Sept. 11, 2011
Box Score
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Senior All-America forward and Hermann Trophy candidate Melissa Henderson (Garland, Texas/Berkner) scored for the sixth time in the past four matches, as No. 8/7 Notre Dame held the upper hand for much of its contest at No. 17/18 Santa Clara before settling for a 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 1,145 fans at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
After SCU’s Sarah Jackson scored against the run of play in the 30th minute (off a right-side cross from Allie Vernon), the Fighting Irish drew level at 62:17, as sophomore forward Rebecca Twining (Houston, Texas/Second Baptist School) chipped a dangerous ball from the left channel into the penalty area, where Henderson was racing in from the top of the box. SCU goalkeeper Bianca Henninger couldn’t handle the ball cleanly as Henderson arrived almost simultaneously and the ball trickled free behind the SCU defense. Henderson then had a simple tap-in on an empty net for her team-leading seventh goal of the season (and 59th of her remarkable career).
Notre Dame (3-3-1) had a sizeable shot advantage (22-10), as well as a 9-6 margin in shots on goal. The Fighting Irish also earned six of the seven corner kicks in the match, while Santa Clara (3-0-4) had a 14-10 edge in fouls. There were three yellow cards handed out during the afternoon, with two going to the Fighting Irish (one to Twining, one to the Notre Dame bench) and one to SCU (Jackson).
Playing not far from her hometown and in front of numerous family and friends, junior goalkeeper Maddie Fox (San Jose, Calif./Leigh) got the start in the Fighting Irish net and chalked up a career-high five saves. Henninger was equally sharp in the Bronco cage, finishing with eight saves.
Notre Dame returns home next weekend to open BIG EAST Conference play, as Louisville comes to Alumni Stadium Friday for a 5 p.m. (ET) match. It will be the opener of a Fighting Irish soccer doubleheader that evening, with the Notre Dame men slated to tangle with Michigan at 7:30 p.m. (ET). Tickets for both matches can be purchased through Notre Dame’s Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office (574-631-7356; UND.com/tickets) or by visiting the stadium ticket windows on the night of the match.
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s soccer program, join the Fighting Irish women’s soccer news Twitter page (@NDsoccernews) or sign up for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the sidebar on the women’s soccer page at UND.com.
— ND —
POST MATCH NOTES: Notre Dame earns its first point on the road against a Bay Area school since Sept. 21, 2003, when the Fighting Irish won 2-1 at Santa Clara … the Fighting Irish are 20-5-12 (.703) in overtime matches during the 13-year Randy Waldrum era (1999-present) and are unbeaten in 10 of their last 12 contests when going to extra time … Notre Dame was playing its fourth match against a ranked opponent in its first seven outings this year, with three of those four decided by one goal and two going to overtime (L, 2-1 in OT at #3 North Carolina; L, 3-1 vs. #21/10 Duke; L, 2-1 at #2 Stanford; T, 1-1 in 2OT at #17/18 Santa Clara) … those four matches don’t include Wisconsin, which moved into this week’s Soccer America rankings at No. 23, after the Fighting Irish defeated the Badgers, 2-0 in the season opener for both squads back on Aug. 19 at Alumni Stadium … Henderson’s 59th goal moves her into a tie for seventh on Notre Dame’s career goals list with Meotis Erikson (1997-2000) and Michelle McCarthy (1992-95); Henderson’s next score will make her the seventh member of the Fighting Irish 60-Goal Club, a sorority that includes three Hermann Trophy recipients (2006/2008 winner Kerri Hanks – 84G; 2000 winner Anne Makinen – 65G; 1996 winner Cindy Daws – 61G).