Nov. 6, 2008

Full Notes Package in PDF Format

DATE: Nov. 7, 2008
TIME: 5:00 p.m. ET
AT: Notre Dame, Ind. - Alumni Field (2,500)
SERIES: ND leads 4-3-1
1ST MTG: MU 2-1 (10/2/88)
LAST MTG: ND 3-1 (10/5/08)
TV: CBS College Sports (live) (Ann Schatz, p-b-p / Tammy Blackburn, color)
LIVE STATS: UND.com/bigeast.org
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Storylines

Top-Ranked Irish Play Host To Marquette Friday In BIG EAST Semifinals
Playing host to the BIG EAST Championship semifinals and final for the third time in program history, top-ranked Notre Dame continues its quest for a 10th conference title when it welcomes No. rv/25 Marquette to town Friday for a 5 p.m. (ET) BIG EAST semifinal at Alumni Field. The game will be televised live to a national audience on CBS College Sports.

The Irish (19-0-0) wasted little time in dispatching Cincinnati in last Sunday's conference quarterfinal, scoring three times in the first 15 minutes and rolling to a 5-0 wn over the Bearcats at Alumni Field.

Junior forward Michele Weissenhofer had two assists and helped create two other goals with her powerful flip-throws. Meanwhile, senior All-America forward/Hermann Trophy candidate Kerri Hanks added two more assists to extend her point-scoring streak to a school-record 15 games.

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-10A) 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-68A entering Friday'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 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 12 shutouts and a 0.42 GAA (seventh 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 Marquette
Marquette (11-6-3, 6-3-2 BIG EAST) is making its fourth consecutive apperance in the BIG EAST Championship since joining the conference four years ago. In 2005 and 2006, the Golden Eagles were knocked out by Notre Dame in the semifinals. Last season, Marquette lost in the quarterfinals to Louisville, 1-0.

Marquette advanced to the semifinals and a date with the Irish following a 1-0 win over No. 24/22 Rutgers on Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee. Sophomore Ashley Barnes scored the game-winning goal in the 52nd minute, her fifth game winner of the season. In net, red-shirt freshman Natalie Kulla turned aside both shots she faced to preserve the win, including a save on a Rutgers header inside the final minute of play.

Barnes also owns the team lead with 12 points (5G-2A), while sophomore forward/midfielder Julia Victor and freshman forward Danielle Martens are second in goals (3) and points (8). In goal, Kulla has started all 16 games for MU, posting a 0.74 goals-against-average and six shutouts.

Head coach Markus Roeders is in his 13th season at MU. His career record as a head coach (all at Marquette) stands at 187-73-28 (.698). He has led the Golden Eagles to six NCAA tournament appearances, including a run to the third round in 2005. He is 1-4 all-time against Notre Dame.

The Notre Dame-Marquette Series
Notre Dame holds a 4-3-1 series lead against Marquette, including a 3-1 series lead since the Golden Eagles joined the BIG EAST Conference in 2005. The Irish are 2-0 all-time against MU at Alumni Field.

The teams first met in 1988 in Milwaukee, when Marquette earned a 2-1 win. A year later, the Irish travelled back to Milwaukee and fell to Marquette by a 4-0 margin. In 1990, Notre Dame played to a 1-1 tie at Marquette, marking the only tie in series history.

The Irish earned their first win in the series in 1996, when they defeated Marquette 5-0 at Alumni Field.

The series resumed in 2005 as MU earned a home win, 4-1. Notre Dame has since notched three straight wins, including two BIG EAST semifinal shutout victories.

The Last Time ND And Marquette Met
Notre Dame answered quickly after finding itself trailing for the first (and only) time all season, as senior All-America forward Brittany Bock scored twice in a span of 86 seconds to help the Notre Dame race past Marquette, 3-1 on Oct. 5 at Alumni Field. Bock's fellow All-American and Hermann Trophy candidate, senior forward Kerri Hanks, assisted on her classmate's first goal before converting the clinching penalty kick in the 88th minute to become Notre Dame's all-time leader with 213 points (76 goals, 61 assists).

Marquette got on the board first through a Danielle Martens strike in the 60th minute. Exactly two minutes later, Bock tied the game, 1-1, before giving the Irish the lead in the 63rd minute.

Notre Dame held a 32-11 shot advantage for the game and was equally as dominant in corner kicks, generating 10 while holding Marquette to zero corner kick attempts. In net, junior Kelsey Lysander went the full 90 minutes for the Irish, turning in a season-high five saves to earn the win.

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 on Oct. 26, Notre Dame had three players receive conference or national weekly honors on Oct. 27 (the final regular-season awards in the BIG EAST).

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 on the 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 (at the time) 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 (0.95), points (46) and points per game (2.42). She also ranks fourth in the country in points per game and ninth in goals per game, and she's tied for third in the nation for total points (one off the lead) and tied for fifth in the nation for total goals (three 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 two weekends ago, including a pair of tallies in just 35 minutes against Seton Hall. She ranks second in the BIG EAST in goals (15) and goals per game (0.79), while also standing 18th in the nation in the latter category.

Weber played a team-high 162 minutes in the wins over Rutgers and Seton Hall, 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 of 12 shutouts of the season and sixth (of seven) over a BIG EAST opponent. Weber has been as consistent and steady as any defender in the country, having started all 45 games since coming to Notre Dame in 2007. This year, she has helped the Irish post a 0.42 goals-against average, while holding opponents to just 2.52 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 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 87-6-3 (.922) 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 Cincinnati, Notre Dame now owns a school-record 50-game unbeaten streak (48-0-2) 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, 30-2-1 (.924) in the BIG EAST Tournament, and hold a 679-81 scoring edge dating back to that first league season in '95.

What's more Notre Dame maintains a 13-year, 85-game home unbeaten streak (84-0-1) 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 19 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 69-8 margin with 12 shutouts this year. The Irish also rank tied for first in the nation in scoring offense (3.63 goals/game), as well as seventh in goals-against average (0.42) and eighth in shutout percentage (0.632).

The Irish also allowed just 45 opponent shots on goal all year (24 fewer shots on goal than Notre Dame's goals). By comparison, senior All-America forward and Hermann Trophy candidate Kerri Hanks has 49 shots on goal all by herself.

Together, the Irish have registered 221 shots on goal, while their opponents have managed 130 total shots this year. And, Notre Dame has a sizeable 132-37 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 1,252:51 of 1,716:58 minutes this season (73.1% 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.

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.

The One And Only
At 19-0-0, 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. 6). At Division II, Grand Valley State (19-0-0) is the only other NCAA school still perfect thus far.

Now That's How You Bounce Back
Since beginning last season with that tough 3-4-1 start, the Irish are 35-1-1 in their last 37 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 19-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 13 of their 19 games, the Irish have scored a goal in the first 20 minutes of play (including five in the opening 10 minutes), with an own goal against Cincinnati exactly 1:00 into last Sunday's BIG EAST quarterfinal being the fastest strike of the season. That marked the second-fastest goal in Notre Dame's storied postseason history, not to mention the fourth-fastest of the Randy Waldrum era (since '99).

The last time the Irish got on the board quicker than the Cincinnati game was on 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 (19-0-0), 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, a record-tying 17 different Irish players, representing all four classes, have scored at least one goal. Senior left back Elise Weber is the most recent goal scorer, as she gave the Irish a 2-0 lead versus Cincinnati in the BIG EAST quarterfinals last Sunday. In addition, Notre Dame has set a new school record with 21 different point scorers this season, with senior forward Kerry Inglis becoming the newest point scorer behind a 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 232 points (82G-68A) following her two assists against Cincinnati on Nov. 2. Her goal and assist against No. 24/18 Rutgers on Oct. 24 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 two 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.

Against Seton Hall on October 26, 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 15-game point-scoring streak, breaking 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 73 (25G-23A) of Kerri Hanks' 232 career points (82G-68A), representing 31.5% 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 23 assists have been via corner-kick (15) 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 tied for 10th in the nation (as of Nov. 3) in goals (15) despite averaging only 44.7 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 nine more than national leader Sarah Hagen of Wisconsin-Milwaukee entering Friday'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's "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 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 missed the entire 2006 campaign because of the constant medical trouble, and has played in just 19 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 85-9-3 (.892) 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 51-1-2 (.963) 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 404-67-19), but it also was the 200th win for head coach Randy Waldrum (204-29-8) since he arrived in South Bend in 1999.

Game #19 Recap: Cincinnati
Junior forward Michele Weissenhofer had two assists and set up two other goals, part of a three-goal eruption in the opening 15 minutes, and senior All-America forward/Hermann Trophy candidate Kerri Hanks added two more assists as top-ranked Notre Dame rolled over Cincinnati, 5-0, in a BIG EAST Conference Championship quarterfinal game last Sunday afternoon at Alumni Field.

Senior defender Elise Weber scored her first goal of the season, while junior midfielder Courtney Rosen and sophomore forward Taylor Knaack each tallied their third goals of the year.

The Irish dominated the Bearcats in all facets of the game, outshooting the visitors by a 30-4 count (18-1 in shots in goal). Notre Dame also took all eight corner kicks, while Cincinnati (10-7-3) was charged with 17 fouls to 14 for the Irish. In addition, there were five yellow cards handed out during the afternoon, with three going to UC players.

Junior goalkeeper Kelsey Lysander was hardly tested in the Notre Dame net on Sunday, making one save on a harmless shot from distance that rolled into the box. At halftime, Lysander gave way to sophomore Nikki Weiss, who could be the envy of many `keepers around the country as she literally never touched the ball in the final 45 minutes. The end result was Notre Dame's 12th shutout of the season (fourth in the past five games) and the eighth 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 277-3-1 (.988) record in those games, including a 179-1-0 (.994) mark since Oct. 6, 1995. The Irish also are 373-9-15 (.958) when holding the opposition to 0-1 goals.

Most impressively, Notre Dame is 299-0-1 all-time when claiming a 2-0 lead and is unbeaten in its past 276 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 189 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 44 consecutive games, dating back to a scoreless draw with Michigan to open last season. The current 44-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 were 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 postseason at Notre Dame. She has appeared in 16 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 OT 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 Final
With a victory over Marquette on Friday, Notre Dame would advance to the BIG EAST Championship final on Sunday at noon (ET) at Alumni Field against either No. 13/12 West Virginia or Connecticut. That game will air live nationally on CBS College Sports (DirecTV channel 613/Dish Network channel 152), as well as on selected regional stations in the BIG EAST TV package (including live broadcasts on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Cox Sports New England/Louisiana/Texas/Florida and SportsNet New York).

The Irish defeated Connecticut, 2-0 in Storrs, Conn. on Oct. 19. Senior All-America forward/Hermann Trophy candidate Kerri Hanks netted both Irish goals in the win, while classmate Brittany Bock picked up two assists in the win. Notre Dame outshot the Huskies by a 21-11 margin, and junior goalkeeper Kelsey Lysander made one save.

Notre Dame has not faced WVU since last year's BIG EAST final. The game was tied 1-1 after two overtimes, before the Mountaineers advanced on penalty kicks, 5-3.

-- ND --