Melissa Henderson Class: Sophomore Hometown: Garland, TX High School: Berkner Height: 5-8 Position: Forward Birthdate: 08/23/1989 Club Team: Dallas Sting

One of the top goal scorers in the country due to her great speed and amazing athleticism ... skilled technical player who has a knack for finishing around the net ... also works hard to track back defensively ... has a fierce competitiveness and great focus ... her speed makes it risky for any defense to try to employ an offsides trap versus the Irish ... great at reading the game and being able to switch the point of attack on the dribble ... a great first touch that allows her to see the field and beat defenders before they have time to get settled ... became a better crosser of the ball as the season went on, as seen by her two assists in postseason play ... combined with 2008 graduate and Hermann Trophy winner Kerri Hanks to form the nation's second best goal-scoring tandem, as the duo combined for 37 goals (Hanks 20, Henderson 17).

AS A FRESHMAN: Earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and first team Freshman All-America honors ... first team all-BIG EAST selection ... also named to the BIG EAST all-Tournament team and took home Most Outstanding Offensive Player honors at the BIG EAST Tournament ... a Hermann Trophy nominee as one of the nation's top goalscorers ... played in all 27 games for the Irish ... started 20 games ... scored 17 goals and added two assists for 36 points ... was the team's second leading scorer ... five of her goals proved to be game winners ... made her collegiate debut in Notre Dame's 7-0 season-opening win versus Michigan (7-0) ... came off the bench to net her first goal in that game, putting the Irish up 3-0 ... also gave the Irish a 3-0 lead in their next game, a 4-0 win over Loyola Marymount ... had her first two-goal game versus SMU, propelling ND to a 5-0 win ... opened the scoring in Notre Dame's 3-1 win at Penn State ... scored her first career hat trick to lead Notre Dame to a 6-0 win at Cincinnati, becoming the 17th Irish freshman to register a hat trick ... followed with a goal in Notre Dame's next game, a 3-0 defeat of USF ... scored the game-winning goal as the Irish downed Georgetown, 3-1, in a battle of teams previously unbeaten in BIG EAST play ... scored two goals (including the game winner) in ND's 5-0 win at Providence in just over 60 minutes of action ... added a goal versus Rutgers (W, 3-1) ... recorded her fourth and final multi-goal game with two strikes versus Seton Hall, helping to finish off an undefeated regular season for the Irish ... notched her first career assist in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament when she made a run down the left flank and crossed the ball to the top of the six-yard box for Michele Weissenhofer's game winner ... clinched the BIG EAST Tournament title in a dramatic 1-0 overtime win versus Connecticut when she knocked home a rebound seven minutes into the overtime session ... gave Notre Dame a 4-1 lead versus Toledo in NCAA Championship first round action (W, 5-1) for her 17th tally of the season ... went on to start all six of Notre Dame's NCAA Championship games ... added her second career assist in ND's 1-0 win over No. 5 Stanford to advance to the College Cup Final ... for the assist, she controlled a tricky throw-in just outside the box, dribbled around a defender and sent the ball back across the top of the box to classmate Courtney Barg, who netted what proved to be the game-winning strike ... named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week twice (Sept. 29 & Oct. 27) ... also named to the Top Drawer Soccer National team of the Week (Sept. 15 & 29), the Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week (Sept. 29) and to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (Sept. 15) ... for the year, she was one of 10 players to net a game winner and one of a record setting 19 players to score.

NATIONAL/ODP/CLUB HIGHLIGHTS: One of the rising stars in U.S. Soccer's national development program ... member of the U.S. Under-23 National Team player pool ... five-year member of various youth national teams ... has played soccer on four different continents: with the Under-16 National Team in Asia (Japan); with the U-17s in South America (Argentina) and North America (Canada); and with the U-20s in Europe (England), North America (Mexico) and South America (Chile) ... competed in Chile with the U-20s at 2008 Four Nations Tournament, starting vs. England (W, 1-0) and coming on in second half vs. Norway (W, 2-1) ... one of two high-school players named to the U.S. U-20 roster for the Pan Am Games (July '07, in Brazil; DNP due to injury) ... earlier had scored twice in U-20's win over the Leeds Ladies (in England; May '07) ... helped Dallas Texans reach 2007 USYS club nationals final, held in nearby Frisco, Texas ... scored three goals in 4- 0 win over the Michigan Hawks, during round-robin stage at '07 nationals (she also scored both Texans goals in the 3-2 title-game loss to California power Eagles SC) ... also advanced with the Texans to nationals in 2005, after winning Region III title ... scored all the goals in 2007 state-cup win over the Sting (3-0) ... helped Texans win the Disney Showcase in '05- '06 and '06-'07 seasons (she had four goals in five games at the Showcase as a sophomore) ... switched to Sting Dallas '90 (along with former Texans teammates Courtney Barg and Jessica Schuveiller, and former Texans coach Kenny Medina) for 2007-08 season ('90s; U- 18) ... helped Sting Dallas '90 squad to 2008 Region III and state cup titles, and finished as USYS national runner-up (at North Little Rock, Ark.) ... team also won 2007 Premier League and LHGCL titles.

PREP & PERSONAL: First junior women's soccer player ever named Gatorade National High School Player of the Year (2006-07 season); only six other juniors (from any sport) had ever received the Gatorade national honor at the time ... 2007 NSCAA/adidas Youth Player of the Year ... two-time NSCAA youth All- American (2006 and 2007) ... named a Parade All-American following her sophomore and junior seasons at Berkner High School (in Richardson, Texas) ... her dominant three seasons at Berkner HS included 66 goals and 45 assists (177 points) in 47 career games (DNP her senior season due to national-team commitments) ... her three-year prep scoring barrage included 4G-15A as a freshman, 38G-18A as a sophomore and 24G-12A as a junior (despite helping fill in as a defensive sweeper and missing six games due to national-team duty) ... set school record for career goals (66) and ranks second in assists (45) in only three seasons ... a two-time all-district performer at BHS (also district MVP and all-area) ... attended the ESPN "ESPYs" event in 2007, after earning the Gatorade player-of-the-year award (former Irish standout forward Kerri Hanks also was at the '07 ESPYs, as one of five finalists for 2006-07 college female athlete of the year) ... began playing soccer as a four-year old ... developed a love for soccer from her brother Jason, who is five years older ... part-time member of the basketball and track teams at Berkner HS ... carried a 3.6 GPA in high school ... three-year member of the National Honor Society ... also involved in student council and served as student council senior class secretary ... helped coach younger soccer players and was a member of Young Life ... daughter of Kelly and Kathy Henderson ... full name is Melissa Henderson ... born Aug. 23, 1989, in Dallas, Texas ... currently enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters.

Henderson's Career Statistics