Junior forward Kerri Hanks became the 19th player in NCAA history to reach 50 goals and 50 assists Sunday when she scored a goal and had two assists in Notre Dame's 3-1 win over Rutgers.
Hanks is only the third player ever to reach the milestone before her senior season; the other two were Notre Dame's Jenny Streiffer and North Carolina's Mia Hamm.
The Irish won four games over the break, against Providence and Connecticut at home and against Seton Hall and Rutgers on the road, to conclude the regular season undefeated in Big East play. They have a record of 13-4-1 as well as a 10-game win streak.
During the streak, the Irish have outscored opponents 34-5 and taken 188 shots to their opponents' 67. Junior forward Brittany Bock scored 10 goals and had three assists during the streak, while Hanks scored five goals and had nine assists.
The Irish have played the last four games without senior captain and forward Amanda Cinalli and the last eight games without sophomore defender Haley Ford.
Notre Dame 4, Providence 0
Hanks opened the scoring in the 34th minute on a penalty kick. Friars senior keeper Laura Elfers slide-tackled Hanks in the left side of the box as Hanks chased a through-ball, and Hanks put the shot past Elfers in the right-hand side of the net.
The score remained 1-0 until the second half, when junior midfielder Rebecca Mendoza slid a shot from the far side inside the near post in the 47th minute. Mendoza scored again, in the 54th minute, when the ball rebounded after a corner kick to the top of the box. Mendoza shot the ball into the near-side corner.
Senior forward Susan Pinnick scored the final goal in the 86th minute. A long pass from sophomore midfielder Micaela Alvarez led Pinnick into the offensive third behind the defense, and Pinnick faked right before shooting the ball low and to the left of Elfers into the far side of the net.
Mendoza's goals doubled her previous career total.
Notre Dame 2, Connecticut 1 (OT)
Huskie sophomore midfielder Annie Yi struck first, scoring in the 26th minute. Yi found an opening on the right side of the box and put a tough shot into the far side of the net.
The score stayed at 1-0 until the 86th minute on a corner kick that found the upper right-hand corner of the net. Four minutes into the overtime period, junior defender Elise Weber's cross found Bock in the box, whose header found the back of the net for the game-winning goal.
The Irish are now 17-4-3 all-time against Connecticut.
Notre Dame 3, Seton Hall 1
Weber, Pinnick and freshman defender Lauren Fowlkes, who had combined for five goals before the game, each scored a goal in the victory.
Weber scored first in the 37th minute on a direct free kick from the left side. The ball skipped off the wet ground and found the right corner of the goal.
Pinnick scored just after halftime on a cross from Hanks. Driving down the right sideline, Hanks crossed the ball from the end line to Pinnick in front of the net. Pinnick's shot went inside the far corner to make the score 2-0.
Seton Hall scored after a handball outside Notre Dame's box in the 70th minute. The ensuing penalty kick hit the Irish wall, and after a rebound from freshman midfielder Nikki Gross' shot, sophomore forward Kate Andreski put the ball past senior keeper Lauren Karas to cut the deficit to one.
In the 83rd minute, Bock redirected a Hanks free kick to Fowlkes on the far post, where Fowlkes controlled the ball and shot it inside the post to make the score 3-1.
Notre Dame 3, Rutgers 1
Rutgers didn't have a shot on goal until the second half during the latest of Notre Dame's wins against conference opponents.
Rutgers held the first lead over the Irish in the past 10 games when they scored in the 20th minute. Junior forwards Kristen Edmonds put a high pass from sophomore forward Jennifer Anzuvino past Karas to take a 1-0 lead.
Hanks again scored on a penalty kick after a slide-tackle from behind. She shot the ball into the corner of the net in the 32nd minute to tie the game.
Pinnick gave the Irish the lead in the 38th after a Hanks free kick. Junior defender Carrie Dew redirected the kick with a header that bounced off the post, and Pinnick put her shot past a charging keeper.
Mendoza scored on another assist from Hanks in the 71st minute. Hanks brought the ball up the middle of the field and passed to Mendoza, who chipped the ball over the keeper.
