Nov. 1, 2008

Full Notes Package in PDF Format

DATE: Nov. 2, 2008
TIME: 1:00 p.m. ET
AT: Notre Dame, Ind. - Alumni Field (2,500)
SERIES: ND leads 8-1-1
1ST MTG: ND 4-0 (9/14/91)
LAST MTG: ND 6-0 (9/28/08)
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Storylines

Notre Dame Opens BIG EAST Championship Play Sunday Against Cincinnati
Starting a quest for its third BIG EAST Championship title in four years and the 10th in program history, No. 1 Notre Dame opens postseason play Sunday with a 1 p.m. (ET) conference quarterfinal game against Cincinnati at Alumni Field.

The Irish (18-0, 11-0) closed out their first unbeaten and untied regular season in the program's 21-year history with a 6-0 victory over Seton Hall on Oct. 26 at Alumni Field. It also extended Notre Dame's unbeaten streak against BIG EAST opponents to 49 in a row (47-0-2), leaving the Irish just one shy of tying for the second-longest run in NCAA Division I history.

Senior forward Kerry Inglis made the most of her first career start with the first two goals of her collegiate tenure, bookending the six-goal win over Seton Hall. Freshman forward Melissa Henderson also added a pair of goals, while senior All-America forwards/Hermann Trophy candidates Kerri Hanks and Brittany Bock each dished out two assists for the Irish, who outshot the Pirates, 27-2 (11-0 in shots on goal).

Rankings

A Quick Look At The Fighting Irish
Notre Dame rolls out one of its deepest teams in years, with 19 monogram winners (including nine starters) back from last season's squad that went 19-5-2 (11-0-0 in the BIG EAST) and advanced to the NCAA College Cup semifinals for the ninth time in the past 14 years. The Irish also bring back a powerful offensive punch, with 83.3 percent of their goalscoring (55 of 66) returning.

As if that weren't enough, Notre Dame welcomes a highly-regarded nine-player freshman class to campus, with three of those incoming players having earned multiple national All-America honors during their prep or club careers.

Leading the way for Notre Dame this season are two of the country's premier front-line players (and '07 NSCAA first-team All-Americans) in senior forward Kerri Hanks and senior forward/midfielder Brittany Bock.

A three-time All-American and the '06 Hermann Trophy recipient, Hanks (18G-8A) continues to blaze new trails through the NCAA and Irish record books, sitting just off the national lead in goals and points this year after setting the NCAA pace in assists the past two seasons. She also is aiming to become the third Division I player to log 70 goals and 70 assists in her career (82G-66A entering Sunday's game). She has earned national honors from Soccer America (Team of the Week) and Top Drawer Soccer (Player/Team of the Week) a combined seven times, as well as garnering four BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors (all in the past five weeks) and her second consecutive Offensive MVP award at the Inn at Saint Mary's Classic with a school record-tying sixth career hat trick vs. Loyola Marymount.

Bock (6G-9A), one of the Irish co-captains in 2008, emerged as a genuine offensive threat last season, leading the team in goals and finishing second with 36 points (16G-4A). The reigining BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Bock earned the league's Offensive Player of the Week honor on Sept. 8, as well as a spot on the Soccer America National Team of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory at No. 3/2 North Carolina on Sept. 5. More recently, she was tapped for the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week on Oct. 21 after registering a goal and four assists in shutout wins at Providence and Connecticut.

Another key player for the Irish this season is senior center back and co-captain Carrie Dew (0G-1A), the 2006 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year who made a successful recovery from an ACL injury late in the '06 regular season with a solid '07 campaign. She is the two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week and Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week honoree, and a BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll selection after leading Notre Dame to 11 shutouts and a 0.44 GAA (eighth in the nation), including four consecutive clean sheets to open this season (the first time the Irish have done that since '95).

A Quick Look At Cincinnati
Cincinnati (10-6-3, 5-3-3 BIG EAST) is making its first-ever trip to the BIG EAST Championship quarterfinals, following a 1-0 win at St. John's on Thursday night. Freshman midfielder Julie Morrissey was the hero, scoring her team-high seventh goal of the season in the 57th minute to break through a tightly-contested defensive battle (the teams combined for three shots on goal and 14 total shots for the evening).

Morrissey also owns the team lead with 16 points (7G-2A), while senior midfielder Kristin May is second in goals (5) and points (13). Junior goalkeeper Andrea Kaminski made one save to record her fourth shutout of the season and help the Bearcats improve to 5-1-3 in their last nine games.

Head coach Michelle Salmon is in her first season at UC, but has an eight-year career record of 80-67-17 (.540) that includes stops at Maryland-Baltimore County and Ball State. She is 0-1 all-time against Notre Dame.

The Notre Dame-Cincinnati Series
Notre Dame holds an 8-1-1 series lead against Cincinnati, including wins in each of the teams' four meetings (by a combined score of 19-1) since the Bearcats joined the BIG EAST in 2005. The Irish also are 5-1 all-time against UC at Alumni Field, most recently earning a 6-1 victory last year (Sept. 30, 2007).

The Bearcats' lone series win came on Nov. 18, 2001, a 3-2 decision in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Alumni Field. That was the second of two postseason meetings between the clubs, with Notre Dame taking a 7-1 win in the first round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament, also at Alumni Field.

An individual game listing for this series can be found on page 98 of the 2008 Irish women's soccer media guide.

The Last Time ND And Cincinnati Met
Freshman forward Melissa Henderson collected her first career hat trick, and No. 1 Notre Dame held Cincinnati without a single shot on goal, downing the host Bearcats, 6-0, on Sept. 28 in BIG EAST Conference National Division action at Gettler Stadium in Cincinnati. Junior defender Haley Ford added a goal and an assist, her first points of the year, and senior All-America forward/Hermann Trophy candidate Kerri Hanks knocked home her team-high 10th goal of the year for the Irish.

With as much offensive firepower as Notre Dame displayed, its defense was equally impressive, preventing UC from getting any shots on goal and mounting any serious threats until the closing minutes of the game. The Irish wound up outshooting the Bearcats, 19-7 (10-0 in shots on goal) although Cincinnati did hold a 5-3 edge on corner kicks. Junior goalkeeper Kelsey Lysander went the first 75:13 in the Notre Dame net before sophomore Nikki Weiss wrapped up the seventh Irish shutout this season.

Irish In The BIG EAST Championship

The Hardware Haul
In addition to claiming its 11th BIG EAST regular-season title in 14 seasons, and receiving the National Division trophy last Sunday, Notre Dame had three players received conference or national weekly honors on Monday.

Senior All-America forward/Hermann Trophy candidate Kerri Hanks was a double winner, collecting the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week for a record-setting third consecutive week, fourth time this season and eighth time in her career, while also earning a place on the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week for the fourth time this year.

Meanwhile, freshman forward Melissa Henderson received her second BIG EAST Rookie of the Week citation this season, and senior defender Elise Weber (Elk Grove, Ill./St. Viator Academy) copped BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll status for the first time this year, and the fourth time since she transferred to Notre Dame prior to last season.

Hanks tallied five points last week (1G-3A) in home conference wins over No. 24/18 Rutgers (3-1) and Seton Hall (6-0), stretching her point-scoring streak to 14 games and tying former teammate Katie Thorlakson's 2005 school record in the process.

For the season, Hanks leads the BIG EAST in virtually every offensive category, including goals (18), goals per game (1.00), points (44) and points per game (2.44). She also ranks sixth in the country in points per game and eighth in goals per game, and she's tied for second in the nation for total points (one off the lead) and third in the nation for total goals (two behind the current leader).

Prior to this season, no BIG EAST player had ever been named Offensive Player of the Week more than three times in an entire season, let alone in three consecutive weeks as Hanks now has done. Thorlakson (2004 and 2005) and Seton Hall's Kelly Smith (1999) were the only other players to earn the honor three times in one season, while that pair also shared the previous record with six career BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week plaques (Thorlakson from 2002-05; Smith from 1997-99) before Hanks moved past them this year. All told, Hanks received accolades from the BIG EAST in seven of a possible 10 weeks this season, also garnering three mentions on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.

Hanks has been a mainstay on the national awards circuit as well, collecting a combined seven national team of the week certificates this season, adding three mentions from Soccer America to the four she now has earned from Top Drawer Soccer. By comparison, when she won the Hermann Trophy as a sophomore in 2006, Hanks took home two national team of the week awards, both from Soccer America.

Henderson continues to state her case as one of the nation's top freshmen this season after scoring three goals in two games last weekend, including a pair of tallies in just 35 minutes against Seton Hall. She ranks second in the BIG EAST in total goals (15) and goals per game (0.83), while also standing 12th in the nation in the latter category.

Weber played a team-high 162 minutes in last week's wins, delivering an assist on Henderson's second goal of the day against Seton Hall. She also helped the Irish blank the Pirates, recording the team's 11th shutout of the season and sixth over a BIG EAST opponent. Weber has been as consistent and steady as any defender in the country, having started all 44 games since coming to Notre Dame in 2007. This year, she has helped the Irish post a 0.44 goals-against average, while holding opponents to just 2.44 shots on goal per game.

Poll Position
Notre Dame took over the No. 1 ranking in all of the major national polls on Sept. 16 (unanimous in this week's NSCAA and Soccer Times balloting), with the Irish now having earned the top spot in the nation in four of the past five seasons (and five of the 10-year Randy Waldrum era, with Waldrum joining North Carolina's Anson Dorrance as the only coaches with five top-ranked seasons in this decade).

Notre Dame last was ranked No. 1 in 2006, assuming that post in all the polls by the end of the season's first month and carrying it through to the NCAA College Cup final, where the Irish fell to North Carolina, 2-1 (one of only two blemishes in a 25-1-1 season).

Notre Dame remains the only team in the country to own the No. 1 ranking in the NSCAA poll in four of five years from 2004-08. All-time, the Irish are 86-6-3 (.921) as the nation's top-ranked squad.

As has become the custom on the Notre Dame campus, the traditional lighted #1 sign has reappeared atop Grace Hall, and a #1 flag now flies outside the Irish athletic department offices at the Joyce Center (see note on pp. 26 of this year's media guide).

This year's women's soccer ranking marks the ninth consecutive academic year (starting in 2000-01) that Notre Dame has fielded at least one top-ranked team, with women's basketball, fencing, baseball and ice hockey also reaching the top of their respective polls during that span.

One Tough Slate
Lest anyone think Notre Dame hasn't earned its place atop the polls, just take a look at the Irish schedule this season.

Notre Dame has six wins over ranked opponents (No. 21/12 Santa Clara, at No. 3/2 North Carolina, vs. No. 12/11 Duke, at No. 17/16 Penn State, at No. 17/16 Georgetown and vs. No. 24/18 Rutgers), with the first three in that series coming in succession and the middle four all coming away from home.

And it's not like the Irish have experience playing SCU, UNC and Duke in a row, having last seen those three powerhouses in succession in 1995 (and not at any point in the same regular season, let alone in a row, since 1999).

The 1-0 win at North Carolina on Sept. 5 was even more noteworthy, as it marked just the seventh time the Tar Heels had ever been shut out at home, and only the fifth time by a Division I team. One of those five was a 0-0 tie (Duke), while the other four were 1-0 losses, two at the hands of Notre Dame (the other came in the '95 NCAA semifinals at Fetzer Field, leading to the first of two Irish national championships).

Beasts Of The BIG EAST
Following last Sunday's win over Seton Hall, Notre Dame now owns a school-record 49-game unbeaten streak (47-0-2) against BIG EAST opposition since a 4-1 loss at No. 15 Marquette on Sept. 30, 2005. In that time, the only ties were a 0-0 draw at Connecticut (Oct. 13, 2006) and a 1-1 deadlock at No. 12 West Virginia in last year's BIG EAST final on Nov. 11 (WVU won 5-3 on PKs, but the game is recorded as a tie).

Since joining the BIG EAST, the Irish are 123-8-4 (.926) all-time in regular-season conference games, 29-2-1 (.922) in the BIG EAST Tournament, and hold a 674-81 scoring edge dating back to that first league season in '95.

What's more Notre Dame maintains a 13-year, 84-game home unbeaten streak (83-0-1) versus BIG EAST teams, with Connecticut the lone conference team ever to defeat the Irish at Alumni Field (5-4 in OT on Oct. 6, 1995).

Numbers Don't Lie
To get a clearer picture of just how dominating Notre Dame has been through 18 games this season, one need look no further than some of numbers the Irish have put up.

Notre Dame is outscoring its opponents by a staggering 64-8 margin with 11 shutouts this year. The Irish also rank third in the nation in scoring offense (3.56 goals/game), as well as eighth in goals-against average (0.44) and 11th in shutout percentage (0.611).

The Irish also allowed just 44 opponent shots on goal all year (20 fewer shots on goal than Notre Dame's goals). By comparison, senior All-America forward and Hermann Trophy candidate Kerri Hanks has 47 shots on goal all by herself.

Together, the Irish have registered 203 shots on goal, while their opponents have managed 126 total shots this year. And, Notre Dame has a sizeable 124-37 edge in corner kicks to boot.

Lead, Follow Or Just Get Out Of The Way
With the potency of the Notre Dame offensive attack, most opponents opt for the third option. In fact, the Irish have trailed for a grand total of 1:59 this season (59:06-61:05 vs. Marquette on Oct. 5) and have led for 1,163:51 of 1,626:58 minutes this season (71.5% of the elapsed game time). In addition, Notre Dame has been tied in the second half or OT six times (0-0 at No. 3/2 North Carolina, 0-0 and 1-1 against No. 12/11 Duke, 0-0 at DePaul, 1-1 vs. Marquette, 2-2 at Villanova) for a combined total of 51:41, taking no more than 22:17 (at DePaul) to break any of the ties and move in front.

The One And Only
At 18-0-0, Notre Dame remains the lone unbeaten and untied team left in Division I women's soccer and one of only two across all three NCAA divisions (through Nov. 1). At Division II, Grand Valley State (19-0-0) is the only other NCAA school still perfect thus far.

Dude, We're Going Streaking
With its 3-0 win at home over South Florida on Oct. 3, Notre Dame set a new school record for consecutive regular-season victories, with an active winning streak at 28 games heading into next season. The last time the Irish dropped a regular-season contest was more than a year ago (Sept. 23, 2007) when they gave up two second-half goals in a 2-1 loss to 14th-ranked Penn State at Alumni Field.

Notre Dame's 28-game regular-season unbeaten streak also is tied for the third-longest in school history. In fact, it should be noted that, except for a 16-day stretch last September when the Irish lost four times in six games (twice in OT), Notre Dame has not dropped a regular-season game dating back the middle of the 2005 season.

What's more, since beginning last season with that tough 3-4-1 start, the Irish are 34-1-1 in their last 36 games overall, with the only loss coming to No. 14 Florida State (3-2) in last year's NCAA College Cup semifinals, and the lone tie occurring at No. 12 West Virginia (1-1) in the '07 BIG EAST tournament final (WVU won the title on penalty kicks, 5-3).

We're Kind Of Used To This, Too
Notre Dame's current 18-game winning streak is the second-longest run in school history (longest in the Randy Waldrum era) and longest since the school-record 24-game streak from Oct. 19, 1995-Oct. 11, 1996.

The current streak also marks the sixth consecutive season in which the Irish have reeled off at least 12 victories in a row. Prior to this year's success string, the longest run in that span (dating back to 2003) had been a 15-game winning streak to kick off the 2004 national championship season.

Golden Domers Golden In OT
Overtime has usually been the right time for Notre Dame, as the Irish are 16-3-8 (.741) all-time in the Randy Waldrum era (since '99) when going to an extra period or two. Notre Dame went to OT for the first time this season on Oct. 12, taking a 3-2 win at Villanova on a "golden goal" by sophomore midfielder Rose Augustin at 96:58.

Getting The Jump On The Competition
Notre Dame's quick start this season has been fueled by its lightning-fast beginning to either the first or second half.

In 12 of their 18 games, the Irish have scored a goal in the first 20 minutes of play (including four in the opening 10 minutes), with senior forward Kerri Hanks owning the fastest strike of the season (penalty kick at 2:39 vs. Loyola Marymount on Aug. 29). That marked the 11th-fastest goal of the Randy Waldrum era, and the quickest since Nov. 5, 2006, when Hanks struck 57 seconds into the BIG EAST final against Rutgers (a game the Irish ultimately won, 4-2).

Strong Out Of The Blocks
Notre Dame is off to the best start in program history, with this year marking the completion of the first unbeaten and untied regular season in school history (18-0-0). That debut also eclipses the 16-0-0 start by the 2000 Irish squad during the second season for head coach Randy Waldrum at Notre Dame.

Spreading The Wealth
In an early example of the incredible depth of this year's Notre Dame squad, the Irish had seven different players score goals in the season-opening 7-0 whitewash of Michigan (including three who tallied their first career goals). That matched the largest number of goalscorers in one game during the 10-year Randy Waldrum era (since '99), and the most since the 2005 season opener (an 11-1 rout of New Hampshire on Aug. 26 in the TD Banknorth Classic at Burlington, Vt.).

For the season, 16 different Irish players, representing all four classes, have scored at least one goal. In addition, Notre Dame has set a new school record with 21 different point scorers this season, with senior forward Kerry Inglis becoming the latest goal and point scorers with her two-goal afternoon against Seton Hall on Oct. 26.

The previous Irish single-season records for goalscorers (17) and point scorers (20) both were set in 1996 (in a 26-game season).

No Soup For You
For the second time in program history, the first time since 1995 and the first time in the Randy Waldrum era, Notre Dame opened its season with four consecutive shutouts, blanking Michigan (7-0), Loyola Marymount (4-0), No. 21/12 Santa Clara (2-0) and No. 3/2 North Carolina (1-0). The Irish actually put together a string of 419:44 scoreless minutes to begin this season (437:44 dating back to the end of last year), before the run was snapped on Sept. 7 when No. 12/11 Duke scored at 59:19 off a corner kick that deflected in off an Irish defender.

The 1995 squad reeled off eight consecutive shutouts to begin what would be a 21-2-2 season, culminating with the program's first national championship.

No Shots For You, Either
Notre Dame held South Florida without a single shot in a 3-0 win on Oct. 3. It marked the first time since Oct. 1, 2000 (vs. Rutgers) that the Irish defense didn't yield a shot.

Hanks = History
With each passing game, senior All-America forward and Hermann Trophy candidate Kerri Hanks reaches more career milestones in the NCAA and Notre Dame record books, continuing to stamp herself as one of the greats in women's college soccer history.

On Sept. 19 at DePaul, Hanks' second-half goal was the 70th of her career, making her the fourth D-I player to amass 70 goals and 60 assists (others are North Carolina's Mia Hamm, Notre Dame's Jenny Streiffer and UC Santa Barbara's Carin Jennings).

Hanks currently stands in eighth place on the Division I career points list with 230 points (82G-66A) following her two assists against Seton Hall on Oct. 26. Two days earlier, her goal and assist against No. 24/18 Rutgers moved Hanks past former U.S. National Team player and coach (and North Carolina standout) April Heinrichs (1983-86), while also pulling even with former Penn State and U.S. National Team player Christie Welsh for 14th on the Division I career goals chart.

The national leader in assists the past two seasons (22 in '06; 21 in '07), Hanks also is four assists shy of joining the historic 70G-70A club, a landmark achievement that only two players (Hamm and Streiffer) in the history of Division I women's soccer have managed to attain (and neither got beyond 72G-72A).

One After The Other After The Other
Senior All-America forward/Hermann Trophy candidate Kerri Hanks is in the midst of one of the most productive runs of her brilliant career and arguably one of best in NCAA Division I annals.

Last Sunday against Seton Hall, the Allen, Texas, native had her school-record 11-game goalscoring streak snapped (she did have a goal waved off due to an offsides call), ending what is tied for the fifth-longest in NCAA Division I history, a spot she shares with former Hartford player Maria Kun (1997) and one goal longer than the 10-game streaks by notables such as current U.S. National Team standouts Abby Wambach (2001 at Florida) and Christie (Pearce) Rampone (1996 at Monmouth).

Although her goalscoring streak might have ended, Hanks still has an active career-long 14-game point-scoring streak, tying the school record set by Hanks' former teammate and current Canadian National Team member Katie Thorlakson from Oct. 14-Nov. 25, 2005 (the final 14 games of Thorlakson's career).

Hanks Sets The Table, Too
Set plays and dead-ball situations now have accounted for 72 (25G-22A) of Kerri Hanks' 230 career points (82G-66A), representing 31.3% of her points with the Irish. Her 25 goals have come on penalty kicks (14-for-15, including 7-for-8 this year), free kicks (10), or directly on a corner kick (1), while her 22 assists have been via corner-kick (14) or free-kick (8) services.

Bock Stays A-Head Of The Game
Nearly half (22) of the 46 career goals -- 12th-most in school history -- scored by senior forward/midfielder Brittany Bock have come on headers. That includes nine of her last 14 scores, most recently the opening goal in the Oct. 12 win at Villanova. Bock also has four rare header assists in her career.

Melissa Can't Miss
Freshman forward Melissa Henderson is making the most of her time on the field, ranking second in the BIG EAST and 12th in the nation (as of Oct. 27) in goals (15) despite averaging only 43.8 minutes per game. In fact, were she to be averaging a full 90 minutes and scoring at her current pace, Henderson would have 30 goals this season, two more than the Notre Dame single-season record (28 by Kerri Hanks as a freshman in 2005), and 10 more than national leader Sarah Hagen of Wisconsin-Milwaukee entering Sunday's action.

Iantorno Is One Super Sub
Despite starting just once this season, sophomore forward Erica Iantorno is third on the Irish with seven assists and fourth on the team with 15 points (4G-7A). All this for a player who came to Notre Dame last year as a walk-on (after reversing her original decision to attend Missouri) and had four points during her entire freshman season (on four assists).

This year, Iantorno has emerged as Notre Dame "microwave" off the bench, heating up the minute she gets into the game. In fact, less than a minute after subbing into the Penn State game on Sept. 21, the Hinsdale, Ill., native already had chalked up an assist, taking a throw-in, driving to the left endline and whipping a cross into the box that junior forward Michele Weissenhofer buried in the back of the net.

Five days later against Louisville, Iantorno posted a three-point night (1G-1A) less than 10 minutes after coming into the game at the 31-minute mark. First, she delivered a sharp cross at the top of the box that Weissenhofer dummied for freshman midfielder Courtney Barg, who scored her first career goal (33:35). Then, senior defender Elise Weber sent a cross into the box that was misplayed by the Louisville goalkeeper and Iantorno was on the doorstep for the easy finish (40:32).

Most recently on Oct. 26, Iantorno assisted on Kerry Inglis' second goal of the game against Seton Hall (84:24) less than eight minutes after returning as a second-half substitute.

Patience Pays Off For Inglis
Senior forward Kerry Inglis had to battle through four injury-plagued seasons at Notre Dame, enduring four major surgeries on her right ankle, which she initially injured on the first day of preseason practice as a freshman in 2005. She also would miss the entire 2006 campaign because of the constant medical trouble, and has played in just 18 games in her college career because of the maladies.

However, Inglis' persistence, faith and determination were rewarded on Senior Day (Oct. 26) against Seton Hall, when she earned the first starting assignment of her career. Not content with just enjoying the specter of being in the lineup, Inglis promptly went out and scored the first goal of her career at 11:18 of the first half, knocking home a crossing pass from classmate Brittany Bock.

As if that weren't enough, Inglis tacked on a second goal in the game, scoring with 5:36 left after collecting a loose ball in the penalty box and poking it into the right side of the net.

Senior Moments
The Irish senior class ranks among the most successful in the country, with a four-year record to date of 84-9-3 (.891) that includes three NCAA quarterfinal berths, two trips to the NCAA College Cup and a run to the 2006 national title game.

Notre Dame's Class of 2009 also has a 50-1-2 (.962) record against BIG EAST opponents and has been ranked either first or second in the nation in each of their four years (including No. 1 rankings in 2005, 2006 and 2008).

Our Fearless Leader
Tenth-year Notre Dame head coach Randy Waldrum reached a career milestone on Sept. 21 at No. 17/16 Penn State. With the 3-1 Irish victory, Waldrum became the eighth active Division I head coach to record 300 career wins -- he now has a record of 310-79-20 (.782) in 19 seasons (including six at Tulsa and three at Baylor).

Two Milestones For the Price Of One
Notre Dame reached a pair of milestones with its 5-0 win at Providence on Oct. 17. Not only was it the 400th victory in the program's 21-year history (now 403-67-19), but it also was the 200th win for head coach Randy Waldrum (203-29-8) since he arrived in South Bend in 1999.

Game #18 Recap: Seton Hall
Oft-injured senior forward Kerry Inglis delivered one of the more memorable Senior Day performances in school history, scoring the first two goals of her career to help No. 1 Notre Dame wrap up its first unbeaten and untied regular season with a 6-0 win over BIG EAST Conference foe Seton Hall on a wind-swept afternoon last Sunday at Alumni Field. Freshman forward Melissa Henderson also scored twice, while senior All-America forwards/Hermann Trophy candidates Kerri Hanks and Brittany Bock each added a pair of assists, with Hanks extending her point-scoring streak to a school record-tying 14 games.

The Irish dominated the run of play throughout the game, finishing with a 27-2 edge in total shots (11-0 in shots on goal), as both Seton Hall shots -- one in each half -- came harmlessly from well outside the penalty area, and the first-half try was blocked before it even became an issue. Notre Dame also earned all 15 corner kicks in the game, tying a Randy Waldrum-era record for attempts from the flag (Sept. 1, 2000, vs. Tulsa), and saw eight of its 10 starters in the field register a point.

Meanwhile, junior goalkeeper Kelsey Lysander tended the Irish goal in the first half before giving way to sophomore netminder Nikki Weiss for the final 45 minutes. Neither player was called upon to make a save as Notre Dame turned in its 11th shutout of the season, and the seventh combined clean sheet for Lysander and Weiss.

The Magic Number
Scoring three goals has meant virtually an automatic win in Notre Dame women's soccer history, with a 276-3-1 (.988) record in those games, including a 178-1-0 (.994) mark since Oct. 6, 1995. The Irish also are 372-9-15 (.958) when holding the opposition to 0-1 goals.

Most impressively, Notre Dame is 298-0-1 all-time when claiming a 2-0 lead and is unbeaten in its past 275 contests when going ahead 2-0 (dating back to a 3-3 tie with Vanderbilt on Sept. 15, 1991, in Cincinnati). In fact, just two of the past 188 Irish opponents to face a 2-0 deficit have failed to even force a tie, something achieved by four opponents in Notre Dame history: Duke on Oct. 17, 1993, in Houston (Irish won 3-2), Connecticut on Nov. 10, 1996, in the BIG EAST final at Alumni Field (ND led 2-0, later tied 2-2 and 3-3, ND won 4-3), Duke on Nov. 30, 2007, in the NCAA quarterfinals at Alumni Field (Irish won 3-2), and most recently, Villanova on Oct. 12, 2008 in Villanova, Pa. (Irish won 3-2 in OT).

You Can Put It On The Board
Notre Dame has scored a goal in 43 consecutive games, dating back to a scoreless draw with Michigan to open last season. The current 43-game goal streak is the third-longest in school history, and it's the longest since a 49-game run from Oct. 24, 2004-Oct. 8, 2006.

The school record is 55 straight games with a goal from Aug. 29, 1997-Sept. 17, 1999.

A Little Added Face Time
Notre Dame played on television twice during the 2008 regular season. The Irish made their Big Ten Network debut on Sept. 21, posting a 3-1 win at No. 17/16 Penn State. On Oct. 19, Notre Dame traveled to Storrs, Conn., and defeated BIG EAST rival Connecticut, 2-0, on CBS College Sports.

In addition to its commercial TV coverage, Notre Dame enjoys an extensive broadcast footprint on the Internet. All of the Irish regular-season home games are slated to be broadcast live on the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.UND.com), with supplemental live stats information provided by CBS College Sports Online's GameTracker service.

Fans also can follow the Irish on their cell phones by signing up for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system. This free service is available by logging on the women's soccer page at www.UND.com and scrolling down the right-hand sidebar.

Finally, the Notre Dame Sports Hotline (574-631-3000) remains a reliable resource for all the latest Irish athletics information. Regular updates on the Notre Dame women's soccer program can be found by calling the Hotline, then selecting option 4 and pressing "2".

The Golden Girls
Former Notre Dame standouts Kate (Sobrero) Markgraf ('98) and Shannon Boxx ('99) helped the United States successfully defend its Olympic gold medal with a 1-0 overtime win over Brazil in the 2008 title game on Aug. 21 in Beijing, China. Both players started and played all 120 minutes in the final on the way to earning their second consecutive gold medal.

The duo join fencer Mariel Zagunis ('10) as Notre Dame Olympians with multiple gold medals. Markgraf also matches Zagunis' career total of three medals (Markgraf won silver with the USA at the '00 Sydney Games), a standard also equalled by former track & field great Alex Wilson ('32).

Fowlkes Tapped For U.S. U-20 Team
Sophomore defender/midfielder Lauren Fowlkes is one of 20 players who have been named to the final roster for the United States Under-20 Women's National Soccer Team, it was announced Oct. 27 by head coach Tony DiCicco. Fowlkes and her American teammates will head to Chile shortly to compete in the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, slated for Nov. 19-Dec. 7. Fowlkes previously was part of the U.S. U-20 squad that qualified for the World Cup back in June after finishing second at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Mexico.

Because of her national team commitments, Fowlkes is expected to miss the balance of the 2008 season at Notre Dame. She has appeared in 15 games for the Irish this year, starting four times, with her lone goal being the gamewinner in a 3-1 victory over No. 12/11 Duke on Sept. 7 at the Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C. Two nights earlier, Fowlkes got the starting nod against No. 3/2 North Carolina and played a pivotal role for the Irish defense, which handed the Tar Heels a 1-0 loss at Fetzer Field, making Notre Dame the first program ever to blank UNC twice on its home turf (the Irish won the 1995 NCAA national semifinal by that same 1-0 score in Chapel Hill).

Fowlkes will continue a strong tradition of Notre Dame players on the U.S. U-20 World Cup Team (and its predecessors at the U-19 level). Current Irish senior co-captains Brittany Bock and Carrie Dew donned the Stars & Stripes for the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship (as it was then called) in Russia, where the United States finished fourth after scoreless ties in both the semifinal against China and the third-place game against Brazil (both went against the U.S. on penalty kicks by identical 6-5 scores).

Another Notre Dame senior, All-America forward/Hermann Trophy candidate Kerri Hanks, played for the USA at the 2002 and 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championships, helping the Americans to the title in 2002 (defeating host Canada, 1-0 in overtime in the final) and a third-place finish in 2004 in Thailand. In the `04 third-place game, Hanks scored the opening goal for the U.S. on a free kick in the 21st minute.

Parking Changes
Due to ongoing construction within the Notre Dame Athletics Quad (including the new Irish soccer stadium tentatively set for completion in June 2009), parking for Irish soccer games this year is limited to the Eck Baseball Stadium and Joyce Center lots. Fans may ride the complimentary shuttle bus from the Eck Stadium lot, or walk around the north end of Eck Stadium (behind the left-field wall) before entering at the south end of Alumni Field.

Next Game: BIG EAST Semifinals
With a victory over Cincinnati on Sunday, Notre Dame would advance to the BIG EAST Championship semifinals on Friday at either 2:30 or 5 p.m. (ET) at Alumni Field against either Marquette or No. 24/22 Rutgers. The game will be broadcast live to a national cable audience by CBS College Sports (DirecTV channel 613/Dish Network channel 152), as well as on selected regional stations within the BIG EAST television package (clearances to be announced).

The Irish faced both teams during the 2008 regular season, and both games were played at Alumni Field. On Oct. 5, Notre Dame defeated Marquette, 3-1, after spotting the Golden Eagles the game's first goal in the 60th minute (the only time the Irish have trailed all season and the deficit lasted less than two minutes). More recently on Oct. 24, Notre Dame downed visiting Rutgers, 3-1, scoring the first two goals, then adding an insurance tally in the 82nd minute after the Scarlet Knights got back within a goal.

-- ND --