The No. 11 Irish (3-1) start out on the road this break as they take on No. 13 Dartmouth (2-1) in Hanover, N.H., this Saturday - Notre Dame's second away game of the season. The Irish went 2-1 in their recent three-game homestand, losing to No.1 Northwestern and defeating Ohio State and No. 16 Stanford.
The Irish won 17-8 over Stanford last Saturday, with five goals from senior captain Jillian Byers, four goals and an assist from junior attack Gina Sciosia and three goals from sophomore midfield/attack Shaylyn Blaney. Senior goalkeeper Erin Goodman made 13 saves.
Byers' five points gave her a career total of 238 points, breaking the previous Notre Dame record that was set by former teammate Christi Foote. Coming into the 2009 season, Byers had 225 points, third in the Irish record books.
"You always hear people talk about Crysti and the incredible player that she is, so to be recognized with the best of the best is an incredible feeling," Byers said.
Notre Dame hopes to keep up its winning streak over the break as they will play three games, two of them away and against ranked teams. After facing Dartmouth, the Irish will travel to Disney World to take on No. 19 James Madison Wednesday. They finish up the week back home with a match against Hofstra next Saturday.
Notre Dame has won its only road game, defeating Duquesne 22-7 in the season opener. The only loss this season was against No.1 Northwestern, who beat the Irish 21-5 in Notre Dame's home opener. The Irish came back that same weekend against Ohio State, winning 14-11.
The Irish have had an overall strong showing on the field this season, both offensively and defensively. Sciosia leads the team in points with 15 - 10 goals and five assists. She's followed by Byers (13), Blaney (11) and sophomore midfielder Kailene Abt (10). In the net, Goodman has made 33 saves in over 200 minutes of playing time this year.
Notre Dame, who will try to keep its winning streak going, will face Dartmouth this Saturday at 12 p.m. to start off spring break play.
