ND WOMEN'S SOCCER: Irish offense explodes with 7 goals
JOE LICANDRO
Sports Writer
What a difference a week of practice can make. The problem for the Notre Dame women's soccer team this season has not been creating scoring chances, but simply finishing them by finding the back of the net.
But that changed Friday when the Irish erupted to a 7-0 victory against the St. John's Red Storm at Alumni Field.
For the past week, Notre Dame women's soccer coach Randy Waldrum wanted his team to be more aggressive offensively by starting to take more shots on goal. Seven different Irish players scored while the Irish tandem of goalies Liz Wagner and Lauren Kent did not have to stop a single St. John's shot all game. Irish sophomore forward Amanda Guertin was named offensive player of the game after scoring a goal and registering two assists.
After scoring only three goals the previous weekend in a loss to Rutgers and a victory against Seton Hall, Notre Dame did not waste any time recapturing the scoring touch. Only 27 seconds into the game, sophomore forward Melissa Tancredi scored her third goal of the season off a crossing pass from Guertin.
Senior midfielder Mia Sarkesian and sophomore forward Amy Warner also added goals in the first half giving the Irish a 3-0 lead heading into half time.
Irish dominance continued in the second half with three more goals by midfielders Randi Scheller, Ashley Drier and Kim Carpenter. Guertin added the finishing touches to the Irish victory with a goal of her own with only two minutes remaining in the game.
The seven goals for the Irish were the most goals they have scored all season. Not only did the Irish step it up offensively, they also controlled the field defensively. Defenders Vanessa Pruzinsky, Monica Gonzales and Candace Chapman began to eliminate the mental breakdowns that have plagued the Irish all season by communicating better with one another, allowing no shots on goal.
The win bodes well for the Irish, but Friday's contest brought bad tidings as well. Star freshman midfielder Mary Boland left the game against St. John's after breaking her ankle on a collision with a St. John's defender. Boland will be out at least four weeks and could be out for the remainder of the season.
With the victory on Friday, the Irish improved to 10-1-1 on the season.
All Sports Stories for Monday, October 15, 2001
