Sept. 13, 2002

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Amy Warner’s goal in the 62nd minute helped the Notre Dame women’s soccer team overcame another subpar first half as the Irish opened play at the Maryland Fila Classic with a 2-1 victory Friday afternoon at Ludwig Field.

Notre Dame (3-2-0) faced a deficit early in the second half before quickly tying the score on a free-kick score from junior midfielder Randi Scheller. Warner then ran onto a thru-ball from senior midfielder Ashley Dryer and sent a crossing shot inside the right post for the decisive goal. Hartford fell to 2-2 with the loss.

The Irish defense – already looking to replace a pair of graduated starters – played without two of its top defenders in Friday’s game, as senior captain Vanessa Pruzinsky (ankle sprain) and sophomore Gudrun Gunnarsdottir (broken foot) did not play due to injury. Notre Dame started junior Melissa Tancredi at one of the central defender spots (her first career start in the defense) but Tancredi’s playing time also was limited due to her own Achilles injury.

After an uneventful first half that featured just four total shots between the teams, Irish head coach Randy Waldrum elected to shake up his lineup in an effort to jumpstart the offense. Junior midfielder Kim Carpenter and sophomore right back Candace Chapman flipped positions while three newcomers – freshman forward Maggie Manning, sophomore midfielder Sarah Halpenny and freshman midfielder Jenny Walz – came on to play key roles in the second-half surge.

Hartford leading scorer Jenette Akerlund set up the first goal in the 48th minute, on a cross from the left flank. With the Irish caught out of position, Tini Lyng found herself open at the top of the box and sent a low shot inside the right post (47:10).

Scheller tied the game four minutes later, on a 22-yard free kick from the center of the field. Scheller sent a low, driven shot that kicked off ‘keeper Heather Hinton near the center of the goal area and rolled over the goalline for the 1-1 score (51:02).

Warner matched Scheller with her own third goal of the season in the 62nd minute. Halpenny set the play in motion after digging out a loose ball and playing a pass to Dryer. Warner then ran onto a thru-ball down the left flank and struck a far-post shot for the 21st goal (and eighth gamewinner) of her career, at 61:15.

Notre Dame freshman Erika Bohn had a solid game in the nets, with three saves and a key breakaway stop with the game tied in the second half. Bohn has allowed just one goal in 262 minutes of regular-season action, good for a 0.34 goals-against average.

The Irish return to Ludwig Field on Sunday afternoon (2:00 EDT) to take on the hosts and 25th-ranked Terrapins. Live stats of the game can be found at www.und.com or www.umterps.com . A link to a live audio broadcast of the game also can be found at www.umterps.com.

HARTFORD 0 1 – 1

#11 NOTRE DAME 0 2 – 2

HART 1. Tini Lyng 1 (Jenette Akerlund) 47:10; ND 1. Randi Scheller (-) 51:02; ND 2. Amy Warner (Ashley Dryer) 61:15.

Shots: HART 6, ND 13.

Corner Kicks: HART 3, ND 5.

Saves: HART 5 (Heather Hinton), ND 2 (Erika Bohn).

Fouls: HART 17, ND 15.

Offsides: HART 3, ND 6.

Yellow Card: Sandra Kayulu (HART).