2008 Woodie Awards
ND Women's Soccer Commentary: Don't expect too many more deficits this year
Fran Tolan
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: Sports
Bad news, Irish fans. Notre Dame's quest to avoid falling behind in a game this season ended last weekend.
But the sight of the top-ranked Irish on the short end of the scoreboard will not be a common one throughout the remainder of the season. How uncommon? It should happen about as often as Rosie O'Donnell opts for low-fat brownies.
When Notre Dame fell behind by one goal against Marquette last Sunday, the Irish were visibly frustrated and one standout player jokingly admitted to being puzzled.
"Some of us were like, 'Okay, what's going on?'" senior forward Kerri Hanks said.
The Irish deficit to Marquette did not hold up for long, though. Notre Dame roared back with two goals in less time than it takes for a Deadhead to leave a DMX concert. Within four minutes, the Irish took complete control of the game and built a 2-1 lead.
Marquette, one of the stronger teams in the Big East with a 3-1-1 conference record, could not even come close to matching up to Notre Dame talent-wise. And Golden Eagles coach Markus Roeders admitted as much after the Irish wrapped up their 3-1 win.
"We cannot honestly say that we have the talent they have," Roeders said. "Here, they are one of the teams that gets the real best players."
Roeders said he thinks the Irish rank among the top four teams in the country, along with UCLA, Portland and North Carolina.
Guess who North Carolina's only loss in 13 games came against? That's right, Notre Dame. And that match was played in Chapel Hill.
Irish coach Randy Waldrum said he would place his top-ranked team among the top five squads in the country.
"The rankings are very arbitrary so you don't really know who's the best until the top teams start facing each other," Waldrum said. "So I'd have to agree with [Roeders] and be more realistic and just say we're definitely in that top group."
But while he was reluctant to label his team as the one to beat, Waldrum said this year's Notre Dame team is one of the most impressive squads he has coached. Waldrum, who has managed top-flight Irish teams for the past 10 years, also said that the 2008 version has the deepest talent base.
But the sight of the top-ranked Irish on the short end of the scoreboard will not be a common one throughout the remainder of the season. How uncommon? It should happen about as often as Rosie O'Donnell opts for low-fat brownies.
When Notre Dame fell behind by one goal against Marquette last Sunday, the Irish were visibly frustrated and one standout player jokingly admitted to being puzzled.
"Some of us were like, 'Okay, what's going on?'" senior forward Kerri Hanks said.
The Irish deficit to Marquette did not hold up for long, though. Notre Dame roared back with two goals in less time than it takes for a Deadhead to leave a DMX concert. Within four minutes, the Irish took complete control of the game and built a 2-1 lead.
Marquette, one of the stronger teams in the Big East with a 3-1-1 conference record, could not even come close to matching up to Notre Dame talent-wise. And Golden Eagles coach Markus Roeders admitted as much after the Irish wrapped up their 3-1 win.
"We cannot honestly say that we have the talent they have," Roeders said. "Here, they are one of the teams that gets the real best players."
Roeders said he thinks the Irish rank among the top four teams in the country, along with UCLA, Portland and North Carolina.
Guess who North Carolina's only loss in 13 games came against? That's right, Notre Dame. And that match was played in Chapel Hill.
Irish coach Randy Waldrum said he would place his top-ranked team among the top five squads in the country.
"The rankings are very arbitrary so you don't really know who's the best until the top teams start facing each other," Waldrum said. "So I'd have to agree with [Roeders] and be more realistic and just say we're definitely in that top group."
But while he was reluctant to label his team as the one to beat, Waldrum said this year's Notre Dame team is one of the most impressive squads he has coached. Waldrum, who has managed top-flight Irish teams for the past 10 years, also said that the 2008 version has the deepest talent base.