Sept. 23, 2007
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NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Kerri Hanks scored for the fourth straight game but visiting Penn State went on to score a pair of second-half goals in a three-minute span, as the Nittany Lions emerged with a 2-1 win over Notre Dame in Sunday’s women’s soccer action at Alumni Field. Notre Dame – which entered the game ranked as high as 14th in the national polls (as did PSU) – held a 24-9 shot edge (9-3 in shots on goal), but the Irish again were hurt by defensive miscues and faulty finishing in the attacking third. Forward Michele Weissenhofer and center back Haley Ford remained sidelined due to injuries, as Notre Dame continued to cop with the absence of top players.
Notre Dame – which has lost four times this season versus top-20 opponents, with two of those losses coming in overtime and three in one-goal games – has seen several historical trends come to an end this season and that again was the case on Sunday, as the Irish failed to close out a game when taking the early lead. The loss ended a streak of 37 consecutive wins for Notre Dame when scoring the game’s first goal (dating back to mid-2005). The Irish also now have lost three straight Sunday games (after being 25-1-0 in the previous 26 Sundays) and lost for just the second time in the past three seasons when Hanks has scored a goal (34-2-0; with the other loss coming a week ago).
Hanks scored her sixth goal of the season and 56th of her career midway through the first half. Junior left back Elise Weber led senior forward Amanda Cinalli with a short pass down the left side and Cinalli then slid the ball into the heart of the penalty area. Hanks received the pass near the top of the box and spun to her left before poking a 12-yard shot that hit off the hands of the diving Maeher and carried into the far-right sidenetting (20:27). It marked the 16th time that Hanks has opened the scoring in a Notre Dame game, tied for the second-most “first goals” in ND history behind Jenny Heft’s 19 from 1996-99.
Cinalli (33G-29A) now is only one assist shy of becoming the 12th player in Notre Dame history with 30-plus goals and 30-plus assists in her career.
Notre Dame – which clearly missed the offensive presence and flip-throws from Weissenhofer (who had a hat trick in the 2006 NCAA quarterfinal win over PSU) – failed to find the net on its final 17 shots in Sunday’s game while watching the Nittany Lions claim the win, despite PSU attempting only two shots on goal in the run of play (during the entire game). Penn State sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was the player of the game, after stopping eight of the nine shots she faced – including a chance by Hanks in the ninth minute (Naeher came off her line to make the point-blank kick save outside the top of the six).
The visitors had a solid chance to gain the equalizer in the 35th minute, as Aubrey Aden-Buie struck a strong shot from the right side of the box – but senior goalkeeper Lauren Karas was in position for the lunging save to her left. Seven minutes later, PSU’s Melissa Hayes delivered a corner kick from the right flag and Denay Riley connected on a header at the far six of six-yard box – but the ball smacked off the left post to maintain the Irish margin.
Penn State tied the game in the 55th minute, after the Irish failed to maintain possession of their own throw-in on the bench side. PSU’s Sheree Gray then led Katie Schoepfer with a rightside throw-in and Schoepfer quickly slid a pass across the top of the penalty box. Ashley Myers completed a quick “dummy” move, allowing the pass to roll by a couple feet while gaining separation from an Irish defender. Myers then drilling a leftfooted knuckler from 20 yards out. Karas was hugging the near-right post but failed to make the save on the low shot, as the ball glanced off the ‘keeper and kicked in off the post for Myers’ second goal of the season (54:22).
A weak back pass by the Irish defense set up the decisive penalty kick, as Karas raced out and was called for a hard foul on the charging Schoepfer near the right edge of the box. Hayes stepped forward to take the PK and the UNC transfer placed the ball into the right side of the net for her first goal with the Nittany Lions (57:34).
Naeher delivered the game’s most memorable play with 14 minutes remaining, after a rightside corner kick from Hanks. Brittany Bock then smacked a header from 10 yards out but Naeher made a leaping save – reaching up and to her right – to preserve the win.
Hanks now has 56 goals in 60 career games with the Irish and has scored six of Notre Dame’s 10 goals during the past two weeks, also adding an assist in that four-game span.
Penn State (5-2-1) 0 2 – 2
Notre Dame (3-4-1) 1 0 – 1
ND 1. Kerri Hanks 6th of season/56th of career (Amanda Cinalli, Elise Weber) 20:27; PSU 1. Ashley Myers 2 (Katie Schoepfer, Sheree Gray) 54:22; PSU 3. Melissa Hayes 1 (PK) 57:34.
Shots: PSU 4-5 – 9, ND 9-15 – 24
Corner Kicks: PSU 2-0 – 2, ND 0-3 – 3
Saves: PSU 8 (Alyssa Naeher), ND 1 (Lauren Karas)
Fouls: OSU 11, ND 10
Yellow Cards: Bianca D’Agostino (PSU) 12:05; Brittany Bock (ND) 89:24
Attendance: 2,052