over break
By KERRY SMITH
Sports Writer
The Big East proved to be big trouble for the Irish last week, as the soccer squad dropped three straight conference games, while managing to post only one win.
The Irish peaked early with a record-breaking victory over the Villanova Wildcats on Oct. 15. The 5-0 win marks the largest conference victory for the Irish since they joined the Big East in 1995.
The victory against the 2-10-0 Wildcats brought the Irish unbeaten streak to a season-high six games, but it did not last long as the Irish quickly slid into a three game losing streak, falling to 11th-ranked Rutgers, West Virginia and 13th-ranked St. John's.
While the losses potentially damage Notre Dame's hopes for a tournament berth, the Irish have not lost confidence in their ability to reach the post-season.
"We played very well against Rutgers and West Virginia, who are ranked one and two in the conference," head coach Mike Berticelli said. "The team hasn't lost any confidence. We know what we have to do to get into the Big East tournament. We feel like we can still play with these teams."
The Irish offense came on the field in full force to begin its four-game series during fall break against the Wildcats, as five different players contributed to the scoring effort. Rafael Garcia and Alan Lyskawa posted their second goals of the season for the squad, as Connor LaRose, Matt Rosso and Peter Bandera recorded their first career goals in the win.
"We're still suffering from not having a second forward and goal scorer on the team, but we knew that coming into the season," said Berticelli. "We've done a very good job making a lot of improvements during the season and have been able to score more goals against conference opponents like Villanova. We've done a good job compensating."
The Irish then played host to the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers on Oct. 17. Despite outshooting Rutgers 16-8, the Irish were unable to come up with a goal and lost in a 1-0 decision. The Scarlet Knights poked in the game-winning goal in the first half after a scramble in front of the net. The Irish found their biggest challenge in Rutger's goalkeeper Jon Conway. Recording his sixth shutout of the season, Conway tallied six saves on the game.
Notre Dame recorded its second straight loss on Oct. 20 when it traveled to West Virginia. It took only 12 minutes for the Mountaineers to come up with a goal from freshman forward Guido Cristofori.
One goal proved to be enough for the Mountaineers as they handed the Irish their second 1-0 loss of the week.
The Irish had a chance to tie the game with less than a minute remaining in the second half, when the offense came up with a blast on goal that ricocheted off the post, leaving the Irish scoreless.
"We had a chance to tie it late in the game — we took a shot on an open goal that hit the crossbar." said Berticelli. "Our defense also had a bit of a breakdown in the game."
The Irish were back on the road to finish off their break week series with a game against St. John's on Saturday. Losing 4-1 to the nationally-ranked powerhouse, the Irish had trouble putting the ball in the goal. Getting off only three shots on goal, the Irish were unable to upset the Red Storm.
"As far as the St. John's game, we're still starting five or six freshman every game and we played on astroturf — something we're not used to," said Berticelli. "The final score wasn't really indicative of the game. It was really a 1-0 game until really late in the second half when we moved players up to try and tie the game."
The Irish ended the week with an overall record of 8-7-2 and are currently 4-4-1 in the Big East conference. They have only two regular season games remaining on the schedule. Because of the losses last week, the team faces a must-win situation against conference rivals Georgetown and Seton Hall in order to earn a spot in the Big East tournament.
"We're all in the same situation. Georgetown and Seton Hall have to win as well," said Berticelli. "These are not just big games to us, they're very important games to them too. All three teams face a do-or-die situation."
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, October 26, 1999
