Feb. 19, 2002

Notre Dame women’s soccer player Candace Chapman (Ajax, Ontario) was one of 11 players – and one of just two defenders – named a 2001 Freshman All-American by Soccer America magazine, capping a stellar first season with the Irish in which she made a successful transition from forward to the defense.

Chapman also was one of four current Notre Dame players who recently completed training with various national-team programs, as a member of Canada’s under-19 national team. Freshman midfielder Mary Boland continued to compete with the U.S. under-19 squad while Irish junior defender Vanessa Pruzinsky and sophomore forward Amy Warner were two of 20 players called into training with the U.S. under-21 national team.

An earlier first team all-BIG EAST Conference and all-Great Lakes Region selection (NSCAA), Chapman is the 13th Notre Dame women’s soccer player named to Soccer America’s elite freshman team and the first Irish player to receive the honor since 1997, when forward Meotis Erikson, defender Kelly Lindsey and midfielder Anne Makinen all were on the 11-player team.

Chapman helped the 2001 Irish defense allow just 18 goals in 21 games, including nine shutouts and eight other games with one goal allowed. She also was a potent offensive threat in 2001 while seeing some time at forward, ranking sixth on the team in scoring with eight points (three goals, two assists). She scored as both a defender and forward in the 4-0 win at Pittsburgh before converting the late gamewinner as a forward in the 2-1 win at Seton Hall.

The Soccer Buzz internet site also released its postseason awards, with most of them matching the earlier awards from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Notre Dame’s honorees from Soccer Buzz included second team All-American Monica Gonzalez while Chapman was named a third team All-American and first team Freshman All-American. The Soccer Buzz honorees on the all-Great Lakes Region team included Chapman and Gonzalez (1st team), Pruzinsky and sophomore midfielder Randi Scheller (2nd team) and sophomore forward Amanda Guertin (3rd team).

Chapman joined Santa Clara’s Jessica Ballweg as the only defenders on the Soccer America freshman team, with the other members including SCU midfielder/forward Leslie Osborne, forwards Christy Sinclair (Portland), Lindsay Gusick (Virginia), Linsey Johnson (Texas A&M) and Kelly Wilson (Texas), plus midfielders Keeley Dowling (Tennessee), Carli Lloyd (Rutgers), Sara Randolph (North Carolina) and Auburn goalkeeper Megan Rivera.

Notre Dame’s previous 12 players who have been named Freshman All-Americans by Soccer America include: midfielder Cindy Daws and goalkeeper Jen Renola in 1993, midfielder Holly Manthei and defender Kate Sobrero in 1994, midfielder Shannon Boxx and forward Monica Gerardo in 1995, midfielders Kara Brown and Jen Streiffer and defender Jen Grubb in 1996, and Erikson, Lindsey and Makinen in 1997.