Sept. 19, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - LAST YEAR AGAINST NOTRE DAME
In the 2007 season the No. 17 Nittany Lions defeated No. 21 Notre Dame, 2-1, for the first time in program history.
The first half went Notre Dame's way with a goal for Kerri Hanks in the 21st minute with the assist to Amanda Cinalli. Hanks took the Cinalli pass and placed it far post into the right side of the goal to give the Fighting Irish the 1-0 advantage at the break. Elise Weber was also credited with an assist on the play.
As they had in the past few contests, Penn State posted a big second half. Sophomore Katie Schoepfer (Waterford, Conn.) scored a point in her fourth straight game when she found Ashley Myers (Bel Aire, Md.) with the helper on her game-tying goal in the 55th minute. Myers booted the left-footed strike from 25-yards out, tucking it inside the near right post to make the score 1-1. M.A.C. Hermann Trophy candidate Sheree Gray was also credited with an assist on the play.
In the 58th minute, Notre Dame goalkeeper Lauren Karas fouled Schoepfer in the box to set-up what would be the game-winning penalty kick for Penn State. Sophomore transfer Melissa Hayes (Cave Creek, Ariz.) stepped up and converted her first goal as a Nittany Lion, and it was a big one, giving Penn State its second road win over a ranked team in 2007 and first ever over Notre Dame in their three-game series.
2008 PENN STATE VS. NOTRE DAME
Notre Dame enters Jeffrey Field with a perfect 6-0 record prior to its game with DePaul Friday night. In those six games they have only been scored upon once in a 3-1 decision against Duke. Three of those wins were by a margin of four or more goals (four over Loyola Marymount, five over SMU and seven over Michigan). Top scorers for the Irish are Kerri Hanks with five followed closely by Melissa Henderson with four. The unwavering defense of Notre Dame has limited its opponents to 12 shots on goal, an unbelievably miniscule average of two shots a game. The Fighting Irish have previously defeated No. 12 Duke, 3-1, and No. 5 North Carolina, 1-0, this season. This will be Penn State's second meeting with a Top 5 team this season. The Nittany Lions dropped a 4-1 decision to then No. 4 Florida State on Aug. 29.
Sunday marks the fourth meeting between Notre Dame and Penn State. The Irish currently lead the series two games to one.
CATCH THE NITTANY LIONS ON TELEVISION THIS FALL
If you missed the James Madison game this Thursday it's not too late to see your Nittany Lions in action right from your living room. The 10-time defending conference champions will be featured in two Big Ten Network contests, meeting up with Notre Dame at home on Sept. 21 and hosting Wisconsin on Oct. 5.
PENN STATE AGAINST NO. 1 TEAMS
In the 13 year history of Penn State women's soccer, the Nittany Lions have faced a No. 1 ranked team six times. The last and only time Penn State knocked off a No. 1 opponent was a 3-2 win on Sept. 12, 1999 over North Carolina.
The sixth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions got two goals from freshman forward Christie Welsh and a late first half goal by sophomore defender Kristen Phillips to record a 3-2 upset win over first-ranked North Carolina.
The loss was the first for Carolina at home since October 19, 1994 when Duke defeated the Tar Heels at Fetzer Field 3-2. That same game was also the last time Carolina trailed an opponent by as many as two goals in a game. The loss was also only the seventh for UNC at home in its history.