Aug. 14, 2005
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s soccer team began defense of its 2004 NCAA championship with an 8-1 exhibition-game victory at Butler on Sunday afternoon. Katie Thorlakson opened the scoring just 90 seconds into the game, South Bend native Susan Pinnick later scored to break an early 1-1 tie and Brittany Bock added a pair of goals as seven Irish players combined on the high-scoring effort.
Many of Notre Dame’s top starters played for short stints, as the Irish utilized 23 different players during the 90 minutes of action. Notre Dame finished with a 26-5 edge in shots (17-3 in shots on goal) while attempting all four corner kicks in the game. The teams played three 30-minute periods, with a running clock.
Fifth-year senior Candace Chapman scored in the 45th minute and the Irish went on to score five times in the final 27 minutes, with the pair of goals from Bock plus scores by junior forward Molly Iarocci, sophomore midfielder Ashley Jones and first-year forward Kerri Hanks. Sophomore forward Amanda Cinalli assisted on three straight goals, with other assists coming from junior defender Kim Lorenzen, Hanks, senior Miranda Ford and Bock.
Thorlakson – who scored or assisted on 24 of Notre Dame’s final 28 games in the ’04 season – fittingly opened Sunday’s scoring with a goal just 90 seconds after the opening whistle. Junior defender Kim Lorenzen set up the goal by dumping the ball from midfield. The serve landed behind the defense and Thorlakson raced in to quickly finish the chance for the early lead.
Butler’s Meredith Buemi tied the game in the 17th minute, after a miscommunication in the Irish defense allowed Kristin Harnest to win a ball and flick it into an open space. Buemi spun free for the breakaway and beat senior Erika Bohn on a low shot to the right corner, producing the 1-1 game.
The Notre Dame defense regrouped over the final two periods, holding Butler without a shot in the second 30 minutes while the Bulldogs had just two shots (both off-net) in the final 30 minutes of play.
Pinnick – fresh off leading her Carmel Commotion club team to the USYSA national semifinals in Orlando during late July – had the unique experience of facing a Butler team that includes four of her Commotion teammates, including Harnest. The Commotion were one of the top stories last month in Orlando, returning to the USYSA nationals (they were runner-up in ’03) after suffering a 2004 team-van accident that left Pinnick and three of her teammates hospitalized (Pinnick did not join the Irish until the spring of ’05, after making an inspiring recovery from her injuries).
The go-ahead goal came early in the second period, with Pinnick playing in the midfield (as opposed to her usual forward spot). The St. Joseph’s High School product collected a loose ball and cut her way through the penalty area before scoring on a low shot to the left corner, yielding a 2-1 lead in the 38th minute.
Chapman – who holds the rare distinction of earning all-BIG EAST honors as an outside back and a forward earlier in her Irish career – scored six minutes later, rocketing an 18-yard crossing shot that ripped into the upper left corner of the net.
The Irish used a well-executed combination play to claim a 4-1 lead early in the third period. Hanks carried the ball into the attacking third from the left went and played a pass to Cinalli in the center of the penalty area. Cinalli then one-timed the ball to the far side of the box and Bock sent her shot into the right side of the net (63:30).
Notre Dame doubled its goal total in the final 10 minutes, with Cinalli assisting on a low cross from 30 yards out. The Butler goalkeeper came out in an attempt to make a play on the ball and Iarocci slipped in at the far post, scoring on the left side for the 5-1 lead (80:00).
Cinalli struck again five minutes later, chipping a pass from the right endline as Bock trapped the ball off her chest and scored on a skillful volley (85:30).
Ford – making a rare appearance at forward – set up the seventh goal after making a run down the left wing and driving a waist-high cross into the goal area. Jones was making a far-post run and scored on a diving header for another impressive goal by the Irish (88:00).
Bock took a shot from the top of the box in the final minute and the Butler ‘keeper made the diving save, but Hanks was following the play and sent home the deflection to cap the scoring (89:30).
NOTES – The only Irish players who did not play on Sunday were senior defender Jenny Walz, sophomore M/F Jannica Tjeder, freshman M/D Kerry Inglis and freshman M Becca Mendoza … Walz is sidelined with a late-summer meniscus injury that required surgery (she could return early in the ’05 season) … Inglis sat out with a sprained ankle and may have to miss the chance to play in her hometown on Thursday (ND and Virginia will play in Fort Wayne on Aug. 18, at 8:00 EST) … Tjeder is in Izmir, Turkey, at the World University Games, helping Finland win its group on Sunday with a 7-1 victory over South Africa (her twin sister Daniela scored again in that win; next up is a quarterfinal vs. France on Aug. 16) … Mendoza is wrapping up her summer with the Mexican National Team, playing on a South America tour in Argentina and Uruguay (like Tjeder, she is expected to join the Irish on Aug. 24) … Bock’s classmate Carrie Dew played the 2nd and 3rd periods at central defense, the only spot where the Irish don’t have returning starters … freshman Beth Koloup also had a nice debut, playing at left back in the 3rd period … junior defensive midfielder Clair Gallerano returned to action after missing the ’05 spring season due to an ankle injury.
ND HEAD COACH Randy Waldrum – “I was happy with the way we finished things out but I was not pleased with the intensity level to start the game. Our passing in the back was not where we’d like it to be at the start of the game but we settled into playing better. It was good to get this game in before facing Virginia. We are expecting a great game on Thursday night and it should be a great atmosphere, as Fort Wayne has some great soccer fans.”
Notre Dame 2 2 4 – 8 Butler 1 0 0 – 1
ND 1. Katie Thorlakson (Kim Lorenzen) 1:30; BUT 1. Meredith Buemi (Kristin Harnest) 16:45; ND 2. Susan Pinnick 37:30; ND 3. Candace Chapman 44:50; ND 4. Brittany Bock (Amanda Cinalli, Kerri Hanks) 63:30; ND 5. Molly Iarocci (Cinalli) 80:00; ND 6. Bock (Cinalli) 85:30; ND 7. Ashley Jones (Miranda Ford) 88:00; ND 8. Kerri Hanks (Bock) 89:30
Shots: ND 10-6-10 – 26; BUT 3-0-2 – 5
Corner Kicks: ND 4, BUT 0
Saves: ND 2 (Erika Bohn 2, Nikki Westfall 0, Lauren Karas 0), BUT 9
Offside: ND 3. BUT 0