Oct. 12, 2001
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The fifth-ranked Notre Dame women’s soccer team enjoyed its most efficient offensive game of the season Friday night, scoring just 27 seconds into the game and adding two more goals in the first 25 minutes en route to a 7-0 victory over visiting St. John’s at Alumni Field.
Notre Dame (10-1-1)-which totaled just three goals last week in games at Rutgers and Seton Hall, despite racking up 49 shots-matched that goal total after launching just six shots at the Red Storm goal. St. John’s (4-7-0) managed just one corner kick in the game (to ND’s five) while the Irish enjoyed a commanding 25-3 shot advantage (17-0 in shots on goal).
Sophomore forward Melissa Tancredi scored the second-quickest goal-and quickest since 1995-in Notre Dame women’s soccer history, bettered only by Michelle McCarthy’s goal (assisted by Cindy Daws) just 15 seconds into a 5-0 win over Xavier on Oct. 8, 1993, at Alumni Field. Julie Vogel also scored at 0:27 (assisted by Amy Van Laecke) in a 10-0 Irish win at Georgetown on Oct. 22, 1995.
Seven different players scored goals in Friday’s win, including the promising trio of sophomore forwards-Tancredi, Amy Warner and Amanda Guertin (who added two assists)-and the entire starting midfield of senior Mia Sarkesian, sophomore Randi Scheller and junior Ashley Dryer (her first of the season). Sophomore midfielder Kim Carpenter came off the bench to score her first goal of the year in the 68th minute, capping a stretch of three goals in eight minutes.
The Irish intercepted the opening kickoff and quickly converted on a rush down the right side. Senior defender Lindsey Jones played a lead pass to the right flank for Guertin, who then arched a cross into the box. Tancredi was filling the middle and elevated over a SJU defender before sending a strong header into the lower right corner for her third goal of the season.
Nine minutes later, Guertin played a short corner kick from the right side and Scheller dribbled by the SJU pursuit before threading a pass from the right endline to Sarkesian for the tap-in (9:19), her fourth goal of the season (all coming in the last six games).
Warner pushed the lead to 3-0 in the 25th minute, after fighting through a pair of SJU players to gain position near the top left corner of the box. The speedy Warner then pushed the ball towards the center of the box and sent her fifth goal of the season into the lower right corner (24:06).
The Irish tacked on three more goals in an eight-minute stretch of the second half, including two goals in one 44-second stretch. Tancredi set up the fourth goal with a pinpoint entry pass from the right flank. Scheller received the ball at the top of the box and shifted to her right while shaking free of her defender before surprising ‘keeper Tina Fogg with a high shot for her second goal of the season (59:55).
Dryer scored from a similar spot, after running onto a loose ball and blasting the ball into the upper left side of the goal (67:05). Just 44 seconds later, Guertin’s rightside corner kick set up Carpenter’s goal in traffic for the 6-0 lead.
Senior forward Kelly Tulisiak became the ninth Irish player to register a point in the game, after her pass sprung Guertin’s breakaway in the closing moments. Guertin calmly poked the ball away from the charging Fogg, scrambled to her right and converted into the open net for her fourth goal of the season (88:11).
Notre Dame improved to 60-3-2 in regular-season games vs. BIG EAST teams (since 1995) and is 79-0-1 in its last 80 home games versus unranked teams (86-1-1 all-time at home vs. unranked opponents). The Irish also now own an overall record of 107-3-2 (.964) in their last 112 games at Alumni Field.
ST. JOHN’S (4-7-0) 0 0 – 0
#5 NOTRE DAME (10-1-1) 3 4 – 7
ND 1. Melissa Tancredi 3 (Amanda Guertin, Lindsey Jones) 0:27, ND 2. Mia Sarkesian 4 (Randi Scheller) 9:19, ND 3. Amy Warner 5 (-) 24:06, ND. 4 Randi Scheller 2 (-) 59:55, ND 5. Ashley Dryer 1 (-) 67:05, ND 6. Kim Carpenter 1 (Amanda Guertin) 67:49, ND 7. Amanda Guertin 4 (Kelly Tulisiak) 88:11.
Shots: SJU 2-1-3, ND 12-13-25
Saves: SJU (Tina Fogg 7, Evie Ksenepoulos 3) 5-5-10, ND (Liz Wagner, Lauren Kent) 0
Corner Kicks: SJU 1-0-1, ND 4-1-5
Fouls: SJU 4-4-8, ND 8-7-15
Offsides: SJU 1, ND 0