Aug. 28, 2005
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Kerri Hanks joined the Notre Dame women’s soccer program as an elite scoring threat on every level she has played and the Dallas native appears poised to continue that trend in her college career, after scoring four times in Sunday’s 6-0 win over Vermont to cap her record-setting weekend that included seven goals and an assist. Hanks set the Irish record for goals in back-to-back games, tied the record for goals in a game and already is one shy of tying the team record for hat tricks in a season.
(Note: The Irish had to depart quickly for their flight back to South Bend; quotes from head coach Randy Waldrum will be added to this recap later Sunday night.)
Notre Dame – which opened with an 11-1 win over New Hampshire on Friday – totaled 17 goals in the weekend action at Centennial Field, the second-most goals ever scored by the Irish in the first two games of a season (behind the 20 scored by the 1996 team, which won 14-0 at Providence and 6-0 at Boston College). The 17 goals also rank as the sixth-most ever by the Irish in consecutive games (at any time in a season) and are the most since the 1997 team posted big back-to-back wins over Georgetown (9-0) and Wisconsin (10-0).
Hanks is the third Notre Dame player ever to post hat tricks in consecutive games, joining Cindy Daws ( in ’96) and Meotis Erikson (’97) in that unique distinction. Hanks registered her second straight hat trick by scoring the game’s first three goals in a 20-minute stretch of the first half. She later capped the scoring in the 88th minute, joining current teammate Katie Thorlakson as one of four Notre Dame players ever to score four goals in a game.
Prior to joining the Notre Dame program in the spring of ’05, Hanks had been the top scorer with the U.S. Under-19 National Team (scoring 22 goals in 30 games) and earlier had totaled 47 goals in two seasons of play at Allen High School. She also twice has earned the prestigious Golden Boot Award (summers of ’03 and ’05) at the USYSA national tournament, while playing for the elite Dallas Texans club team.
Sunday’s game between top-ranked Notre Dame and the host Catamounts attracted 1,436 fans, one of many times in recent years that the presence of the Irish has helped bring in a record-setting crowd.
Another Notre Dame newcomer, freshman midfielder/forward Brittany Bock, scored her third goal of the weekend for a 4-0 lead in the 68th minute while senior forward Maggie Manning scored for the second straight game to round out the six-goal day.
Sophomore forward Amanda Cinalli – who had 1G-2A in the win over New Hampshire – assisted on Sunday’s second and third goals, completing her all-tournament performance. Junior midfielder/forward Lizzie Reed added her second assist of the weekend, setting up Manning’s goal for the 5-0 lead.
Hanks was the obvious choice for offensive MVP of the Vermont TD Banknorth Classic while senior goalkeeper Erika Bohn – a Brookfield, Conn., native whose family now lives in Rutland, Vt. – was named the tournament’s top `keeper and defensive MVP. Those two were joined by Cinalli and sophomore midfielder Ashley Jones on the all-tournament team.
Notre Dame – now 39-1-2 in its past 42 regular-season games – owned an 18-2 shot edge (12-1 in shots on goal) while attempting the only two corner kicks of Sunday’s game. The Irish racked up a 48-3 shot edge in the tournament, plus 34-2 in shots on goal and 12-0 in corner kicks. Led by Hanks, Bock, Thorlakson and Manning, Notre Dame was sharp with its finishing all weekend, converting on 50% of its shots on goal (17 of 34) in the tournament and scoring on better than 1-of-3 shots overall (17 of 48).
Midway through the first half, Vermont was called for a hand ball just outside the top of the penalty box. Hanks – who registered her hat trick vs. UNH despite not starting that game – sentthe ensuing direct kick into the upper-right corner for her fourth goal of the tournament and the 1-0 lead (20:24).
Cinalli assisted on the second goal in the 40th minute, crossing the ball from the left flank. Hanks was filling the middle and showed her deft touch by sending a leftfooted shot inside the left post (39:53).
That same combination produced the third goal 48 seconds later, as Cinalli dribbled into the left side of the box and sent a shot on goal. Hanks was there to send the rebound back inside the near post for the 3-0 halftime lead (40:41).
Bock scored midway through the second half, collecting a loose ball after a flurry of Irish shots and striking an 18-yard shot into the lower left corner of the net (67:20).
An exchange of passes between Reed and Manning produced the fifth goal, with Reed starting the sequence by playing a pass from midfield out wide. Manning then returned the pass to Reed, who followed with a pass through a seam in the UVm defense. Manning then converted a tricky leftfooted shot, sending the ball into the upper right corner for her ninth career goal with the Irish (77:06).
Manning later sprung Hanks for the final goal, with Hanks fighting off a defender and then beating ‘keeper Elana Cockburn with a shot to the lower left corner (87:55).
NOTES – Much as they did throughout the 2004 national championship season, ND utilized its tremendous depth by starting four players (Hanks, Reed, Jones and junior M Claire Gallerano) who did not start vs. UNH, with all 19 players on the travel roster seeing time … Hanks joins Monica Gerardo (’95, vs. Indiana) as the only ND freshmen ever to score four goals in a game … Gerardo also had a 4-goal game vs. Seton Hall in ’96, as did Jenny Streiffer during her sophomore season (’97, vs. Georgetown) and Thorlakson as a junior vs. St. John’s (’04 BIG EAST quarterfinal) … Hanks also has joined Susie Zilvitis (’88) and Erikson (’97) as the only ND freshmen with two hat tricks in a season … the ND record for hat tricks in a season (3) is shared by Daws (’96) and Jenny Heft (’98) … five others (in addition to Zilvitis, Erikson and Hanks) have posted two hat tricks in a season: Rosella Guerrero (’93), Alison Lester (’93), Amy Van Laecke (’96), Gerardo (’96) and Anne Makinen (’97) … the first 17 seasons of ND women’s soccer (’88-`04) had seen just 10 players register hat tricks in a season opener (6) or the second game (4) but Hanks now has done so in game-1 and game-2 … the players who had scored hat tricks in an opener were Guerrero in ’92 (at N.C. State), Guerrero and Michelle McCarthy in ’93 (at LaSalle), Van Laecke and Gerardo in ’96 (at PC) and Mary Boland in ’03 (vs. Hartford, at UConn) … those who scored game-2 hat tricks were Zilvitis in ’88 (at St. Joseph’s), McCarthy in ’95 (vs. St. John’s) and Heft and Streiffer in ’98 (vs. West Virginia) … Hanks joins Guerrero and McCarthy as the only ND players with two career hat tricks in an opener or game-2 … Hanks needs just three more goals to become the 17th ND freshman with double-digit goals in her first season with the Irish … Thorlakson had registered a point in ND’s 12 previous official fall games (tying the ND record, set by Makinen in ’99).
#1 Notre Dame (2-0-0) 3 3 – 6
Vermont (0-2-0) 0 0 – 0
ND 1. Kerri Hanks 4 (-) 20:24; ND 2. Hanks 5 (Amanda Cinalli) 39:53; ND 3. Hanks 6 (Cinalli) 40:41; ND 4. Brittany Bock 3 (-) 67:20; ND 5. Maggie Manning 2 (Lizzie Reed) 77:06; ND 6. Hanks 7 (-) 87:55
Shots: ND 12-6 – 18, UVm 1-1 – 2
Corner Kicks: ND 2-0 – 2, UVm 0-0 – 0
Saves: ND 1 (Erika Bohn 1 in 75:30, Lauren Karas 0 in 14:30); UVm 6 (Elana Cockburn)
Fouls: ND 8, UVm 13
Offsides: ND 8, UVm 0
Yellow Cards: Katie Thorlakson, ND (10:30; 1st of season); Erin Pichiotino, UVm (51:22)
Attendance: 1,436