2 0 2 (5 GS, 4 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Amy Warner 5/0 6 1 0 1 2 (5 GP, 6 Sh, 1G-0A-2 pts)

Randi Scheller 5/0 3 0 2 0 2 (5 GP, 3 Sh, 0G-2A-2 pts)

Vanessa Pruzinsky 13/13 3 0 1 0 1 (5 GS, 1 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Nancy Mikacenic 11/5 9 0 1 0 1 (4 GP, 1 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Kelly Tulisiak 7/0 4 0 0 0 0 (4 GP, 2 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Caroline Marino 2/0 0 0 0 0 0 (2 GP, 0 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Lizzy Coghill 1/0 0 0 0 0 0 (1 GP, 0 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Megan Rogers 2/0 0 0 0 0 0 (2 GP, 0 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Jennifer Carter 2/0 0 0 0 0 0 (2 GP, 0 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Kim Carpenter 2/0 2 0 0 0 0 (2 GP, 2 Sh, 0G-0A-0 pts)

Liz Wagner: 15 SV, 2 GA in 9 GP/5 GS (538:09, 0.33), plus 2 GP off the bench in field in `98 BET (1A).

Lauren Kent: 1 SV, 0 GA in 2 GP (35:08).

ND HEAD COACH RANDY WALDRUM ON THE POSTSEASON:

“This game (at UConn, Oct. 21) could prove to be a good lesson for us and we are looking forward to having some more spacing between games that comes with the postseason. Right now, the team needs some time-physically and mentally-to get refocused and rested.

“But it’s been a tremendous season. To have predicted that we would be 16-0-1 heading into the final regular-season game-with two starters missing a stretch of games-would have been a pretty bold statement, but this team has shown great leadership and chemistry while playing with a lot of resiliency. It’s a special group and we are looking forward to the next few weeks.”

BIG EAST HONORS

o Three ND players-senior M Anne Makinen, senior D Kelly Lindsey and freshman F Amy Warner-earned 1st team all-BIG EAST honors while senior F Meotis Erikson, sophomore D Vanessa Pruzinsky and junior G Liz Wagner were named 2nd team all-BIG EAST

o Makinen-also named BIG EAST midfielder of the year-became the second BIG EAST player ever named 1st team all-BIG EAST four times (Irish D Jen Grubb was the first to do so, from ’96-’99) … 2nd-year ND head coach Randy Waldrum also repeated as BIG EAST coach of the year.

o ND has produced an all-BIG EAST G during all six of its season in the conference while also producing 13 all-conference Fs, 12 all-BIG EAST Ms and 11 all-conference Ds.

o At least two ND forwards have received all-BIG EAST honors every season (1995-2000) except ’97 while two Irish Ds have been all-conference every season since ’95 except ’98.

o ND’s 26 all-time BIG EAST 1st-teamers include nine midfield honors, seven Fs, seven Ds and three Gs.

ND HEAD COACH RANDY WALDRUM ON THE NCAAS

“Receiving the top seed is a great tribute to the hard work, cohesiveness and resiliency that this team has shown throughout the season. You always will face tough tests in the postseason and I expect that to be the case this year.”

SIX STRAIGHT RANKS SIXTH

o ND’s string of six consecutive BIG EAST championships rates as the 6th-longest ever recorded in any of the 20 BIG EAST-sponsored sports and is 3rd-longest in any of the nine “team-based” sports, trailing only UConn’s seven consecutive women’s basketball titles (’94-’00) and Pittsburgh’s seven consecutive volleyball titles (’88-’94, with ND winning the next four after joining the league in ’95).

o Pittsburgh also won 10 straight BIG EAST championships in men’s swimming and diving (’83-’92) and nine straight in women’s swimming and diving (’83-’91) while Boston College won eight consecutive BIG EAST men’s tennis titles from ’81-’88.

o To put ND’s tournament streak in greater perspective, no school ever has won more than two consecutive BIG EAST titles in men’s basketball while the longest BIG EAST championship streaks in field hockey and women’s outdoor track have been just three years.

o Four others sports-men’s golf, men’s soccer, softball and men’s indoor track-have failed to produce a streak of better than four straight titles by one team while the longest BIG EAST title streaks in women’s tennis and men’s outdoor track have been five years.

o ND’s six straight women’s soccer titles equals the title runs fashioned by the `83-’88 Villanova women’s indoor track teams and VU’s ’89-’94 women’s cross country squads.

NO GOALS A RARITY

The 0-0 game at UConn on Oct. 21 marked just the third scoreless tie in ND history and the first in six seasons (also at Dayton in ’91 and vs. North Carolina in a ’94 game played in St. Louis).

RECORD BOOK NOTES

23-GAME CHECKUP: ND has allowed just seven goals (the team record-low is nine, in ’97) while the 0.30 team GAA is below the record of 0.36 (’97) … the Irish have posted 16 shutouts and could make a run at the record (18, in ’95) … ND set the team record for best start (the ’96 team opened 13-0-0) and-prior to the tie at UConn-was one win shy of tying the record for longest single-season winning streak (the ’97 team won 17 straight midseason games) … ND also won 20 straight regular-season games (the previous team record was 18, from ’95-’96) … Anne Makinen’s record for shots in a season (106, in ’98) could be bested this season by Meotis Erikson (94) … Makinen has six game-winning goals this season (Rosella Guerrero’s eight in ’94 are the ND record).

IRISH POST BEST START: ND’s 16-0-0 start 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 9th-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 73-7 scoring edge and has posted five wins and one tie vs. teams that were ranked in the NSCAA poll at game time: No. 2 Santa Clara (6-1), No. 10 Stanford (2-1, OT), No. 15 Washington (5-0), No. 25 UConn (0-0), No. 24 UConn (1-0) and No. 25 Michigan (3-1).

PERFECT MARK: The Irish concluded Mid-Atlantic Division play 6-0-0 for the second consecutive season and own a 54-2-2 (.948) all-time record in BIG EAST regular-season play (including cross-divisional games and the recent tie at UConn, which was not part of the official BIG EAST schedule) … prior to the tie at UConn, ND had won 25 straight games vs. BIG EAST teams (19 regular season, six BIG EAST Tournament) … ND’s only blemishes in BIG EAST regular-season play include a 5-4 OT loss to UConn in the ’95 NCAA Championship season, a 1-1 tie at UConn in ’98, a 3-2 loss two days later at Seton Hall and the recent 0-0 tie at UConn … since joining the BIG EAST in ’95, the Irish own a 70-3-2 record (.947) in all games vs. BIG EAST opponents (including a 2-0 win over UConn in the ’95 NCAA quarter’s and a 2-1 loss to UConn in the ’97 NCAA semi’s) … ND’s 75 games vs. BIG EAST teams since ’95 have included a 370-33 scoring edge (avg. 4.9-0.4), with a 60-7 scoring edge in 15 BIG EAST Tournament games (avg. 4.0-0.5).

IRISH COMPLETE UNDEFEATED REGULAR SEASON: The 5-1 win at Michigan yielded just the third undefeated regular season in the 13-year history of ND women’s soccer (17-0-1) … the ’94 team headed into the postseason with a similar 17-0-1 mark while the ’97 Irish squad went 18-0-1 in the regular season.

SCORE 10, LET IN 1: ND owns a 73-7 scoring edge, yielding a 10-to-1 scoring ratio that trails only the high-scoring ’97 squad (135-9, 15-to-1 ratio) in the program’s 13-year history.

SILVER STREAKS: Prior to the tie at UConn, ND nearly tied the team record for consecutive wins in a season (the ’97 squad won 17 straight before losing 2-1 to UConn in the NCAA semi’s) … ND’s last regular-season loss came Oct. 17, 1999 (4-2, at then-No. 1 Santa Clara) … since that time, the Irish set a team record by winning 20 straight regular-season games (the ’94-’95 teams combined to win 17 straight regular-season games) and are 21-0-1 in the last 22 regular-season games … ND is 30-1-2 in its last 33 games overall … a regular-season win over UConn would have equaled the 2nd-longest overall winning streak in the program’s 13-year history (the ’95 and ’96 teams combined to win 24 straight) … ND’s current 23-game unbeaten streak ranks 3rd in ND history (the ’95-’96 teams went 24-0-0, the ’97 team-when the current seniors were freshmen-opened 23-0-1).

BIG GAPS: Notre Dame has posted dominating stat edges in 2000: 73-7 in scoring, 560-132 in shots ( avg. 24-6), 314-62 in shots on goal (avg. 14-3) and 151-52 in corner kicks (avg. 7-2) … the Irish have held seven teams to 0-2 shots and have allowed more than eight shots just four times (10 by Santa Clara, 11 by Portland, 16 by UConn, 16 by Michigan) … ND has allowed 0-2 shots on goal in 14 games (none in three) while SCU (7), UConn (8) and Michigan (8) are the only teams to uncork more than four shots on goal vs. the Irish … 18 ND opponents have been limited to 0-3 corner kicks (Portland had 7, Yale 4, UConn 5 and 4).

POLL POSITION: ND has been ranked in the top-7 of the NSCAA poll since Sept. 14, 1993 (86 straight polls) and has held down a spot in the top-six since Sept. 15, 1999 … the Irish have been ranked 1st-3rd in 61 of 88 polls during the past seven seasons and have been ranked in the top-five in 73 of the last 88 polls (in the top 10 of all but one) … ND’s spots in the last 88 NSCAA polls include 17 weeks at No. 1, 32 at No. 2, 12 at No. 3, four at No. 4, eight at No. 5, 11 at No. 6, three at No. 7 and one at No. 12.

YOU NEVER KNOW

o Conventional thinking predicted that ND would experience a dropoff after losing five starters from the ’99 NCAA runner-up team to graduation, including three All-Americans (F Jen Streiffer, D Jen Grubb, G LaKeysia Beene) and ND all-time leading goalscorer Jenny Heft (80 career goals, with Streiffer 2nd at 70), plus hard-nosed D Kara Brown (5th in ND history with 99 GP) … those five seniors combined to log 485 games from ’96-’99, including 440 starts.

o While struggling with finishing, ND has risen to the top of the polls thanks to a skilled midfield that excels in possession and distribution and steady play in the defensive third that has yielded just seven goals in 23 games (compared to 24 GA in ’99).

o ND’s trio of central-based Ms-senior Anne Makinen, junior Mia Sarkesian and sophomore Ashley Dryer-has provided consistent ball control that has yielded huge edges in shots (542-123), shots on goal (307-58) and corner kicks (144-49).

o The Irish D has thrived thanks to a seven-player group that has found strong chemistry despite limited experience: junior G Liz Wagner, senior central Ds Kelly Lindsey and Kerri Bakker, junior right back Lindsey Jones and sophomore left back Vanessa Pruzinsky.

o Senior Monica Gonzalez has seen significant time on the D flank while sophomore Nancy Mikacenic has done a solid job when called on to play in the middle-giving the Irish D an effective six-player rotation … Lindsey is the only player who had made more than 26 career starts in the Irish D prior to this season (Jones made 17 starts as a freshman M, Gonzalez was used strictly as a F prior to 2000 … and Wagner had no previous career starts) … Mikacenic (21 GS as a M in ’99) started five games in place of the injured Lindsey.

SCORING ‘EM AND STOPPING ‘EM: Notre Dame, UCLA and Nebraska are the nation’s only teams ranked in the top eight for scoring offense and team goals-against average … ND is 1st in GAA (0.297) and 8th in scoring (3.17), UCLA 2nd in GAA (.323) and 5th in scoring (3.43) and Nebraska 5th in GAA (.417) and 2nd in scoring (3.90).

NO. 1 NOTES & TEAM NOTES

NO. 1 SIGN BURNS ON: October 12 brought a new look to the night sky on the northeast corner of the Notre Dame campus, as the traditional, lighted numeral one was placed atop Grace Hall, in honor of the Irish women’s soccer team’s ascension to the number-one ranking … the eight-foot sign, for years under the auspices of Grace Hall (a men’s residence hall from 1969-96), had not appeared since it last was lit in honor of the ’95 NCAA championship won by the women’s soccer team … the number-one sign, built by Father Bob Malone and a group of seminarians, originally went up at Moreau Seminary (located at the north end of St. Joseph’s Lake) in January of 1974, following Notre Dame’s 1973 national championship football season … designed to be lit anytime a Notre Dame team was ranked number one, it later moved to Howard Hall (at the center of campus, near the old Notre Dame Bookstore) before finally shifting to the roof of Grace Hall … the sign was proudly displayed during the end of the 1988 football season (when the Irish captured the national title) and returned during parts of the 1989, ’90 and ’93 football campaigns.

IRISH REMAIN NO. 1: ND has returned to the top of the national polls for the first time since ’96, following a pair of quality wins on Sept. 16-17 over current No. 2 Washington (5-0) and current No. 10 Portland (1-0), coupled with UNC’s 2-1 loss earlier that week at Clemson … North Carolina (now 19-3-0) dropped out of the top spot and is seeded fifth in the NCAAs … 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, the SoccerTimes.com national coaches poll and the American Soccer Writers media poll (coordinated by collegesoccerdaily.com).

NO. 1 HISTORY: The previous year in which ND sat atop the NSCAA poll in the regular season was ’96, when the Irish owned the top spot for the final two months (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 No. 2) … ND spent the final month of ’94 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: Following Nebraska’s 2-1 loss to Oklahoma on Oct. 15, ND became the only undefeated team left among 271 Division I women’s soccer teams … ND’s strength of schedule has improved since the start of the 2000 season, as Portland (10th), Washington (2nd), Boston College and Michigan (25th) entered the NSCAA poll in recent weeks … other 2000 Irish opponents currently ranked include Stanford (15th), Santa Clara (25th) and UConn (13th).

BULLSEYE ON THEIR BACKS: ND owns a 35-3-1 all-time record (20-1-1 in the regular season) when playing as the top-ranked team in the NSCAA poll, with losses at Santa Clara in ’96 (3-1) and in a pair of NCAA title games vs. UNC (5-0 in ’94, 1-0 in ’96), with the tie this season at UConn (0-0).

REGULARS IN THE LINEUP: Due to the use of various lineups and a handful of injuries, just three ND players have started all 23 games: senior F Meotis Erikson, sophomore D Vanessa Pruzinsky and junior G Liz Wagner … six others have appeared in every game: freshman F Amanda Guertin (20 GS), freshman M Randi Scheller (5 GS), junior M Mia Sarkesian (22 GS), sophomore M Ashley Dryer (19 GS), junior D Lindsey Jones (21 GS) and senior D Kerri Bakker (18 GS) … Erikson has started every game of her ND career (99), as has Pruzinsky (49).

DEFENSIVE-MINDED: ND’s hard-nosed D has held the opposition to seven goals while having a hand in just 11 goals on the other side of the field (2G-9A) … sophomore Nancy Mikacenic (1G-3A) is the “leading scorer” among the Irish D but her header goal came on a CK while she was playing in the M (in the opener vs. Detroit) while two of her three assists also came as a M … senior Monica Gonzalez (also with 1G-3A) scored while playing as a forward at Michigan and had assists in NCAA wins over Michigan and Harvard … junior Lindsey Jones (2A), sophomore Vanessa Pruzinksy (1A) and freshman Megan Rogers (1A) round out the scoring by the Irish D … seniors Kelly Lindsey and Kerri Bakker have yet to register a point in 2000 … not counting points recorded at other positions, the Irish D has accounted for just seven (9A) of the team’s 210 points (4.3 percent) … by comparison, 2000 graduates Jen Grubb (9G-8A) and Kara Brown (2G-16A) combined to total 46 points from the back during the 1999 season (those two D alone accounted for 15% of the points in ’99).

SHARPSHOOTING: ND will be looking to rediscover its improved shooting accuracy, as the Irish were averaging one goal ever 7.8 shots before scoring 3G on 12 shots at Syracuse, 4G on 19 shots at Yale, no goals on 7 shots at UConn and 5G on 27 shots at Michigan (one goal every 5.4 shots in those four games) followed by just 3G on 30 shots vs. Miami, 3G on 27 vs. BC, an own goal on 10 shots vs. UConn, 3G on 29 shots vs. Michigan in the NCAAs and 2G on 18 shots vs. Harvard (ND has cashed in 11 of 104 postseason shots, or 1G every 9.5 shots) … the overall average of 7.7 shots/goal is highest in ND history, up from ’98 (6.8) and ’99 (6.1) .. the best shot-to-goal ratio in ND history was 4.40 (’96) … the 2000 Irish are averaging 24.4 shots/gm, which ranks ahead of every previous season except ’97 (30.9) and ’98 (26.8) … seniors Anne Makinen (84 shots) and Meotis Erikson (94) have taken the bulk of ND’s shots this season (they have combined to average 7.9 shots/gm) … the top shooting percentages among ND regulars include junior F Kelly Tulisiak (4G on 15 shots, 3.8 shots/goal), freshman F Amy Warner (9 on 46, 5.1) and freshman F Amanda Guertin (11 on 63, 5.7).

READY, SET, GO!: Set plays have produced eight ND goals in the last 11 games (including four of ND’s 12 postseason goals): Anne Makinen’s corner kick that led to the own goal at Villanova, Mia Sarkesian’s volley that was set up by a CK at Syracuse, Meotis Erikson’s free kick at SU, Makinen’s free kick at Yale, Sarkesian’s header off a CK at Michigan, Erikson’s volley of a Makinen free kick vs. Michigan in the NCAAs, and Erikson’s CKs that set up goals vs. Harvard in the NCAAs by Makinen (header) and Sarkesian (slide in scramble).

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES: There was plenty of women’s soccer action at ND’s Alumni Field during the eight-day stretch of Oct. 29-Nov. 5, as the facility served as the site of the BIG EAST semifinals (Nov. 3) and championship game (Nov. 5) after also hosting the Oct. 29 quarterfinal game vs. Miami … ND also is preparing to host its third NCAA Tournament game-and sixth straight postseason game-at home.

FOR STARTERS: The Irish rediscovered their 1st-half scoring form in the regular-season finale at Michigan, with scores from senior F Monica Gonzalez and junior M Mia Sarkesian … ND had totaled just two 1st-half goals in the previous five games (vs. BC, Syracuse), compared to 20 first-half goals in the first 12 games … the Irish have totaled 17 second-half goals during the last 10 games (compared to just 10 in the first half) … over the course of the entire season, ND has scored 11 more goals in the 2nd half (41) than in the first 45 minutes (30) … ND owns a 30-4 scoring edge in the 1st half, 41-3 in the 2nd half (2-0 in OT) … the Irish own a 29-2 scoring edge away from home this season (44-5 at home).

RUGGED STRETCH: The Sept. 17 game at Portland completed a challenging stretch in which the Irish posted three consecutive wins over ranked opponents (#2 Santa Clara, #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 in the ’95 NCAA championship run, with early 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 #1 North Carolina.

PLAYING WITH THE LEAD: ND has trailed just once this season while holding the lead for roughly 60% of the minutes … just four teams have managed to forge a tie (1-1) vs. the Irish this season-Providence, Stanford, West Virginia and Michigan in the NCAAs-while Boston College is the only team to hold a lead on ND in 2000 (for 28 minutes), meaning that the Irish have trailed for just 1.3% of the minutes this season … since the Sept. 22 game at West Virginia, only one team-Michigan, in the NCAAs-has come from behind to tie the Irish (a span of 15 games).

GAINING EXPERIENCE … AND WINS: Notre Dame’s regular starting lineup 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 ’99 with eight players who had more than 26 career starts.

ROAD WARRIORS: Since dropping a 4-2 game at Santa Clara on Oct. 17, 1999, ND is 13-1-2 in its last 16 games away from Alumni Field … the Irish have put up solid numbers on the road in 2000 (9 games), including a 29-2 scoring edge (the other 4 GA have come at home), a 166-72 shot edge (21-9 avg.) and a 96-32 edge in shots on goal (12-4 avg.).

BREAKING THE SEAL: Three different ND 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 (and BC again) while Erikson netted the first goal at Yale, senior Monica Gonzalez did the honors at Michigan and Warner scored off the bench vs. Miami … Makinen-who opened the scoring in the NCAAs vs. Harvard-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 (before also opening the scoring in the NCAAs vs. Michigan) while Warner broke the ice vs. Providence, Stanford, West Virginia and then Miami.

HOMESTANDERS: ND’s home record in 11 seasons at Alumni Field is 117-7-1 (.940), including 93-3-1 in the last 97 games-highlighted by a 27-game win streak from ’92-’95 (5th-longest in NCAA history) … ND’s last three home losses have been at the hands of #5 UConn in ’95 (5-4, OT), #6 Portland in the ’98 NCAA quarterfinals (2-1) and top-rated UNC in the ’99 opener (3-2, OT) …the Irish currently carry a 25-game home winning streak, with a 66-10 scoring edge in those games … ND’s all-time record at Alumni Field vs. teams not ranked in the NSCAA poll is 82-1-0 (35-6-1 vs. ranked teams), with 75 straight home wins over unranked teams dating back to a 2-0 loss to Creighton in ’90 … 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).

BACK-TO-BACK GOALS: Despite a dropoff in overall scoring, ND has shown the ability to score quick back-to-back goals … 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 … eight 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 … ND has scored a pair of bunched goals twice in the same game vs. Santa Clara, Seton Hall and Georgetown … in addition to the bunched pairs listed below, the Irish have posted two noteworthy three-goal flurries, scoring three times in 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:

1:01 Erikson-Lovelace 26:10-27:11 2-0 (5-0) Washington (@Portland) 1:53 Makinen-Warner 9:24-10:17 2-0 (6-0) Seton Hall 1:56 Guertin-Erikson 9:49-11:45 2-0 (8-0) at Georgetown 2:09 Guertin-Scheller 86:48-88:57 4-0 (4-0) at Yale 2:36 Tulisiak-Tulisiak 86:30-89:06 6-1 (6-1) Santa Clara 3:09 Warner-Dryer 75:16-78:25 5-1 (5-1) Providence 3:43 Makinen-Guertin 52:56-56:39 2-0 (2-0) Rutgers 4:00 Lovelace-Lovelace 27:11-31:11 3-0 (5-0) Washington (@Portland) 4:36 Erikson-Warner 17:21-21:57 *2-1 (6-1) Santa Clara 4:45 Makinen-Guertin 82:03-86:48 3-0 (4-0) Yale 5:03 Erikson-Erikson 64:01-69:04 5-0 (8-0) Georgetown 5:21 Tulisiak-Marino 63:36-68:57 6-0 (6-0) Seton Hall

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

QUICK STRIKES

ND has jumped ahead in the first 12:00 of seven games this season, including the 2nd-round NCAA win over Michigan (3-1) … the Irish opened the season by scoring in the 12th minute vs. Detroit and scored in the 8th minute the next week vs. Providence … the most important quick-strike goal came Sept. 17 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) … Erikson also volleyed in a leftside free kick from Anne Makinen to open the scoring in the NCAAs vs. Michigan.

ND’s Quickest First Goals in 2000

1:32 – at Syracuse (Mia Sarkesian)

7:20 – at Portland (Meotis Erikson)

8:38 – vs. Providence (Amy Warner)

9:24 – vs. Seton Hall (Anne Makinen)

9:49 – at G’town (Amanda Guertin)

11:36 – vs. Detroit (Makinen)

11:35 – vs. Michigan, NCAAs (Erikson)

FAR & WIDE

o 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) … others 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).

o The 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).

o ND’s 27-player roster includes players from 19 states and countries (the above 13, plus California, Canada, Florida, Idaho, Illinois and New York).

o ND’s all-time 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.

ANNE MAKINEN NOTES

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, her 63rd vs. Miami, 64th vs. BC and 65th vs. Harvard … Makinen was stuck on 49 career assists for three weeks before assisting on three Meotis Erikson goals in the 8-0 win at GU (Oct. 6)-becoming the 13th player in Div. 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 a shot at reaching 60-60, needing 4A to become the 6th 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, UNC, ’89-’93) and Mandy Clemens (67G-65A, Santa Clara, ’96-’99) … Streiffer and Hamm are the only members of the 70-70 club.

ANNE’S ARSENAL: Anne Makinen has totaled 43 points (14G-15A) in 22 games played (20 starts), despite being marked heavily as ND’s top offensive weapon .. Makinen heads into the SCU game with a career average of 2.14 points/gm (186 points in 87 games) … her 56 career assists rank 5th all-time an ND (she just edged past 2000 Jen Grubb, who had 53), one behind Shannon Boxx (’99) … Makinen’s 186 career points rank 5th on the ND all-time list, moving past Holly Manthei’s career total from ’94-’97 (176) to trail only Jenny Streiffer (211, ’96-’99), Monica Gerardo (190, ’95-’98), Cindy Daws (189, ’93-’96) and Jenny Heft (189, ’96-’99) … Makinen needs to total 48 points this season-she needs five more-to pass Gerardo into 2nd on ND’s all-time scoring list.

MAKIN’ WAVES: Anne Makinen-who has points in 16 of 22 GP this season (20 starts)-has been the focal point of the offense this season, as the three-year All-American has scored or assisted on 40% of ND’s goals (29 of 73), including six GWGs and four 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 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 … Makinen’s rebounded shot was knocked in by Monica Gonzalez for an early lead in the 5-1 win at Michigan, she blasted home ND’s second goal in the 3-0 win over Miami, and she completed a strong combination play for a 2-0 lead in the semi-final win over BC (3-0) … Makinen’s left side free kick set up Erikson’s volley to open the scoring in the NCAA’s vs. Michigan and Erikson’s corner kick the next week vs. Harvard set up Makinen’s header to open the scoring (2-0).

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: The Irish have scored 1st-half goals in 18 of 23 games this season while going past the 55:00 mark without any ND scoring in just three games … senior M Anne Makinen has come to the rescue several times with ND needing a 2nd-half goal … on Sept. 1 vs. Tulsa, the offense was struggling before Makinen fired home a shot in the 69th minute and scored again for the 2-0 win … one month later, Makinen converted a PK 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, she 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 38th 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 (did not score at UConn)

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)

37:57 Boston College (Sarkesian)

What They’ve Said About Anne Makinen

SANTA CLARA HEAD COACH JERRY SMITH:”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.”

NOTRE DAME HEAD COACH RANDY WALDRUM:”Anne was all over the place tonight. (Sept. 8 vs. SCU). She was winning balls all night, she was springing people in and creating chances for others and herself. She is a very complete player. She can do it all.”

“Tonight (Oct. 18 at Yale) 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.”

YALE HEAD COACH RUDY MEREDITH: “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

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 186 points (65G-56A) while Erikson ranks 7th with 160 (58G-44A).

NOTRE DAME INDIVIDUAL NOTES

CORNER KICKERS: The Irish have 5G off corner kicks in the last 11 games, after managing just two in the first 12 games … despite being one of ND’s most dangerous players in the penalty box area, senior M Anne Makinen took many early corner kicks this season and was 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 on CKs in recent weeks … 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 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 while Erikson’s CK set up Sarkesian’s header goal at Michigan … a pair of Erikson CKs led to both goals in the NCAA 3rd-round win over Harvard (3-0, with the scores from Makinen and Sarkesian).

KEEP THAT MOTOR RUNNING: Senior F Meotis Erikson (Kennewick, Wash.) has been a durable and reliable member of the Irish lineup, appearing in all 99 of ND’s games during the past four seasons (starting 86 of them) … Erikson could become the 9th Irish player to appear in every game of her career and only one player on that list has logged more games than Erikson: M Shannon Boxx (101, `95-’98) … Erikson is tied with M/D Kara Brown (’96-’99) for 5th on the ND list for career GP, passing former Ds Kate Sobrero (97, ’94-’97) and Kate Fisher (98, ’93-’96), G Jen Renola (98, ’93-’96) and F Monica Gerardo (98, ’95-’98) … others she recently passed on that list include current Irish G coach LaKeysia Beene (90, ’96-’99), F Rosella Guerrero (91, `92-’95), M Cindy Daws (94, ’93-’96) and F Jenny Heft (97, ’96-’99) … Erikson could surpass Boxx’s record 102 total by playing in the maximum five NCAA games … the top four on that list 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) … Erikson and classmate Anne Makinen are tied with Tiffany Thompson (85, ’91-’94) for 11th on the ND career games started list, two back of Michelle McCarthy (’92-’95)

ND Players Who Have Appeared In Every Game Of Their Career

Shannon Boxx 1995-98 101

Kara Brown 1996-99 99

Meotis Erikson 1997-2000 99

Kate Fisher 1993-96 98

Jen Renola 1993-96 98

Rosella Guerrero 1992-95 91

Tiffany Thompson 1991-94 86

Suzie Zilvitis 1988-91 82

Alison Lester 1990-93 81

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 has three) … Erikson registered three goals twice in a five-game span in late October of ’97 … 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 25th in the last five seasons (freshman Amy Warner had 3G vs. PC on Sept. 3) … Erikson has points in five of the last six games (2G-5A) and eight of the last 10 (4G-7A) … Erikson’s recent surge gives her 160 points (58G-44A) for her career, passing McCarthy (156) into 7th on the ND all-time scoring list … her 58 goals also rank 7th in ND history, one behind McCarthy, with Erikson surging into a tie for 7th on the assist list (with Gerardo and ’00 grad. Kara Brown).

WALDRUM WORKING WONDERS: Second-year ND head coach Randy Waldrum-who repeated as BIG EAST coach of the year-has seen his Irish teams post an impressive 43-4-2 combined record (.898), including an 11-3-2 mark vs. NSCAA top-25 teams and a ’99 season that ended in the NCAA title game … if ND picks up three more wins and captures the NCAA title, Waldrum’s two-year winning pct. would top 90% (.904, 46-4-1) … 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 1st-year coach to take his team to the NCAA semi’s, 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 226-109-21 (.664) … he owns a 150-54-14 (.720) record in 11 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).

VERSATILE VETERAN: Senior Monica Gonzalez has filled many roles for the Irish in recent weeks, including stints as a starter at three different positions in a three-game stretch from Oct. 22-29 … Gonzalez started in the midfield at Yale and Connecticut during fall break (she turned in a solid game while playing all over the field-and all 120 minutes-at UConn) before making a start at forward vs. Michigan in the regular-season finale … she has started at left back in all five postseason games (most of her 16 starts have been in the D)

ROOKIE TRIO

Freshmen have combined to score 37% of the ND goals this season (27 of 73) …Fs Amanda Guertin (11) and Amy Warner (9) and M Randi Scheller (6) could become the 2nd trio of ND freshmen ever to each reach 10 goals in their rookie season (in ’97, Anne Makinen had 23, Meotis Erikson 22 and Monica Gonzalez 10) … Guertin is the 14th ND freshman to reach 10G … Guertin and Scheller have boosted the offense in recent weeks while helping fill the void left by the injury to their classmate Warner (who came off the bench to score vs. Michigan and Miami) … Guertin has points in nine of the last 13 games (7G-2A) while Scheller has 4G-4A in that 13-game span (she had 2G-2A in the first 10).

IMPACT PLAYER

Speedy freshman F Amy Warner has not started a game for the Irish since the Sept. 29 Seton Hall game but made her presence felt off the bench in her first two games back in the lineup, scoring shortly after checking into the victories over Michigan (capping that 5-1 win) and Miami (for a 1-0 lead in that 3-0 game) … Warner has opened the scoring for ND in four games this season, 3rd-highest on the team behind Anne Makinen (6) and Meotis Erikson (5).

A-M FREQUENCY DIALED IN

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: Anne Makinen (6), Meotis Erikson (5), Amy Warner (4) , Mia Sarkesian (3), Amanda Guertin (1) and Monica Gonzalez (1) … Makinen and Guertin also provided crosses on opening own-goals … eight players from the “A-M frequency” (also Ali Lovelace and Ashley Dryer) have combined to score 81% of the team’s goals (59 of 73) … the first names of ND’s top four forwards and entire starting midfield (all listed above) each start with an A or M.

BIG-GAME PERFORMER: Despite facing just 54 shots on goal junior Liz Wagner-who leads the nation with an 0.29 GAA-has made several big plays in big games … in five regular-season games vs. top-25 teams and five postseason games, Wagner has made 29 saves while allowing just three goals (she has 18 saves, 3 GA in the other 13 games) … in the 6-1 win over then-No. 2 Santa Clara, Wagner made five big saves, including an early breakaway and a diving stop in the 2nd half … she finished the KeyBank Classic (which included a 2-1 OT win over Stanford) with seven 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. 2 Washington before holding off current a late charge from NCAA quarterfinalist Portland) … she arguably was the best player on the field in the 0-0 tie at UConn-making eight saves while smothering several other chances at a charged-up Marrone Stadium-and her three saves vs. UConn in the BIG EAST title game included stops of the two best scoring chances in the game … Wagner is in 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).

WAGNER IN THE NCAA RECORD BOOK: Lix Wagner’s 0.29 season GAA ranks 8th in NCAA women’s soccer history (tied with former Santa Clara netminder Sue Wall’s 1990 season), just behind UNC’s Tracy Noonan (0.27, 1995) and Central Florida’s Karen Richter (0.25, 1989) … her 0.29 GAA ranks as the 5th-best in the nation since 1989, behind current SCU ‘keeper Crystal Gordon (0.16 in ’98 and 0.21 in ’99), UNC’s Siri Mullinix (0.19, ’97) and Noonan’s 0.27 in ’95 … Wagner’s 0.28 career GAA would be tied with Mullinix (’95-’98) for 2nd in NCAA history, behind UNC’s Anne Sherow (0.14, ’85-’88) … Wagner has logged roughly 2,250 minutes in her career (the NCAA minimum for the career GAA list is 2,500 minutes, with Sherow playing just 2,525 while Mullinix logged 5,536).

ND HEAD COACH RANDY WALDRUM ON WAGNER: “I think you saw tonight (Oct. 21 at UConn) why Liz Wagner has to be considered the best goalkeeper in the BIG EAST. In a lot of our games, she hardly has touched the ball and it’s hard to appreciate her skill and leadership in that type of game. But every time she has been tested in a big game, she has answered the bell. The way she has played for us-along with the play of an inexperienced defense that has battled through some injuries-have been invaluable.”

SHUTOUT CITY: ND’s GAA (0.30) is on pace to best the team record (0.36) set in ’97, when the Irish allowed five goals in the regular season and nine overall … ND has allowed just four goals in the last 1,738 minutes of action (equivalent of 19 games), stretching back to Stanford’s goal in the 80th minute on Sept. 10 … the Irish have posted 12 shutouts in the last 15 games (16 total), allowing just 84 shots (36 on goal) and 31 corner kicks in that 15-game stretch … Michigan’s goal in the regular-season finale prevented ND from tying the team record for fewest goals allowed in the regular season (5, in ’97) … junior G Liz 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 #2 Washington and NCAA quarterfinalist 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), Yale (4-0) and 25th-ranked UConn (0-0), BET shutouts of Miami, BC (both 3-0) and UConn (1-0) and the 2-0 win over Harvard in the 3rd round of the NCAAs.

SHUT DOWN: In the opening win over Detroit (6-1), the Titans nearly scored during an early flurry but ND responded by not allowing a shot for the final 83:00 … the final shot margin (49-2) ranks as one of the largest in ND history (the team record for shots 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 76:00 … one week later, ND allowed Seton Hall just one shot (off goal) in the final 86:00 before holding Rutgers without a shot of any kind for the entire 90:00 … the RU game marked the 13th time in ND history-and sixth in the last six seasons-that the Irish have held the opponent without a shot … in the postseason, ND held Miami without a shot for a 45:00 midgame stretch before holding BC without a shot for a 55:00 midgame stretch during the BIG EAST semi’s.

STAT LEADERS: Senior M Anne Makinen ranks 12th in the nation for assists/gm (0.68) … ND junior Liz Wagner stands alone atop the nation’s GAA list at 0.29, ahead of UCLA’s Cici Peterson (0.35) … three ND players rank among the BIG EAST’s top-12 scorers: Makinen (1st, 14G-15A-43P), senior F Meotis Erikson (6th, 12G-11A-35P) and freshman F Amanda Guertin (9th, 11G-3A-25P) … ND leads the BIG EAST in goals (73), GAA (0.30) and shutouts (16).

BIG-GOAL SCORER

Sophomore F Ali Lovelace-whose 20 career pts include 11 in the postseason (4G-3A)-has saved her goalscoring for when it mattered most last season, as all four of her ’99 goals came in the postseason … Lovelace scored twice to cap the scoring in the 5-0 BIG EAST quarterfinal win over Miami before giving ND a 4-1 lead vs. UConn in the BIG EAST title game (4-2) … Lovelace then scored one of the biggest goals in ND women’s soccer history, showing her speed to break free down the left side and convert a crossing shot in the 75th minute to knock off No. 1 Santa Clara in the NCAA semifinals … during the 2000 postseason, she assisted on Anne Makinen’s goal (2-0) in the 3-0 BIG EAST quarterfinal win over Miami and helped set up Makinen for a 2-0 lead in the 3-0 BIG EAST semifinal win over BC before assisting on Amanda Guertin’s game-winner in the NCAAs vs. Michigan (3-1).

FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC

o Junior M Mia Sarkesian has totaled just nine goals in her ND career (68 GP) but many have come in clutch situations … she scored on a looping 20-yard shot late in the 1st half to tie the regular-season BC game and halt ND’s only deficit of 2000 (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) … her early header ended up as the game-winner in the 5-1 game at Michigan and “Mia’s magic” continued in the BIG EAST semi-final win over BC, when she headed in a cross for a 1-0 lead.

o Most recently, Sarkesian slid onto a loose corner-kick ball to push ND to a 2-0 lead over Harvard in the 3rd round of the NCAAs … Sarkesian’s five goals prior to the Harvard match all were game-winners (including the first four in 2000).

o All three of Sarkesian’s ’99 goals came in big games: vs. top-ranked North Carolina in the ’99 opener (UNC won 3-2 in OT), vs. Seton Hall in the BIG EAST semi’s (5-0) and vs. Stanford in a 1-0 NCAA third-round game.