Sept. 30, 2007
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NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Five different Notre Dame players found the net as the Irish women’s soccer team enjoyed its most productive offensive game of the season, in Sunday’s 6-1 win over visiting Cincinnati at Alumni Field. Notre Dame – which extended its 13-year home unbeaten streak versus BIG EAST teams to 74 games (73-0-1) and owns a 27-game overall unbeaten streak against BIG EAST teams (26-0-1) – completed a dominant weekend by allowing only two shots on goal and one corner kick by the Bearcats.
Notre Dame (5-4-1, 3-0-0 BIG EAST) jumped ahead on Rose Augustin’s goal in the 16th minute before adding a Susan Pinnick goal late in the half for a 2-0 lead at the intermission. Kerri Hanks and Brittany Bock then scored early in the second half and Michele Weissenhofer answered a Cincinnati goal by scoring twice for the final 6-1 margin. Notre Dame finished with a 24-5 shot edge (15-2 in shots on goal) and had three of the four corner kicks in the game.
The Irish had yet to score more than four goals in a game this season and were averaging an uncharacteristically low 1.7 goals per game prior to Sunday’s breakout. The six goals are the most for Notre Dame since the first round of the 2006 NCAAs (6-1 vs. Oakland) and are the most for the Irish in a regular-season game since the 9-0 win over Iowa State in the 2006 opener.
Senior Amanda Cinalli – who started the game in the midfield – reached a personal milestone by setting up the goal by Augustin for her 30th career assist, to go along with 34 goals. Cinalli is the 12th player in Notre Dame history to reach 30 goals and 30 assists in her career, joining an elite group of players that includes Jenny Streiffer (70G-71A), Cindy Daws (61-67), Anne Makinen (65-56), Katie Thorlakson (55-73), Meotis Erikson (59-46), Monica Gerardo (73-44), Hanks (57-42), Shannon Boxx (39-57), Michelle Mccarthy (59-38), Alison Lester (45-36) and Rosella Guerrero (55-32).
Cinalli showed her skill on the dribble by carrying the ball down the left flank before ripping a shot from the edge of the box. Andrea Kaminski dove to her left and knocked the ball down but Augustin was crashing the far-right post and narrowly nudged the ball into the net for the first goal of her freshman season (15:15).
Becca Mendoza’s thru-ball later sprung Pinnick into the right side of the box and Kaminski made the first save, only to see the Irish score another rebound goal as Pinnick sent home the deflection for her first goal of the season and the 10th in her three healthy seasons with the Irish (40:42).
Notre Dame was called offside eight times in the game but Hanks beat the offside trap for a goal 10 minutes into the second half. Senior midfielder Ashley Jones provided the pass that sent Hanks into the top of the box and the junior forward beat the charging ‘keeper with a shot into the the right side of the net (54:47). It was the team-leading seventh goal of the season for Hanks and the 57th of her career, in 62 games played.
Bock (who started at forward) scored her second goal of the season 13 minutes later, after three straight Irish shots had been blocked by the defense near the center of the penalty area. The third shot in that sequence (by Hanks) went directly to Bock and she quickly launched a 16-yard shot into the upper left corner of the net for the 4-0 lead (67:49). Bock’s 26th career goal in three seasons with the Irish was her first since scoring on a diving header at Florida in the second game of the season.
Senior goalkeeper Lauren Karas saved the only shot she faced while logging 64 shutout minutes and improving her career record with the Irish to 40-4-1. Melissa Bigg later was able to get a goal past reserve ‘keeper Kelsey Lysander (77:28) but the Irish went on to score the game’s final two goals.
Weissenhofer – who is returning back to form after an ankle injury – made the most of playing in the final 14 minutes, with both of her shots finding the back of the net. Sophomore midfielder Micaela Alvarez made her first official appearance with the Irish (after missing the ’06 season with a knee injury) and quickly assisted on the first goal by Weissenhofer, after sliding a pass from the right flank. Weissenhofer received the ball outside the top right corner of the box and showcased her strong left foot by launching a far-post shot into the upper-left corner of the net (83:47).
Four minutes later, a long lead pass from junior center back Carrie Dew led to Weissenhofer’s breakaway goal for the 6-1 final (87:06). Weissenhofer now has posted multiple goals in five career games with the Irish and has totaled 22 career goals (four this season) in 35 games played.
NOTES – Notre Dame’s weekend output vs. #25 Louisville and Cincinnati included an 8-1 combined scoring margin, plus a 36-10 shot edge, 20-3 in shots on goal and an 8-2 corner-kick margin … sophomore center back Haley Ford remained out for the sixth straight game, due to a hamstring injury … Hanks has points in eight of 10 games this season and has totaled 4G-3A in three career games vs. Cincinnati … her 156 career points are tied with Mccarthy for ninth in the ND record book (eight back of Erikson) while her 42 career assists are 11th in ND history (two shy of Gerardo and Kara Brown) … Hanks remains eighth on the ND career goals list (57), two back of Erikson and McCarthy … junior D Kerry Inglis played 16 minutes for her first action in an official game since late in the 2005 season (she missed all of the ’06 season due to a lingering ankle injury).
Cincinnati (3-6-1, 0-3-0 BIG EAST) 0 1 – 1
#24 Notre Dame (5-4-1, 3-0-0 BIG EAST) 2 4 – 6
ND 1. Rose Augustin 1st of season (Amanda Cinalli) 15:15; ND 2. Susan Pinnick 1st of season/10th of career (-) 40:42; ND 3. Kerri Hanks 7/57 (Ashley Jones) 54:47; ND 4. Brittany Bock 2/26 (Hanks) 67:49; CIN 1. Melissa Bigg 4 (Lindsey Noteboom, Nicole Sanda) 77;28; ND 5. Michele Weissenhofer 3/21 (Micaela Alvarez) 83:47; ND 6. Weissenhofer 4/22 (Carrie Dew) 87:06.
Shots: CIN 3-2 – 5, ND 12-12 – 24
Corner Kicks: CIN 1, ND 3
Saves: CIN 9 (Andrea Kaminski), ND 1 (Lauren Karas 1 SV/0 GA in 63:06; Kelsey Lysander 0 SV/1 GA in 26:53)
Fouls: CIN 13, ND 15
Offside: CIN 0, ND 8
Yellow Card: Bigg (CIN) 13:33