March 6, 2009
Notre Dame, Ind. –
Complete Release in PDF Format 
• The Game: #11/#11 Notre Dame (3-1) vs #13/#12 Dartmouth (2-1)
• Date/Time/Site: Saturday, March 7, 2009 • 12:00 noon • Scully-Fahey Field • Hanover, N.H.
• All Notre Dame home women’s lacrosse games can be seen live via video streaming at und.com; follow the Irish via GameTracker on und.com. The Dartmouth game is available on the internet with video streaming and live stats. Go to the Multimedia tab at www.DartmouthSports.com. Everything links off the schedule. There is a fee for the video.
• The Game: #11/#11 Notre Dame (3-1) vs #17/#17 James Madison (2-0)
• Date/Time/Site: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 • 7:00 p.m. • Hess Fields (Disney World of Sports) • Orlando, Fla.
• There is no internet coverage of this game.
A BREAK FOR SPRING BREAK: The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team takes to the road for two games during the University’s spring break week. The Irish open the break in Hanover, N.H., on Saturday, March 7 when they face the Dartmouth Big Green in a 12:00 noon game at Scully-Fahey Field. From there, Notre Dame travels south to the sunshine in Orlando, Fla., as they go to Disney World of Sports Complex for spring training (March 8-11) that will be highlighted by a game on Tuesday, March 10th against the Dukes of James Madison. That game will be played on the Hess Fields at 7:00 p.m. The Irish then close out their spring break on Saturday, March 14th at home against Hofstra. Notre Dame enters the week with a 3-1 record after knocking off 16th-ranked Stanford, 17-8, at the Loftus Sports Center on Feb. 28. The Irish enter the week ranked 11th in both the IWLCA coaches’ poll and by Inside Lacrosse. Dartmouth comes into Saturday’s contest with a 2-1 record and is ranked 13th in the IWLCA poll and 12th by Inside Lacrosse. The Big Green are coming off a 13-10 loss to Massachusetts on March 4th and own wins over Vermont and New Hampshire. James Madison is ranked 17th in both polls and is 2-0 on the season. The Dukes own wins over Virginia Tech and Yale and had their game on Wednesday, March 4th at Longwood University postponed due to the winter weather that hit the East Coast earlier this week.
NOTRE DAME VERSUS DARTMOUTH: The Irish and the Big Green have met just one time in the program’s histories. That meeting came on May 27, 2006 at Boston University in the semifinals of the 2006 NCAA Championships. Dartmouth prevailed in that game, winning 14-8 to move on to the NCAA title game against Northwestern. Only four players from that Notre Dame team remain on the roster – seniors Shannon Burke (Timonium, Md.), Jillian Byers (Northport, N.Y.), Erin Goodman (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) and Beth Koloup (Phoenix, Md.). The foursome were freshmen during the 2006 season.
WE’RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD: Notre Dame and James Madison will meet at the Disney World of Sports Complex on March 10th as both schools head south for a little “spring training.” The Irish and the Dukes have met five times in the all-time series with Notre Dame holding a 3-2 edge in those games. The Irish are 1-0 at home, 0-2 at JMU and 2-0 on neutral sites. The last time the two schools played was in the season opener in 2007 with the Irish winning, 10-9, in three overtimes. That game was played in Charlottesville, Va., due to cold and snow in Harrisonburg, Va. The Irish take a two-game win streak into this year’s meeting after also winning the 2006 meeting at the Joyce Center. The two teams played at Disney World on March 14, 2004 with the Irish winning, 9-7.
STANFORD RECAP: Jillian Byers led Notre Dame with five goals while Gina Scioscia (Jr., Summit, N.J.) had four goals and an assist and Shaylyn Blaney (So., Stony Brook, N.Y.) added three goals as the Irish took a 17-8 win over 16th-ranked Stanford on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Loftus Center. Freshman Maggie Tamasitis (Boyertown, Pa.) added three points (1g, 2a) and sophomore Ansley Stewart (Alexandria, Va.) chipped in a goal and an assist. Kailene Abt (So., Huntington, N.Y.), Jackie Doherty (So., Ellicott City, Md.) and Beth Koloup had single goals in the win. Senior goalkeeper Erin Goodman made 13 saves in 52:55, giving up seven goals. Amy Winik (Jr., Freehold, N.J.) played the final 7:05, giving up one goal with a pair of saves. Byers fifth goal of the game gave her 238 points for her career, moving her past Crysti Foote `06 (237) into first on the all-time points list. With the game tied 2-2 early in the first half, Byers scored four consecutive goals in an 11:02 span to make it 6-2 and break the game open for the Irish. Scioscia capped a six-goal Irish run with two of her own as Notre Dame led, 9-3 at halftime on the way to the 17-8 win.
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: With her five goals against Stanford, Jillian Byers became Notre Dame’s all-time point leader with 238 in her career. She already holds the school record for goals with 192. Here’s where Byers ranks in goals, assists and points at Notre Dame.
Goals1. Jillian Byers (2006- ) 1922. Crysti Foote (2003-06) 1613. Caitlin McKinney (2005-08) 1524. Danielle Shearer (2000-03) 1305. Lael O'Shaughnessy (1998-01) 1226. Meredith Simon (2001-04) 1097. Kerry Callahan (1997-99) 838. Natalie Loftus (1999-02) 769. Courtney Calabrese (1998-99) 6910. Alissa Moser (1999-02) 67
Assists1. Caitlin McKinney (2005-08) 802. Crysti Foote (2003-06) 763. Lael O'Shaughnessy (1998-01) 684. Danielle Shearer (2000-03) 665. Kerry Callahan (1997-99) 636. Meredith Simon (2001-04) 497. Jillian Byers (2006- ) 468. Gina Scioscia (2007-) 449. Heather Ferguson (2005-08) 3510. Natalie Loftus (1999-02) 33
Points1. Jillian Byers (2006- ) 2382. Crysti Foote (2003-06) 2373. Caitlin McKinney (2005-08) 2324. Danielle Shearer (2000-03) 1965. Lael O'Shaughnessy (1998-01) 1906. Meredith Simon (2001-04) 1587. Kerry Callahan (1997-99) 1468. Natalie Loftus (1999-02) 1099. Lauren Fischer (2001-04) 85 Alissa Moser (1999-02) 85
GOOD FOR GOODMAN: Senior goalkeeper Erin Goodman was named the BIG EAST defensive player of the week for the week ending March 1 as she helped lead the Irish to a 17-8 win over Stanford. Goodman made six saves in the first 30 minutes of the game as Notre Dame opened a 9-3 lead and followed with seven more in the second half, playing 52:55 before giving way to junior Amy Winik for the final seven minutes. Goodman has now made 40 consecutive starts for the Irish and has won 26 games over the last two-plus seasons.
HEAD COACH Tracy Coyne: Tracy Coyne is in her 13th season at Notre Dame and her 22nd year in collegiate lacrosse. Coyne brings a 227-104 (.685) career record into Saturday’s game at Dartmouth. On Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008, she recorded her 100th career win at Notre Dame with a 16-4 win over Duquesne. As the only head coach in the Notre Dame program’s history, Coyne is 113-78 (.592). A 1983 Ohio University graduate, Coyne recorded her 200th career win at the end of the 2006 season with a 16-8 win over Cornell in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. She has guided Notre Dame to four NCAA tournament appearances (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008) in the last seven seasons, including the school’s first-ever NCAA finals appearance in 2006. In her first 22 years of coaching, Coyne was 23-5 in two seasons at Denison (1988-89), 91-21 in seven years at Roanoke (1990-96) and 113-78 in this, her 13th season at Notre Dame. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native led Denison (1988) and Roanoke (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996) to the NCAA Division III tournament during stops at those schools. Coyne also has coached on the international level as the head coach for the Canadian women’s lacrosse national team from 1999-2005. In June of 2005, she led Team Canada to a fourth-place finish at the 2005 World Cup, her second, fourth-place finish (2001) as Canada’s field boss. Coyne is 0-1 in her career against Dartmouth and 3-2 in five meetings with James Madison.
THE IRISH ALL-TIME: The 2008-09 season is the 13th campaign for the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse program. The Irish (3-1 this year) come into the weekend with a 113-78 (.592) all-time record. That includes a 56-28 (.667) home mark and a 45-43 (.511) road record. Notre Dame is 12-7 all-time on neutral fields. The win in the season opener at Duquesne gives the Irish an 11-2 mark in season-opening games.
LEADING THE WAY: With high scoring players like Jill Byers and Shaylyn Blaney in the Notre Dame lineup, you would figure that one of them would be leading the Irish in scoring. Through the first four games of the season, you would be wrong. Pacing the Irish attack through the first four games of 2009 is junior Gina Scioscia. The playmaker from Summit, N.J., is first in scoring on the team with 10 goals and five assists for 15 points. Her five-point game (4g, 1a) game versus Stanford was her third game this season with three or more points. Her four goals equaled a career-best set in the season opener at Duquesne (2/14). She leads the team in assists with five and is third in goals with 10. Known for her playmaking skills, Scioscia led the Irish with 35 assists last season, the second-best single-season mark in the program’s history. She is currently eighth on the all-time list with 42 assists for her career. Byers is second in scoring with 13 points on 13 goals and Blaney is third with 11 points on 11 goals.
MAKING THE STOPS: Senior goalkeeper Erin Goodman won her 26th career game in the 17-8 win over Stanford on Feb. 28 in making her 40th consecutive start. Goodman ranks among the top Notre Dame goalkeepers in several different categories.
Single SeasonGP - t1st (19) - 2008Wins - t3rd (12) - 2008Minutes - 1st (1,117:21) - 2008Saves - 4th (172) - 2008SV% - 9th (.454) - 2008GAVG - 7th (10.74) - 2008
CareerGP - 3rd (40)Wins - 3rd (26)Minutes - 3rd (2,414:18)Saves - 3rd (349)GAVG - 3rd (10.49)
TEWAARATON WATCH LIST: Two members of the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team have been named to the Tewaaraton Trophy “Watch List” for the 2009 season. Senior Jillian Byers and sophomore Shaylyn Blaney were among the 45 players selected to the watch list. That group will be cut down later in the season to a candidates list followed by a list of finalists. For Byers, this is her third year on the watch list while Blaney is making her first apperarance. She is the sixth Notre Dame player to be named to the Watch List in the 13-year history of the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse program.
MIDFIELD MASTER: Sophomore midfielder Shaylyn Blaney has gotten her second season off to a fast start, scoring at least one goal in each of the first four games, including three in the win over Stanford. She ranks third on the team in scoring with 11 points and second with 11 goals scored. Blaney is coming off a freshman year that saw her score 43 goals with nine assists for 52 points. That was the second best total for a Notre Dame freshman, trailing just Jill Byers 78-point campaign (52g, 24a) in 2006. Her 43 goals were the eighth best single-season output for the Irish.
THE KIDS ARE OKAY: Notre Dame’s freshman class has gotten into the action during the first four games of the season. Maggie Tamasitis leads the freshmen in scoring as she has already scored three goals with four assists for seven points. That ranks her sixth in scoring overall while her four assists are second on the team. Fellow freshmen Megan Sullivan (Winchester, Mass.) four games, Kate Newall (Middlesex, England) three games, Jordy Shoemaker (Andover, Mass.) one game, Kelly Driscoll (Andover, Mass.) four games and Kristin DeRespiris (Locust Valley, N.Y.) one game have all seen action to date but have not scored any points. Three members of the freshman class – Flannery Nangle (Auburn, N.Y.), Amelia Bernier (Strafford, Pa.) and Janel Carey (Pittsburgh, Pa.) are sidelined for the season with injuries.
THE SHOOTIST: Sophomore midfielder Kailene Abt has taken a prominent role in the Notre Dame attack during the 2009 season. Through the first four games, she already has career highs in goals (9) and points (10). As a freshman, she saw action in 17 games, making two starts and scored seven goals with two assists for nine points. She leads the Irish in shots on goal this season with 28 in four games, after getting 28 all of last year. Twice this season (versus Northwestern and Ohio State), Abt has had 10 shots on goal to lead the Irish.
QUICK ON THE DRAW: Not to be out done by her scoring exploits, Jillian Byers has also proven to be one of the team’s top players on the draw control. In four games this season, she leads the Irish with 15 draw controls. Sophomore Jackie Doherty is second with 10. The Irish have a 62-49 edge on the draw in the first four games this year. Last season, Byers set a school record with 52 draw controls while fellow senior Shannon Burke (Timonium, Md.) was second, also breaking the school record with 51. Byers is on her way to becoming the school’s all-time draw control leader. Here is the top 10:
Draw Controls1. Alissa Moser (1999-02) 1262. Jillian Byers (2006- ) 1143 Kaki Orr (2004-07) 1104. Crysti Foote (2003-06) 1035. Shannon Burke (2006- ) 986. Tina Fedarcyk (1999-02) 967. Meredith Simon (2001-04) 918. Kathryn Lam (1999-02) 909. Danielle Shearer (2000-03) 7610. Lael O'Shaughnessy (1998-01) 74
WELCOME BACK: Former Irish midfield standout Kassen Delano `04 has returned to the Irish sideline as a member of Tracy Coyne’s coaching staff. Delano is a volunteer assistant this season as she also works as an academic counselor in Academic Services for Student-Athletes at Notre Dame. In four seasons with the Irish, Delano had 50 goals and 17 assists for 67 points in 62 games from 2001-04.
CAPTAINS: Seniors Shannon Burke (Timonium, Md.) and Jillian Byers (Northport, N.Y.) have been selected team captains for the 2009 season. Burke leads the Notre Dame defense and is coming off her best season ever as she had eight goals and three assists for 11 points while finishing second on the team in ground balls (33) and draw controls (51) and leading the team with 32 caused turnovers. She was a second team all-BIG EAST selection and is a preseason all-BIG EAST choice this year. Byers is a three-time, second-team All-American and has been a unanimous first team all-BIG EAST selection in each of her first three years. She led the Irish with 67 goals and 14 assists for 81 points last season and set a Notre Dame record with 52 draw controls.