Aug. 29, 1997
Notre Dame Women's Soccer Opens Season With 7-0 Win
NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- Notre Dame's two-time defending BIG EAST champion
women's soccer team opened its 1997 season with a 7-0 win over BIG EAST foe St.
John's at Alumni Field. Seven different players scored for the Irish, who out
shot the Red Storm 41-2 in the contest. Sophomore goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene
recorded the shutout and did not face a shot on goal in her first career start
after taking over in net for Jen Renola. Renola started all 98 games in her
four-year career from 1993-96, a college women's soccer record.
Shannon Boxx started the scoring when she headed in what would be the
game-winning goal from eight yards out at the 8:13 mark. The teams would battle
scoreless until freshman Monica Gonzalez scored her first career goal at the
30:13 mark when she beat Red Storm goalkeeper Sherry Reill to a long feed from
Kate Sobrero to put the Irish up 2-0.
St. John's nearly came right back less
than 40 seconds later as Francesca Contensini beat Beene to a long ball but her
open-net shot from 10 yards out skimmed just left of the net. Jenny Heft headed
in a loose ball just 13 seconds before the half to put Notre Dame up 3-0 at the
half.
The second half was similar to the first half with the Irish
controlling possession and continuing to put the ball on goal as St. John's was
content on clogging the box. Freshman Meotis Erikson scored her first career
goal at 58:17 as Sobrero recorded her second assist of the game with a long feed
that Erikson beat Reill to and knocked into the right corner.
Jenny
Streiffer flicked in a pass on the line from Gonzalez to make it 5-0 at 64:35.
Freshman Anne Makinen scored her first career goal when she blasted a shot from
30 yards out into the lower left corner that slipped through the hands of Reill,
who had 13 saves in the contest.
Jean McGregor angled in the final goal at
89:04 when she took a pass from the right wing from Iris Lancaster and shot from
five yards from the left wing out into the lower right corner of the net, past
an outstretched Reill.
"We played well for our first game," said head coach Chris Petrucelli, who
enters his eighth year as head coach of the Irish. "We were a little rusty with
all the new players but we were able to score goals. I was happy with the way we
played. Monica Gonzalez played really well for us."
Notre Dame returns to action when Michigan State travels to Alumni Field on
Sunday, at 1:00 p.m.
#2 Notre Dame 7, St. John's 0
Scoring: ND Shannon Boxx (unassisted)
8:13, ND Monica Gerardo (Sobrero, Boxx) 30:13, ND Jenny Heft (unassisted) 44:47,
ND Meotis Erikson (Sobrero), ND Jenny Streiffer (Gonzalez) 64:32, ND Anne
Makinen (Grubb) 69:47, ND Jean McGregor (Lancaster, Hinostro) 89:04.
Shots: ND 41-1. Corners: ND 15-0. Saves: SJ 13-0. Fouls: SJ 9-3.
