No. 8 ND, 55-game win streak visits Mountaineers

Exactly four years today, Notre Dame's soccer program began a winning streak matched by only one other team in the history of NCAA women's soccer.

The Fighting Irish defeated South Florida 4-0 on Oct. 2, 2005, jump starting a stretch of 55 consecutive conference games in which they have yet to suffer a defeat.

Only North Carolina of the Atlantic Coast Conference has matched that streak after it won 55-consecutive conference games from 1994-2000.

Tonight, the Mountaineers will look to snap that skid when they host Notre Dame at 6 p.m. for their first "Gold Rush" event of the season.

"Notre Dame has had a slew of success with its program, and for us to defeat such a powerhouse would just be huge for this program," said WVU head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. "We are going to go out and get after Notre Dame. We know that this is a critical time for us and that his is a top 10 team that won the Big East last year."

Yet, mixed within the Irish's stat line is a West Virginia team that put an end to Notre Dame's conference title hopes two years ago.

In the two team's last meeting in 2007, the Mountaineers worked a 1-1 tie through two overtime periods to force a shootout against the Irish.

After assisting on the Mountaineer's lone goal in regulation, senior captain and all-American Carolyn Blank punched in the team's first penalty kick attempt to take a 1-0 lead. A few shots later, it was seldom-used forward and then-freshman Sydney Metheny in the spotlight.

The Elkins, W.Va., native came off the bench in only her second career game and delivered the eventual game-winning score.

Though it may not have punched a loss in Notre Dame's lost column, it marked a major turning point in the Mountaineer soccer program.

"Anytime you win the Big East Conference, especially over a team you have so much respect for, it is such a pivotal point for any program," said Izzo-Brown. "That game kind of stated to the country that we are one of the top programs in the country."

It was also a game that Blank said she'll never forget.

"It was just an incredible experience with the crowd we had there and all that was on the line," Blank said. "We made our minds up that day that we were going to win the game. We fell down 1-0, and when we came back to tie it at the half, we knew we weren't going to lose that game.

"Being a part of the Big East championship was just a great moment in my career."

The Mountaineers are eager to duplicate that upset bid tonight, but first they must find a way to slow down the tandem of Lauren Fowlkes and Melissa Henderson.

The duo serves as Notre Dame's biggest offensive weapons after accounting for more than half of the team's goals this season.

Henderson also finished second on the team in goals scored (17) and points (36) last year.

In addition to their offensive arsenal, the Fighting Irish also possess one of the top goalkeepers in the country in senior Kelsey Lysander, who set the school record in wins (26) and shutouts (18) one year ago.

Notre Dame went 26-1 during that 2008 campaign with its only loss coming to North Carolina in the National Championship.

So far this season, the numbers are slightly titled in favor of the Mountaineers when comparing the two teams. WVU has out shot Notre Dame 182-165 this season and has allowed just seven goals to the Irish's 11.

But it's the Fighting Irish who hold the only advantage that matters: seven wins to four.

Despite Notre Dame's many strengths and superior ranking, the Mountaineers are far from intimidated, especially after already recording a 2-1 win over No. 5 Penn State earlier this season.

"We have a lot of respect for them, and they are a really respectable team," said Blank. "A great team like Notre Dame is always going to have those streaks, so you have to expect it.

"But it's going to be exciting; we are ready for the challenge."

As part of tonight's "Gold Rush" theme at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, all tickets and concessions will be $1.