#8 Haley Ford 2008-09 Women's Soccer Roster

Saw significant time off the bench as a junior working her way into the Irish lineup as a center back … has shown the ability to play in both the defensive midfield and on the Irish backline … could see increased time in the backline as a senior as Notre Dame looks to replace central defender Carrie Dew, the 2008 College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player … has strong skills on the ball and effective in the air, with athletic 5-foot-9 frame … composed player who has great winning mentality, strong leadership and ability to affect teammates due to poise and confidence … deceptively strong for her tall frame, with hard-nosed style of play … uses quickness and long strides to chase down opponents … accomplished student who is mature beyond her years … played in 27 games as a freshman in 2006, including 14 as a starter, before battling through injuries in 2007 … one of 24 Texas natives to play for Notre Dame (including six on 2009 roster) … inherited number-eight jersey worn by All-America right back Candace Chapman (2001-05) and midfielder Anne Makinen (2000 national player of the year).

AS A JUNIOR: Played in 20 games including three starts … scored her first career goal and added an assist for three points on the season … registered her goal and an assist in Notre Dame[apos]s 6-0 win at Cincinnati on September 28 … she was one of a record-setting 19 players to score for the Irish … her three points were a career high … made starts on the Irish backline in wins over Loyola (4-0) and No. 12 Duke (3-1) … returned to the starting lineup in a defensive midfield role versus No. 5 North Carolina in the NCAA national championship game (L, 2-1) … also played significant minutes in NCAA Championship wins versus Toledo (5-2), No. 6 Florida State (2-0) and No. 5 Stanford (1-0).

AS A SOPHOMORE: Appeared in five games for the Irish, starting the first four games of the season … played full games versus No. 7 Florida and No. 3 Santa Clara … injured late in overtime loss to No. 5 Stanford … came back to make her only other appearance of the season versus No. 12 West Virginia in the BIG EAST tournament final, as she logged 10 minutes of play off the bench in the double overtime match (T, 1-1).

AS A FRESHMAN: One of eight to appear in all 27 games (tying ND record shared with members of 2004 squad) while drawing 14 starts, including all nine postseason games … played key role for NCAA runner-up team (25- 1-1) that allowed only 11 goals and ranked third nationally in goals-against average (0.40), with nation-leading 19 shutouts (ND record) … helped hold 24 of 27 opponents to 0-1 goals while never allowing more than two in a game … part of defense that set Notre Dame record for fewest shots on goal allowed (2.11/gm) … Irish faced rare early deficit at No. 24 Mississippi (2-1) before scoring in 40th minute, as Ford headed Hanks[apos] corner kick near the far side of the six-yard box for an assist and her only point of the season (Amanda Cinalli ultimately headed the ball in from close range) … started in home-state win at TCU (2-0) and in 5-0 wins over Pittsburgh, Seton Hall and Providence, with her final start of regular season coming at Georgetown (2-0) … met postseason pressure with the poise of a veteran, after Dew[apos]s injury in a makeup game at Cincinnati (the final regular-season game) … logged 90 minutes in eight of nine postseason games (all six in NCAAs) … settled in alongside Lorenzen while helping limit St. John[apos]s (3-0), No. 25 Marquette (2-0) and No. 17 Rutgers (4-2) to 10 combined shots and three corner kicks – as Irish claimed BIG EAST title … helped solidify back line into NCAA play, with home games versus Oakland (7-1), Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1-0), 14th-ranked Colorado (3-0) and No. 8 Penn State (4-0) seeing opposition limited to one goal, 17 combined shots (five on goal) and 10 corner kicks … rated as team[apos]s top all-around defender during College Cup final weekend, as Irish faced talented offenses from 5th-ranked Florida State (2-1) and fellow number-one ranked North Carolina (1-2).

ODP/CLUB HIGHLIGHTS: First played for ODP Region II team in 2002-03 before earning spot on regional team again in [apos]05-[apos]06 … member of national ODP pool in [apos]02-[apos]03 … attended 2002 national ODP camp (Deerfield, Mass.) and ODP inter-regional (Boca Raton, Fla.) in [apos]02 and [apos]05 … member of North Texas ODP state program from 2000-06, helping team place third nationally in 2004 ([apos]06 semifinals) while winning Region III ODP titles in [apos]03 and [apos]05 … member of Dallas Texans club program from 2002-07 … captained Texans Red [apos]88s to 2006 U.S.Youth Soccer under-18 national title, in Des Moines, Iowa (days before reporting to ND) … faced future classmates Amanda Clark and Michele Weissenhofer in opener at 2006 nationals (3-3 vs. Eclipse Select) … the Texans trailed 3-1 in that game before scoring in 76th and 89th minutes, followed by a 1-0 loss to PDA Wildcats (N.J.) … helped team come from behind two days later in 3-1 win over San Diego Surf team that included current ND junior goalkeeper Kelsey Lysander … the Texans and Eclipse ended up tied in the round-robin, with the Texans advancing on penalty kicks (4-2) … avenged loss to PDA Wildcats with 3-1 comeback win in title game … earlier helped Texans open strong at Region III tournament (North Little Rock, Ark.), posting 5-1 win over Vestavia Attack (Ala.) before 5-0 shutout of Diadora Impact (Tenn.) … the Texans then tied CASL Spartans Elite (N.C.) but moved on to semifinals, where they routed their in-state rival TSC Challenge (south Texas) in 6-2 game before shutting out Georgia-based Lazers Elite in 3-0 final … member of 2007 Texans squad that advanced to regionals and posted wins over a pair of Oklahoma teams (2-0 vs. FTSC and 6-0 vs. WC-TSC) before dropping 2-0 game to CASL Spartans … helped Texans win 2006 Disney Showcase, topping Eclipse in 4-0 final … member of Texans teams that won league and state titles in 2004-05 and [apos]05-[apos]06 … played for Midland Blast soccer club from 1998-2002.

PREP & PERSONAL: Played two varsity seasons at Midland High School before focusing on training with Texans … earned all-district honors as a midfielder in 2004, helping team win district title and reach regional semifinals … accomplished student (high honors) and member of National Honor Society, also serving as senior girls officer at Midland while being named 2005 and [apos]06 U.S. Achievement Academy All-America Scholar and receiving 2006 USAA National Leadership and Service Award … volunteered time over two spring breaks to help build houses with her church group in Juarez, Mexico … yearbook staff editor and Midland Symphony Belle volunteer ([apos]02- [apos]06) … her younger brother, Cameron Ford, plays soccer for Dallas Texans … daughter of Mike and Cindy Ford … full name is Cathryn Haley Ford … born May 16, 1988, in Midland, Texas … enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business as a finance major … carries a 3.219 cumulative GPA.

Ford[apos]s Career Statistics

Ford In the Post Season