April 18, 2007
Nashville, Tenn. – The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team saw its two-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday afternoon as the Vanderbilt Commodores handed the Irish a 13-9 loss at the Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex. The Commodores snapped a 9-9 tie with 14:39 left in the game and then scored the final three goals of the game on the way to four-goal win over the Irish.
Sixth-ranked Notre Dame never led in the contest and forced five ties in the game but could never get the lead as 14th-ranked Vanderbilt controlled the play most of the game, holding the Irish to just 16 shots on the day.
Sophomores Jillian Byers (Northport, N.Y.) and Jane Stoeckert (Mendham, N.J.) led the Irish with three goals in the game. Caitlin McKinney (Jr., Lafayette Hill, Pa.), Lena Zentgraf (Sr., Charlottesville, Va.) and Heather Ferguson (Jr., Newtown Square, Pa.) each scored once for Notre Dame in the loss.
Vanderbilt spread the scoring around as four players had at least two goals. Cara Giordano and Kendall Thrift each had four-point games with Giordano getting three goals and an assist and Thrift two goals and a pair of helpers. Margie Curran and Nicole Pugno had two goals each and Ali Lemons, Jennifer Tampscott, Sarah Downing and Anastasia Adam scored once in the win.
The loss drops Notre Dame to 11-4 on the year while Vanderbilt improves to 10-4 overall. The Irish close the regular season with a BIG EAST game against Rutgers on Saturday, April 21 at Moose Krause Stadium at 3:00 p.m.
Over five minutes past in this game before either team got on the scoreboard and Vanderbilt would grab its first lead at 24:56 on Downing’s goal. The Irish evened matters just 33 seconds later when Byers fed Zentgraf in front where she beat Vanderbilt goalkeeper Brooke Shinaberry with 24:23 left in the half to tie the score at 1-1.
The Commodores would score the next three goals over a 4:36 span. Pugno (19:57) scored her first of the game and Giordano (16:28) and Tampscott (15:21) beat Notre Dame’s Erin Goodman (So., Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) on free-position shots to build a 4-1 lead.
The Irish would answer back with four of the next five goals, but every time they got close, Vanderbilt had an answer. Byers (her first) and Ferguson scored twice in a 1:02 span (13:09 to 12:07) to cut the lead to 4-3.
Swift responded with Vandy’s third free-position goal in a row at 9:44 to restore the two-goal lead at 5-3. That lead would last for just over a minute-and-a-half when McKinney scored on an Irish free-position bid at 8:19 and Stoeckert (her first) tied the game at 5-5 just 16 seconds later at 8:03.
Before the Irish could catch their breathe though, Vanderbilt got the lead back, scoring 27 seconds later with 7:36 left in the first stanza on Adam’s goal for the 6-5 lead they would hold until halftime.
Notre Dame wasted little time in the second half before tying the game just one minute at the 29:00-minute mark when Stoeckert converted a Zentgraf pass for her second goal of the game.
This time the Irish enjoyed the tied game for 47 seconds as Curran made it 7-6 at 28:13. Stoeckert answered that goal with her third of the game at 26:04 to even things at seven apiece.
Pugno (her second) and Lemons gave the Commodores a 9-7 lead by the 19:56 mark and again Notre Dame roared back.
Byers scored her second of the game unassisted at 16:49 and then completed her four-point game (3g, 1a) at 15:40 with her third goal to knot the score at 9-9. That would be the last of the Irish offense for the afternoon though.
Just over a minute after Byers tied it (14:39), Tampscott would find Giordano in front for her second goal of the game and the eventual game winner as she tucked it over Goodman for a 10-9 Vanderbilt lead.
The Commodores would control the remainder of the game, taking their time and working for high-percentage shots. Curran scored her second at 13:28, Thrift her second with 6:29 left and Giordano capped her hat trick, shooting into an open net with 1:17 left on the clock for the 13-9 final score.
On the afternoon, Goodman finished with 12 saves, including eight in the first half when she kept the Irish in the game. Shinaberry had five saves in the Vanderbilt goal.
IRISH NOTES:
** With two points in the game against Vanderbilt, junior Caitlin McKinney set a Notre Dame record as she extended her current point streak to 37 games. McKinney passes Danielle Shearer `03, who scored in 36 games between April 25, 2001 and May 1, 2003, getting 85 goals and 51 assists for 136 points. McKinney’s streak started on April 24, 2005 as a freshman and she has now scored 87 goals and 44 assists for 131 points in her streak.
** With three goals in the game against Vanderbilt, sophomore Jillian Byers now has 50 on the season. She becomes the first Notre Dame player to score 50 or more goals twice in her career. She had 54 last season as a freshman.
Game Summary 1 2 - F#6 Notre Dame (11-4) 5 4 - 9#14 Vanderbilt (10-4) 6 7 - 13
First-Half ScoringTime Team Score Goal Assist24:56 VU 0-1 Sarah Downing24:23 ND 1-1 Lena Zentgraf Jillian Byers19:57 VU 1-2 Nicole Pugno Anastasia Adam16:28 VU 1-3 * Cara Giordano Free-position shot15:21 VU 1-4 * Jennifer Tampscott Free-position shot13:09 ND 2-4 Jillian Byers12:07 ND 3-4 Heather Ferguson 9:44 VU 3-5 * Kendall Thrift Free-position shot 8:19 ND 4-5 Jane Stoeckert Caitlin McKinney 8:03 ND 5-5 * Caitlin McKinney Free-position shot 7:36 VU 5-6 Anastasia Adam Cara Giordano
Second-Half ScoringTime Team Score Goal Assist29:00 ND 6-6 Jane Stoeckert (2) Lena Zentgraf28:13 VU 6-7 Margie Curran Kendall Thrift26:04 ND 7-7 Jane Stoeckert (3)23:42 VU 7-8 Nicole Pugno (2)19:56 VU 7-9 Ali Lemons16:49 ND 8-9 Jillian Byers (2)15:40 ND 9-9 Jillian Byers (3) Lena Zentgraf (2)14:39 VU 9-10 Cara Giordano (2) Jennifer Tampscott13:28 VU 9-11 Margie Curran (2) Kendall Thrift (2) 6:29 VU 9-12 Kendall Thrift (2) 1:17 VU 9-13 Cara Giordano (3) Nicole Pugno
* Free-position goal
GoalkeepersND - Erin Goodman (60:00 min; 13 goals, 12 saves)VU - Brooke Shinaberry (60:00 min; 9 goals, 5 saves)
Shots: ND - 16; VU - 34Ground Balls: ND - 12; VU - 15Draw Controls: ND - 10; VU - 14Caused Turnovers: ND - 6; VU - 3