Aug. 14, 2004

CAMPINAS, Brazil - Notre Dame head women's soccer coach Randy Waldrum was hoping that the current training trip in Brazil would provide an adequate barometer of the level of contributions possoible from his highly-rated freshman class. And if the early returns (including 5-1 and 3-0 wins on Saturday) are accurate, the Irish could be putting together one of the deepest rosters in the nation. (Note - check back to this page shortly for photos from the games.) Notre Dame juggled its roster in the Saturday afternoon action, erupting in the second half for a 5-1 win over Jundiai before using a pair of late Candace Chapman goals to beat Sao Cartano (3-0). Both of the games versus area women's semi-professional teams were played at the impressive training facility located on the grounds of communications giant Motorola. In addition to receiving an elevated level of play from its veteran contingent, Notre Dame again received a big boost from the newcomers as midfielder Ashley Jones and midfielder/forward Jannica Tjeder joined Chapman in registering two-goal days. Junior forward Maggie Manning and sophomore defender Kari Kennedy also scored for the Irish while the only goal allowed came after some miscommunication on a 30-yard free kick from the center of the field. Notre Dame now has outscored the opposition 10-2 over the course of four games in Brazil, with the other goal coming on a penalty kick after a questionable call in the box. The Irish players have adjusted their games to account for the quick whistles of the Brazilian referees, who won't even permit hands to the back of an opponent while marking. The Motorola facility is located adjacent to an orange grove and includes two full-length soccer fields. Motorola is one of several major companies with large plants in the Campinas and Sao Paulo area, with others including Goodyear, IBM, Mitsubishi, Honda, Coca-Cola, Johnson and Johnson and Rhodia pharmaceuticals. Campinas also is home to Unicamp, widely regarded as the best university in all of Brazil (it is particularly noted for its medical school). Saturday's games featured a special visitor as a Notre Dame alumnus living in Sao Paulo, Christine Caponigri Frech ('89), stopped by with her family to cheer on the Irish. She provided some interesting insights into life on Brazil and an interview conducted with her will be shared with the und.com readers later in the trip. The Sao Cartano playters flocked to the Notre Dame team after the game, many trying out their English skills or exchanging addresses and e-mails. One player had just returned from living in Arizona, where she played for Tucson Soccer Academy (the rival club of ND sophomore Molly Iarocci's beloved Sereno Eagles). Another player, Maicia Rods da Sihva, approached head coach Randy Waldrum and (with trusty tour guide Rafael Gibim acting as translator) described how she had remained pen-pals with former Notre Dame player Maryn Necel (who was part of ND's 2000 team that trained in Brazil). Recap notes from both of Saturday's games follow below, as do various comments from assistant coach Alvin Alexander. Game 3 (Notre Dame 5, Jundiai 1) - Notre Dame dominated possession and racked up a high number of corner kicks in the first half but held just a 1-0 lead at the intermission ... ND nearly took an early lead in the 15th minute when Katie Thorlakson's pass played Becky Tweneboah into the right side but her shot smacked off the right post ... in the 26th minute, the ball kicked back to Lizzie Reed and she sent a shot for the upper left corner that was stopped with a leaping save ... Jundiai had a strong chance on a counter run down the right side but Nikki Westfall smothered the low cross as a player slid in for the try ... ND found the net in the 40th minute, with Manning sending home an easy header after Thorlakson's right-endling cross ... Jundiai tied the game in the 56th minute on a 30-yard free kick into the lower right corner ... the Irish then ran away with four goals in a 24-minute stretch ... sophomore Claire Gallerano, continuing to play well in her defensive midfielder role, set up the go-ahead goal with a leftside free kick (Jones then put back her own chance from close range, in the 64th minute) ... 11 minutes later, Jones played a pass from the right flank to Kennedy, who worked back to her right before lofting in a shot from 30 yards out (3-1) ... in the closing minutes of the game, Tjeder made a run down the left side and chipped a pass into the goal area ... the ball rolled out to Jones near the top of the box and she deftly sidestepped an opponent, slid to her right and buried a 16-yard show into the left side of the goal ... Tweneboah then set up the final goal with a cross from the right side, with Tjeder running onto the ball for a flying volley from close range. Game 4 (Notre Dame 3, Sao Cartano 0) - The Irish opened the scoring in the 35th minute, on a well-executed combination play that ended with Jones playing a pass back from the right side and Tjeder sending home a crossing shot ... that pair nearly hooked up again moments before halftime, with Jones serving the ball from the left endline and Tjeder spinning away in traffic before sending her short shot off the far right post ... the game featured many physical battles for possession, with limited quality scoring chances in the second half ... the Irish began to make their push in the final 15 minutes, including a long flare pass from Jill Krivacek that sprung Annie Schefter down the right side in the 81st minute (save) ... Sao Cartano also had some chances at the equalizer but freshman 'keeper Lauren Karas made some timely plays ... in the 85th minute, a long lead pass produced a chance for the opposition but Karas charged out to her left to stop the threat ... a minute later, Sao Cartano played a pass into the upper left corner of the box and a player ripped a shot in traffic - but Karas was in position for the tough save ... Chapman entered late in the game and put the game away with a pair of goals ... Gallerano's pass fromthe back set up the first of those goals, with Thorlakson then flicking the ball and Chapman sending a leftside shot that hit off the 'keepers hands and went into the far sidenetting ... minutes later, Thorlakson sent a low free kick from outside the top right corner of the box ... the ball skipped through the crowded penalty area and Chapman was making a perfect far-post run, putting back her own rebound into the left side of the net for the 3-0 final. Postgame Comments from Assistant Coach Alvin Alexander "They were good games today. The girls put things together. It was good to try some changes in our lineup and playing some players at different places. It was a very successful day. "We hope that the players who have come in on the attacking side, if they mature right, will add some spunk to what already was a potent offense. If you saw our final game last year versus Michigan, that was a game where we could have impacted the game with an early goal and then a second goal, then it puts the other team on their heels because we don't give up many goals. So that is something we are looking for this year, to hopefully get comfortable leads and keep building on them. "Mary Boland will be a dynamite player as always, in addition to being a great captain. Mary cares a lot about her teammates and wants to be the best she can be and she can help lead this team to all of its goals. "Katie Thorlakson is readl solid and calm player. She has been there in the tough times and has been a quality player. Hopefully, she will give us that added spunk you look for from your older players. Being a national team player from Canada, that has greatly impacted the wuality of her play. "Maggie Manning last year stepped in and gave us some quality minutes and we are looking for her to be a great leader this year. "Becky Tweneboah and Molly Iarocci have worked hard over the summer to become better players for this team. We certainly feel they will have an impact at some point this year and later in their career. "Amanda Cinalli is a solid player and will need just a little to fit in more with the flow of the team. But she can come right in and give us some quality minutes and she has a lot to offer any program. "Jannica Tjeder had a tough challenge after traveling so much in recent weeks but she certainly adds a lot to what we are doing here at Notre Dame. She's a quality player and has played well down here in Brazil. "Ashley Jones brings with her a high level of play and players like that sometimes do not make the national team, they get overlooked for a while but they always find their spot in given time. After she spends some time here in our system, those things should come for her because she is a great player. "To get an opportunity to work at Notre Dame, one of the best universities in the country, and then to get the opportunity to coach and train the type of student-athletes that we have is another plus. It has given me the opportunity to work with a good friend and great coach i nRandy Waldrum. But the people here are just awesome and this is the type of place where anyone can learn and achieve because that's what Notre Dame is all about. "With one year gone by now, I've come to find out that there's so much more to the college game. I've watched a lot of great coaches over the years and sometimes we don't really have an appreciation for what they do. In my eyes, when we look back Randy will be one of those great coaches. He is a very detailed person and every stone is overturned to make sure the team is prepared. And the assistant coaches work hard to be prepared just as he is. It's been a great understanding to work with a coach who is at such a high level, on and off the field."