April 9, 2010
Notre Dame, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team returned to action on Friday afternoon at Arlotta Stadium where the Irish handed the Villanova Wildcats a 16-0 blanking for the first shutout in the 14-year history of the program. The shutout also was the first in BIG EAST history since league play began in 2001.
For the Irish, 14 different players got on the score sheet with several players making their first collegiate playing appearances. Junior Ansley Stewart led the way with three goals in the game and was followed by juniors Kailene Abt and Shaylyn Blaney and sophomore Jordy Shoemaker with two goals each. Maggie Tamasitis, Kaitlin Keena, Gina Scioscia, Flannery Nangle, Kelly Driscoll, Jaimie Morrison and Betsy Mastropieri had one goal each. Tamasitis and Scioscia also had two assists for three-point games while Abt add one assist for three points in the contest.
Villanova was held to just 16 shots in the game as Notre Dame freshman goalkeeper Ellie Hilling made eight saves in the game to record the first-ever shutout for the Irish.
The victory improved the Notre Dame to 7-4 overall and 3-1 in BIG EAST play while Villanova goes to 7-3 for the year and 0-2 in conference play. The game was just the second meeting ever for the Irish against Villanova and the teams are now 2-0. The Wildcats are in just their first season of BIG EAST play during the 2010 campaign.
The Irish scored early and often in this game, scoring five times in the first 3:22 of the game. Abt opened the scoring just 54 seconds into the game on a free-position shot versus starter Maggie Langan. The lead would go to 2-0 just 43 seconds later when Abt set up Tamasitis on a neat passing play in front of the net and Tamasitis beat Langan high over her stick.
Tamasitis picked up her first assist of the game when she set up Stewart at 27:45. Abt recorded her second goal at 26:58 to make it 4-0 and Keena closed out the run at 26:38 for a 5-0 Irish advantage.
Notre Dame would make it 8-0 before Villanova even directed its first shot on Hilling with 15:11 left in the half.
Scioscia scored on a free-position shot at 21:45 and then Blaney picked up her two goals, back-to-back at 16:41 and 15:56 for the eight-goal lead.
Coach Tracy Coyne began to substitute liberally from there. Nangle, a sophomore who missed all of 2009 due to injury, scored her first career goal at 13:12 and Mastropieri closed the first half with a goal at 11:56 to extend her scoring streak to four games and make it 10-0.
The 10-goal first half marked the second time that the Irish have had 10 or more goals in a half this season as they scored 11 in the first half of a 15-10 win over Duquesne on Feb. 27.
Notre Dame scored all six goals in the second half with three players getting their first career goals. Shoemaker scored the first goal of her career just 37 seconds into the second half and the sophomore midfielder would get her second with 9:16 left.
Following Shoemaker’s first goal of the game, Stewart closed out her three-goal afternoon with goals at 26:42 and 21:48 to make it 13-0. That chased Langan, the Wildcat goalkeeper in favor of Amanda Hirschfeld who would play the final 21:48 of the game.
Shoemaker’s second goal of the day made it 14-0 with 9:16 left before Driscoll got her first goal of the season with 6:34 on the clock. Morrison closed the game with her first career goal with 1:38 for the final score of 16-0.
In all, five players saw their first career action. Sophomore Amy Bernier played in her first game after missing all of 2009 with an injury and picked up her first career point, assisting on Shoemaker’s second goal of the game.
Sophomore defender Janel Carey, who missed all of 2009 with a knee injury, saw her first career action along with freshman Francie Crowell and McKenzie Brown along with Morrison who got her first career goal.
In the game, Notre Dame out shot Villanova, 29-16, Hilling had eight saves in the game while Langan had five and Hirschfeld none for the Wildcats.
The shutout was the second in the nation this year as Penn blanked St. Joseph’s, 14-0, on March 17, 2010. Prior to getting the shutout versus Villanova, Notre Dame owned the BIG EAST record for fewest goals in a game as they had defeated Loyola, 11-1, on March 25, 2007 and Rutgers, 9-2, on April 28, 2002.
Notre Dame is next in action on Sunday, April 11th when the Irish play host to seventh-ranked Syracuse in a 1:00 p.m. game at Arlotta Stadium.
GAME SUMMARY 1 2 - FVillanova (7-3/0-2) 0 0 - 0#15 Notre Dame (7-4/3-1) 10 6 - 16
ScoringFirst Half:Time Team Score Goal Assist29:06 ND 1-0 Kailene Abt Free-position shot28:23 ND 2-0 Maggie Tamasitis Kailene Abt27:45 ND 3-0 Ansley Stewart Maggie Tamasitis26:58 ND 4-0 Kailene Abt (2)26:38 ND 5-0 Kaitlin Keena Megan Sullivan21:45 ND 6-0 Gina Scioscia Free-position shot16:41 ND 7-0 Shaylyn Blaney Maggie Tamasitis (2)15:56 ND 8-0 Shaylyn Blaney (2) Gina Scioscia13:12 ND 9-0 Flannery Nangle Free-position shot11:56 ND 10-0 Betsy Mastropieri Jenny Granger
Second HalfTime Team Score Goal Assist29:23 ND 11-0 Jordy Shoemaker Free-position shot26:42 ND 12-0 Ansley Stewart (2) Gina Scioscia (2)21:48 ND 13-0 Ansley Stewart (3) 9:16 ND 14-0 Jordy Shoemaker (2) Amelia Bernier 6:34 ND 15-0 Kelly Driscoll 1:38 ND 16-0 Jaimie Morrison
Goalkeepers:Villanova: Maggie Langan (38:12 min; 13 goals against; 5 saves) Amanda Hirschfield (21:48 min; 3 goals against, 0 saves)Notre Dame: Ellie Hilling (60:00 min; 0 goals against; 8 saves)
Total Shots: Villanova: 17, Notre Dame: 29Ground Balls: Villanova: 14, Notre Dame: 19Draw Controls: Villanova: 6, Notre Dame: 12Caused Turnovers: Villanova: 7, Notre Dame 7