Notre Dame Throws Zeroes at Villanova
from press release
Notre Dame, Ind. - The Notre Dame women's
lacrosse team returned to action on Friday afternoon at Arlotta
Stadium where the Irish handed the Villanova Wildcats a 16-0
blanking for the first shutout in the 14-year history of the
program. The shutout also was the first in BIG EAST history since
league play began in 2001.
For the Irish, 14 different players got on the score sheet with
several players making their first collegiate playing appearances.
Junior Ansley Stewart led the way with three goals in the game and
was followed by juniors Kailene Abt and Shaylyn Blaney and
sophomore Jordy Shoemaker with two goals each. Maggie Tamasitis,
Kaitlin Keena, Gina Scioscia, Flannery Nangle, Kelly Driscoll,
Jaimie Morrison and Betsy Mastropieri had one goal each. Tamasitis
and Scioscia also had two assists for three-point games while Abt
add one assist for three points in the contest.
Villanova was held to just 16 shots in the game as Notre Dame
freshman goalkeeper Ellie Hilling made eight saves in the game to
record the first-ever shutout for the Irish.
The victory improved the Notre Dame to 7-4 overall and 3-1 in BIG
EAST play while Villanova goes to 7-3 for the year and 0-2 in
conference play. The game was just the second meeting ever for the
Irish against Villanova and the teams are now 2-0. The Wildcats are
in just their first season of BIG EAST play during the 2010
campaign.
The Irish scored early and often in this game, scoring five times
in the first 3:22 of the game. Abt opened the scoring just 54
seconds into the game on a free-position shot versus starter Maggie
Langan. The lead would go to 2-0 just 43 seconds later when Abt set
up Tamasitis on a neat passing play in front of the net and
Tamasitis beat Langan high over her stick.
Tamasitis picked up her first assist of the game when she set up
Stewart at 27:45. Abt recorded her second goal at 26:58 to make it
4-0 and Keena closed out the run at 26:38 for a 5-0 Irish
advantage.
Notre Dame would make it 8-0 before Villanova even directed its
first shot on Hilling with 15:11 left in the half.
Scioscia scored on a free-position shot at 21:45 and then Blaney
picked up her two goals, back-to-back at 16:41 and 15:56 for the
eight-goal lead.
Coach Tracy Coyne began to substitute liberally from there. Nangle,
a sophomore who missed all of 2009 due to injury, scored her first
career goal at 13:12 and Mastropieri closed the first half with a
goal at 11:56 to extend her scoring streak to four games and make
it 10-0.
The 10-goal first half marked the second time that the Irish have
had 10 or more goals in a half this season as they scored 11 in the
first half of a 15-10 win over Duquesne on Feb. 27.
Notre Dame scored all six goals in the second half with three
players getting their first career goals. Shoemaker scored the
first goal of her career just 37 seconds into the second half and
the sophomore midfielder would get her second with 9:16 left.
Following Shoemaker's first goal of the game, Stewart closed out
her three-goal afternoon with goals at 26:42 and 21:48 to make it
13-0. That chased Langan, the Wildcat goalkeeper in favor of Amanda
Hirschfeld who would play the final 21:48 of the game.
Shoemaker's second goal of the day made it 14-0 with 9:16 left
before Driscoll got her first goal of the season with 6:34 on the
clock. Morrison closed the game with her first career goal with
1:38 for the final score of 16-0.
In all, five players saw their first career action. Sophomore Amy
Bernier played in her first game after missing all of 2009 with an
injury and picked up her first career point, assisting on
Shoemaker's second goal of the game.
Sophomore defender Janel Carey, who missed all of 2009 with a knee
injury, saw her first career action along with freshman Francie
Crowell and McKenzie Brown along with Morrison who got her first
career goal.
In the game, Notre Dame out shot Villanova, 29-16, Hilling had
eight saves in the game while Langan had five and Hirschfeld none
for the Wildcats.
The shutout was the second in the nation this year as Penn blanked
St. Joseph's, 14-0, on March 17, 2010. Prior to getting the shutout
versus Villanova, Notre Dame owned the BIG EAST record for fewest
goals in a game as they had defeated Loyola, 11-1, on March 25,
2007 and Rutgers, 9-2, on April 28, 2002.
