Sept. 17, 2006
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michele Weissenhofer added to her national freshman-of-the-year credentials by scoring her fifth goal of the season and registering her nation-leading 10th assist, as the top-ranked Notre Dame women’s soccer team kept rolling with its fourth straight shutout in Sunday’s 2-0 win at Michigan. Amanda Cinalli also scored her fifth goal of the season for an Irish team that has opened 8-0-0 for the seventh time in the program’s 19-year history.
The Irish had several strong scoring chances before getting a goal in the 57th minute. Cinalli then gave Notre Dame a commanding 20-0 edge in second-half scoring this season, plus a 28-2 overall scoring margin. Michigan (4-2-2) nearly had tied the game in the 79th minute, when Judy Coffman gained some separation at the top of the penalty area and raced in for a breakaway – but junior goalkeeper Lauren Karas came off her line and dove left for the save off her knee, helping extend a Notre Dame shutout streak that now spans 438 minutes (with a 15-0 scoring edge during the shutout streak).
Notre Dame also pushed the program’s scoring streak to 44 games (second-longest in the program’s history) – rolling up a 166-22 scoring margin during the scoring streak – and has posted 234 consecutive wins when taking a 2-0 win (dating back to the early 1990s).
Wiessenhofer set up her own goal after receiving a pass from Ashley Jones, who played the ball from outside the upper right corner of the box. Weissenhofer played a short pass to junior forward Susan Pinnick and took a return pass near the upper left corner of the penalty area. The rookie forward then shifted the ball from her natural left foot to the right, sliding around a defender in the process before quickly striking an 18-yard shot into the far-right sidenetting (56:19).
Notre Dame improved to 33-1-0 in its past 34 games when scoring first, as part of a 73-2-0 record in its past 75 when jumping out to a 1-0 cushion. The Irish finished the day with a 22-7 overall shot edge and held Michigan to three shots on goal – with Coffman’s breakaway representing UM’s only shot on goal within the 18-yard box (she also had two long free kicks that produced easy saves for Karas).
The visitors gained the key 2-0 cushion in the 84th minute, on a sequence set up by senior midfielder’s Jen Buczkowski’s rightside throw-in. Weissenhofer then lifted a cross into the center of the box and Cinalli let the ball fly past her before twisting around a defender, catching up with the ball and one-timing a shot over the charging `keeper Madison Gates (83:59).
The goal was the 25th of Cinalli’s career, leaving the junior forward two scores shy of tying Jodi Hartwig and Tiffany Thompson for 17th on the Notre Dame career goals list. Cinalli’s 73 career points still are 23rd in Irish history, just one behind Stacia Masters and two back of Stephanie Porter.
The game was televised live by Detroit-based Comcast Local and will be re-aired on Comcast Local on Wed., Sept. 20 (also check listings for possible re-airs on other Comcast affiliates).
NOTES: ND has allowed just 22 shots on goal all season (2.8/gm), with 0-3 opponent SOG in seven of the eight games … ND now holds an 11-2 series edge vs. Michigan, including 5-0 at UM (13-1 scoring edge) … the Irish now have three players with 5-6 goals for the season (also Kerri Hanks, with 6) … ND is 55-5-2 when playing as the top-ranked team in the NSCAA poll (30-2-2 in the regular season) … Buczkowski has 2G-2A in five career games vs. Michigan … ND is 15-0-0 in Sunday games during the past two seasons (69-4 scoring edge) and has racked up 78 second-half goals (2.4/gm) spanning the 2005 and ’06 season … a win Friday at Cincinnati will give ND its sixth 9-0-0 start … the senior class still has yet to be outshot in a game during their ND careers (75-7-2 record), with Buczkowski appearing in all 84 of those games while defender Christie Shaner has played in 83 (81 straight) … the senior class owns the second-best four-year win pct. (.905) in the Irish program’s history … ND’s next win will be the 150th in eight seasons under head coach Randy Waldrum (149-23-5; .856) … ND is 61-3-2 in its past 66 regular-season games (59-3-1/.938 during ’03-’06 regular-season games) …ND has held its opponent to 0-1 goals in 28 of 33 games spanning the ’05 and ’06 seasons … the Irish are 24-1-0 during the past two season with senior D Kim Lorenzen in the starting lineup … ND has scored in 58 of its past 59 games … Cinalli and junior D Ashley Jones have played in all 60 games of their careers while helping ND go 55-4-1 in the 2004-06 seasons (.925, which puts them on pace to best the ND record for win pct. by an ND class, .925 from 1994-97) … freshman M Courtney Rosen missed her third straight game, due to a foot injury … just one month into the season, ND now is one of just six teams (among nearly 300 nationwide) that have yet to suffer a loss or tie (Villanova and Navy also are 8-0-0, Old Dominion and Akron are 7-0-0, and Florida State is 6-0-0).
Notre Dame (8-0-0) 0 1 – 1
Michigan (4-2-2) 0 0 – 0
ND 1. Michele Weissenhofer 5 (Susan Pinnick) 56:19.
ND 2. Amanda Cinalli 5th of season/25th of career (Weissenhofer, Jen Buczkowski) 83:59.
Shots: ND 6-16 – 22, MICH 2-5 – 7.
Corner Kicks: ND 3-1 – 4, MICH 1-2 – 3.
Saves: ND 3 (Lauren Karas), MICH 2 (Megan Tuura 0; Madison Gates 2 SV/2 GA).
Fouls: ND 17, MICH 11.
Offside: ND 0, MICH 2.
Yellow Cards: Brittany Bock (ND) 20:26; Kerri Hanks (ND) 54:23; Katelin Spencer (MI) 87:10.