Irish defeat Cardinal in overtime thriller
By KEVIN BERCHOU
Sports Writer
They had to work a little longer than anticipated, but for the members of the Notre Dame women's soccer team the extra effort was definitely worth it.
The second-ranked Fighting Irish clipped the Cardinal of Stanford in overtime, 2-1, Sunday to cap a memorable weekend, which saw them knock off two of the country's top teams.
After ripping Santa Clara 6-1 on Friday night, Notre Dame felt as if it could seriously challenge for the national title. After knocking off the high flying Cardinal, the Irish are certain of their place in the nation's pecking order — they belong at the top.
"The bottom line is that it's great to get a pair of wins over opponents of this caliber," said Notre Dame head coach Randy Waldrum. "There were many positives to the weekend."
The Irish struck first in the game's 35th minute as sophomore Nancy Mikacenic sent a pass from the right flank to classmate Ashley Dryer, who deftly one-touched the ball to Amy Warner, who converted the tap-in for a 1-0 lead.
The Cardinal stunned the Irish, who had been dominating the flow of play, by tying the score 10 minutes into the second half. Sophomore Marcia Walls beat a sprawling Liz Wagner for her third goal of the season. Waldrum was pleased with the way his troops responded to the adversity.
"We were a little shocked when they tied it up," he admitted. "But we pressed on. I'm proud of the way we responded."
The goal was the only mistake of the game for the unflappable Wagner, who made countless big saves for the Irish all weekend.
"It was a big weekend for Liz Wagner," Waldrum said. "Liz showed us something and had a pair of strong games."
In an emotion-filled battle, the Cardinal fell victim to the heat of the moment. Sophomore midfielder Callie Withers was ejected after receiving a red card for shoving Mikacenic with just over eight minutes left.
Her untimely exit forced the Cardinal to play with only 10 players.
The opportunistic Irish took advantage, with a little help from the Cardinal. With senior Anne Makinen leading the way, the Irish were on the offensive in overtime. Makinen's well-struck outlet pass sped Warner, who crossed the ball toward the goal. Stanford bumbled the game away from there, promptly depositing the ball into its own net. A Cardinal player had tried to clear Warner's cross, but a teammate rejoining play deflected the ball past stunned Stanford keeper Carly Smolek.
They didn't score the goal, but the Irish took the win.
"Even though it was an own goal, it was a result of pressure that we were putting on for most of the game," Waldrum noted.
The victory could prove costly for the Irish. Senior defender Kelly Lindsay left the game with an injury. Her status is uncertain.
Anne Makinen was named the weekend's Offensive MVP, while Meotis Erikson, Wagner, and Warner joined her as Irish representatives on the all-tournament team.
All Sports Stories for Monday, September 11, 2000
