sports

Men's Soccer: ND hosts first round match

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

The Irish will play host to Green Bay as they suit up for the first round of the NCAA tournament today at Alumni Stadium. No. 19 Notre Dame (10-7-4) received an at-large bid after finishing the season with a string of wins and ties against strong opponents, good enough to grab a spot after fearing late in the season that it possibly could be left out. "We are where we thought we would be," Irish coach Bobby Clark said. "If we had won the Big East then maybe we would have gotten a first-round bye, but that's where we are, a home round, and that is good." The Irish finished the season with some momentum, defeating then-No. 5 Connecticut in the last game of the regular season before tying No. 8 South Florida, No. 9 Louisville and No. 24 St. John's in a run to the Big East tournament finals. All three Big East tournament games came down to a penalty shootout, with the Irish winning the first two before falling to St. John's in the championship match. The Irish hope that this good competition and gritty play will translate into the NCAA tournament. "We played a really strong schedule, there is no doubt about that," Clark said. "That will certainly help us." Green Bay (14-2-3) won the Horizon League Championship by upsetting Butler on penalty kicks 3-2 on Sunday after the match ended in a scoreless tie. The Phoenix have an outstanding attack, according to Clark, and are one of the highest scoring teams in the country. "They are a very good side," Clark said. "They have only lost two games all season, and that is impressive. They are also one of the leading scoring machines in the country. We will not take them lightly." Green Bay poses a unique set of challenges for the Irish, not the least of which is their habit of finding a way to win. "I have always believed that winning and losing are habits," Clark said. "They are going to come out strong because they know how to win." The Irish hold an all-time 2-1 record against Green Bay, with their last meeting coming in 1994. In that game, the Irish fell 2-1 at home. "We will have to look at what they do and be aware of some of their good players," Clark said. "But at the end of the day, it is going to come down to what we do to win." If the Irish were to advance beyond the first round, they would meet ninth-seeded Northwestern (10-4-4) in the second round. The Wildcats are the team that knocked them out of the NCAA tournament last year, an event that still rests in the minds of many of the Irish players. "There is a lot still lingering about the loss to Northwestern last year," Clark said. "Those memories still linger, and I think that will push the players to get prepared." The Irish are on top-seeded Akron's side of the bracket, which finished the season a perfect 20-0-0. Though the bracket and list of potential foes seems a formidable one to climb, Clark remains optimistic. "I believe that the hardest game in our bracket will be tomorrow," Clark said. "If we take care of this game, I believe that all the other games will take care of themselves." This is it for the Irish, as a single loss eliminates them from NCAA tournament and ends their season. Clark said he believes that the NCAA tournament is what the players and the fans will always remember. "The one thing that everyone remembers the most is what happens in the NCAA tournament," Clark said. The Irish hope to make some good memories when they begin their NCAA quest tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Women's Basketball: Irish travel to East Lansing for first road game of the season

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

No. 5 Notre Dame will travel to East Lansing, Mich., this evening to face No. 21 Michigan State in the Irish's first big road test of the year in a battle of size versus speed. The Irish (1-0) will face a stiff test, as the Spartans (1-1) boast a strong size advantage at almost every position. "They are big," Irish coach Muffet McGraw said. "They are the biggest team we have played, and may be the biggest team we will play all year. Every position they have a huge size advantage on us." Spartan senior center Allyssa DeHaan is a whopping 6-foot-9 and will present a distinct challenge to a smaller Irish defense trying to keep her from running up a lot of points. "They just present a lot of matchup problems for us," McGraw said. "6-foot 9-inches is somebody we really have nobody to guard. It is going to be a challenge for us." The Irish really have nobody to prevent DeHaan from getting the ball or to guard her one-on-one, so the Irish will try to mix up their defenses to keep the Spartans off balance, according to McGraw. "I don't think we can prevent her from getting the ball at her size," McGraw said. "We have a couple of things we are going to try." The Irish must counter Michigan State's size with speed and strong play from a lineup loaded with guards. "Our strength is at the guard spot," McGraw said. "We are going to have to score a lot of points." But McGraw does not want to the team to fall in love with the 3, as she believes that will hurt their chances to win. "My worry is that we stand out there and shoot too much," McGraw said. "Last year we were shooting 25 3s and we made nine. We don't want to have to rely on 3-point shooting, we want to be able to score in other ways." An Irish player who has shined against the Spartans in the past is sophomore forward Kellie Watson, who put up 18 points last year against Michigan State. But Watson has been hampered lately with a leg injury, and has just been returning to practice and game action over the past few weeks. McGraw is not sure what contribution she will be able to make against the Spartans. "Her role right now is very different than last year because of her injuries," McGraw said. "She really has only been practicing for a week and a half. She really has a lot of catch-up to do. She is really behind right now." Not being able to fully utilize Watson is a concern for McGraw, but she believes she will be able to work into the game. "We were hoping she could move into the post a little bit with her size," McGraw said. "It gives us another big body in there and she is definitely capable of guarding people." A point of emphasis after last week's 27 turnovers against Arkansas Pine Bluff has been to limit those mistakes, according to McGraw, as she did not like the sloppy play she saw at home. McGraw said she hopes that the turnovers were a product of the team coming together while playing their first game of the season. "I think we were really sloppy in that first game, and I am hoping a lot of it was first game jitters and being anxious and having a lot of open people," McGraw said. "So I am hoping that we can settle down tonight and play our normal game." The key to the Irish's ability to control the ball will be senior guard and captain Melissa Lechlitner, who will be running the point. "Lech did a great job taking care of the ball, and hopefully we will have the ball in her hands a lot," McGraw said. The Irish hope to clean up their sloppy play and get their first road win against a tough opponent.

Hockey: Team faces Spartans in Fort Wayne

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

No. 14 Notre Dame hopes a unique weekend schedule that begins with a game tonight at No. 6 Michigan State will cure some of the woes the Irish offense has suffered in recent weeks. Irish coach Jeff Jackson said scheduling concerns related to football and basketball games at both schools led to the arrangement of the weekend series, which concludes with a second game Sunday in Fort Wayne, Ind. "We're hoping we can get a lot of people out in Fort Wayne and expose the game to our state in a real strong Notre Dame area," Jackson said. "We don't like taking too many games off campus, but if we have the opportunity to go to Fort Wayne and run a clinic for the kids and play in front of the Notre Dame fans there, it should be a great situation." But first things first — the Irish (5-5-2, 2-2-2-1 CCHA) must deal with the red-hot Spartans (9-2-1, 6-1-1-0) on their home ice Thursday. Michigan State swept Michigan, the preseason favorite to win the CCHA, in a home-and-home series last weekend. "They're playing with a lot of jam," Jackson said. "Obviously after the kind of year they had last year, they're certainly out to prove something. So far they have." The Spartans' nine wins are the most in the country, and they hold a two-point advantage over Miami in the conference standings. "It's a young team playing with a lot of energy," Jackson said. "They're doing much better than people anticipated, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that with youth comes enthusiasm." Notre Dame has struggled to score goals all season, and particularly at even strength. Last weekend's home series against Northern Michigan was no different. The Irish lost 3-2 Friday night before stealing a much-needed point with a shootout win after Saturday's game ended in a 2-2 tie. Sophomore wing Billy Maday scored both Irish goals in Saturday's game, and he also put home one of the two shootout tallies. Jackson said he hopes that will jumpstart Notre Dame's leading scorer. "Maybe that's going to help him play with more confidence," Jackson said. "I'm hoping that happens to a few other guys, and the sooner, the better." The offense isn't the only area with question marks for Notre Dame, as Jackson still has not settled the goaltender competition between freshman Mike Johnson and junior Brad Phillips, both of whom started once last weekend. Jackson said he'd wait until the team's Thursday morning skate to finalize his plans in net for the weekend. "We'll continue to play two guys on and off here, at least for the time being," Jackson said. "The goaltending issue is still up for debate, and I'm not opposed to going with two for the short-term, and potentially the long-term. It's just going to depend if one of them steps up and separates himself." Tonight's game in East Lansing, Mich., begins at 7:05 p.m., while Sunday's contest will start at 4:05 p.m. at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne.

ND Cross Country: Rydberg makes debut appearance at NCAAs

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

A new face will be among the crowd at the women's NCAA championship cross country meet in Terre Haute, Ind. this weekend as freshman Jessica Rydberg takes the course for the Irish. "It is so exciting to be able to race with the best runners in the entire nation," Rydberg said. "I am not too nervous yet, but I am sure when I get to the meet and see all of the other teams, I will become much more nervous." Rydberg came in second place for the Irish and 10th overall in 21:23.84 at the Great Lakes Regional meet where Notre Dame won for the first time since 2003 and Rydberg received all-region honors. "Starting college is a tough transition for a freshman, especially an athlete who is expected to contribute right away, and she had some struggles early like most freshmen do," Irish coach Tim Connelly said. "She seems to be handling things well now and comes to practice every day, happy, and excited to be running." Rydberg knew she wanted to run in college and looked into possibly attending Duke, Xavier or Santa Clara University, but as a science pre-professional and theology double major intent, she ultimately chose Notre Dame with some urging from her high school track coach. "I feel like Notre Dame has the perfect combination of rigorous academics, successful athletics and service opportunities, and everything is supported by a strong faith in God," Rydberg said. As an athlete who participates in a highly individual sport like cross country, Rydberg maintains a healthy level of team sportsmanship and humility in her personality as she races for optimal team performance. "I did not really put pressure on myself to be in the top runners; I just wanted to do my best for the team," Rydberg said. Rydberg has been running competitively since middle school with the encouragement of her parents who are both runners as well. "Running is refreshing, it allows me to take a break from everything that usually makes me stressed, and at the same time, it is also an exciting challenge," Rydberg said. "I get to find out how strong I can really be, and there is always an opportunity to become faster, stronger, and better." Rydberg and the rest of the Irish will be vying to show they are faster, stronger and better than the rest of the competitors Nov. 23 as the team races towards its first national title.