Results - Women's Water Polo

April 11-13, 2008

Notre Dame Women’s Water Polo won the Midwest Division Championships this weekend in Dayton, Ohio, and secured a bid to the National Collegiate Club Championships. The Irish faced Washington University of St. Louis in the first round, winning decisively 16-1. Maggie Hyde kept the cage clear, and 10 players scored in the game. Ali Durkin and Kat Kennifer led with three goals each, and Kelly Horner and Cristina Romano each had 2. Betsy O’Neill, Kristin Harchut, Adeline Dozois, Ali Schilling, Beth Nagel and Bridget O’Neill rounded out the scoring.

In the second game of the day the Irish went up against host University of Dayton, and came away with another strong victory, winning 15-1. Horner led the Irish with a hat-trick; Romano, O’Neill, Schilling and Meghan Pearl each had another two. Kennifer, Durkin and Emily Harig added one apiece, while the goal was split by Hyde and Betsy O’Neill.

On Sunday, the Irish faced Grand Valley State in the championship game. The Irish started strong, but the Lakers matched their intensity, and the first half ended with the Irish leading, 5-4. In the second half Notre Dame found the back of the net eight times, and won the division, 13-6. Horner led the Irish with 5 goals, and O’Neill, Kennifer and Romano each added two. Harchut and Durkin completed the scoring, and Betsy O’Neill made 7 saves in the cage. The Irish will head to Portland, Oregon for the National Tournament on May 1st.  

April 4-6, 2008

Notre Dame women’s water polo headed to Purdue this weekend for the Boilermaker Invitational. They faced off against Michigan State “B” Saturday morning, and won by a convincing final score of 10-3. Maggie Hyde made some key blocks in the game, and recorded six saves. Cristina Romano and Bridget O’Neill each had a hat trick of goals, while Ali Durkin added another two. Meghan Pearl and Kelly Horner each added another.

The Irish faced a tough Purdue Alumni team later in the day, but came away with a 12-5 victory. Romano zipped the ball by the goalie six times in the game, and Horner put another three goals away. Pearl, Durkin and Ali Schilling each had one. Betsy O’Neill and Hyde split time in goal.

For their third game of the day, the Irish squared off against varsity opponent Wheaton College, with the Irish prevailing, 11-6. Bridget O’Neill led the scoring with three goals, and Romano, Horner and Kristen Harchut each added two more. Schilling and Emily Harig completed the scoring with one each, and Betsy O’Neill and Hyde split the cage, making a combined eight saves.

On Sunday the Irish went up against Michigan for the fifth time this season. The Wolverines handed a flat Irish team their first lost of the year, winning 8-2. O’Neill scored both of the Irish goals, and while Betsy O’Neill made 10 saves in the cage, it was not enough to get the victory. The Irish will head to Dayton next weekend for the Midwest Division Championships.  

March 28-29, 2008

The nation’s top-ranked women’s water polo club proved worthy of its status as Notre Dame captured the prestigious Miami Invitational in Oxford, OH this weekend. On Friday night the Irish opened play against the University of Pennsylvania, the 8th ranked team in the country. The game was neck and neck, with the Irish coming from two down in the fourth quarter to tie it at 9-9. After Bridget O’Neil fouled out early in the fourth quarter with five goals, Kelly Horner stepped it up in OT, scoring a hat trick in the extra periods to lead the Irish to a 12-10 victory. Horner scored another in regulation; Ali Durkin, Kristen Harchut and Cristina Romano each contributed a goal, while goalie Betsy O’Neill made 12 saves.

Saturday morning placed the Irish against the University of Wisconsin, with Notre Dame winning confidently by a final score of 14-4. O’Neill and Romano led the squad with four goals apiece, and Horner added another three. Durkin, Emily Harig and Beth Nagel also each splashed one home for the Irish. Goalies O’Neill and Maggie Hyde split the cage, making a combined 9 saves.

The Irish then faced #6 Michigan Saturday night. Keeping the Wolverines to one goal in the first half, the Irish led 4-1 at halftime. The third and fourth quarters belonged to the Irish, as they outscored Michigan 5-3 to win the contest, 9-4. Horner led the Irish with four goals, and Romano added another two. Durkin, O’Neill and Kat Kennifer each had one, and Betsy O’Neill registered nine saves in the contest.

In the championship game on Sunday, the Irish finally met previous number one and currently ranked 3rd Cal Poly in a long anticipated game that lived up to all expectations. O’Neill hit a lob shot in the second quarter to tie the score 1-1 at the half. Poly opened the second half with two goals, taking a 3-1 lead at the end of the third quarter. Notre Dame picked it up in the fourth quarter, however, scoring three unanswered goals. Romano hit a cross cage shot on a man-up opportunity; then Harig nailed one from outside. Finally, Kennifer muscled the winning goal by the keeper from set, as the Irish won by a final score of 4-3. Goalie O’Neill came up huge in the win, keeping the goal clear for two quarters while recording five saves.

March 21-22, 2008

The women’s water polo club was off this weekend, but made news as it climbed to the number one ranking in the nation for the first time in club history. The team is 18-0 against club competition and 7-4 against varsity opponents, many of them ranked, for an overall record of 25-4. 

March 14-16, 2008

Notre Dame’s 2nd ranked women’s water polo club had another successful weekend, finishing second in the Snowy Seven varsity tournament at Utica College. Their first contest was against host Utica, a DIII team, and the Irish opened strong with a 15-1 victory. Cristina Romano led the scoring with four goals, while Kelly Horner added another three. Bridget O’Neill, Kat Kennifer and Ali Durkin each had two goals, and Emily Harig and Meghan Pearl added one apiece.

Queens College, a DII squad, took on the Irish next, and met the same fate as Utica, losing 15-1. O’Neill led with five goals; Romano and Horner each added another three. Pearl and Kristen Harchut rounded out the score with one each. Goalie Besty O’Neill recorded ten saves with three shutout quarters.

In the third game of the day the Irish faced a tougher opponent in Gannon University, also a DII varsity. Gannon played strong through the first half, but with the stifling Irish defense, the score was 10-1 after three quarters. ND won by a final score of 11-5, with Kennifer scoring four goals. O’Neill added another three, and Horner had two. Harig and Romano each had one, and Betsy O’Neill kept goal.

At the end of a marathon day, the Irish played their fourth game against Slippery Rock University, a traditional DII powerhouse. During the first half, the Irish were unable to convert most of their shots, and the score at halftime was a close 3-1, ND. In the third quarter, however, the Irish turned up the volume and scored seven unanswered goals, and won the game 10-5. Kennifer and Romano each had a hat trick, and O’Neill and Horner each had two goals. Goalie O’Neill made 11 saves and had two shutout quarters.

On Sunday, the Irish played for the tournament championship, facing off against Iona College, a DI varsity program. The Irish scored the first goal of the game on a man-up opportunity, but Iona answered, scoring the next three. After halftime, Iona put a string together, and led the Irish 7-3. In the fourth quarter the Irish came back, bringing the score to within one, but were unable to score enough to get the victory. The final was 7-6, with O’Neill, Horner and Harchut scoring two each. Goalie O’Neill made nine saves. The Irish are currently ranked 2nd in the country among club teams and will continue their season after Easter at Miami, Ohio.  

February 22-24, 2008

Notre Dame women’s water polo concluded their successful 10-game spring break trip this Sunday. The Irish started the trip off with a game against varsity (DIII) Wheaton College on February 29. Although the game was tied 4-4 after the first quarter, the Irish pulled away, outscoring Wheaton 11-1 in the final three quarters of the game. Cristina Romano and Bridget O’Neil led the team with four goals each, while Kelly Horner added a hat trick. Maggie Hyde kept the goal.

The Irish traveled to California to play in the Cal Poly invitational on Sunday. The first match placed the team against Cal Maritime Academy. The Keelhauers put up a strong fight but went down to the Irish 10-2. Notre Dame then faced Fresno State, last year’s national champions. The Irish stifled the Bulldogs’ offense, limiting them to only seven shots, while driving home 9 of their own, winning the contest 9-0. Romano and Ali Durkin each had three goals in the game, and goalie Betsy O’Neill earned the shutout. The third game of the day put the Irish up against Cal Poly’s “B” team. While Cal Poly was able to get off only one shot during the game, the Irish struggled to put their shots away, getting their first goal in the third quarter. Bridget O’Neil put away 5 shots to lead the team to 7-0 victory.

The team faced Cal State Monterey Bay, a Division II varsity team, on Tuesday. The Otters handed Notre Dame their first lost of the season, winning with a score of 11-5. Kat Kennifer and O’Neill each had two goals, while Meghan Pearl added the fifth.

On the final weekend of break, the Irish headed to Cal State San Bernardino for two more games. ND played DII Cal Baptist University tough, losing only 7-6 in the second overtime period. Five players scored for the Irish, with Horner leading with two goals. The second match placed the Irish against tournament host CSU San Bernardino (DIII). A weak first quarter let CSUSB get ahead 5-0, a deficit beyond which the Irish could not recover, although the team was able to draw 13 ejection penalties and 5 5-meter penalty shots. The final score was 12-4, with all 4 goals being scored off of penalties.

The Irish also played several scrimmages throughout the week, traveling to UC Davis, Cal Poly and UCLA. The Irish are currently ranked #2 in the country and will head to Utica for their next tournament.

February 7-9, 2008

Notre Dame’s outstanding women’s water polo club served notice that it is among the best nationally, as it swept four matches this weekend, including three nationally regarded rivals. The Irish faced two conference foes on Saturday, Eastern Michigan and Miami Ohio. The Irish shut down EMU 13-3, led by Betsy O’Neill and Maggie Hyde in goal. Ali Durkin led the scoring with four goals; Cristina Romano had three, and Meghan Pearl added another two. Five other players scored for the Irish, including freshman Adeline Dozois with her first of the season.

Against Miami, the Irish finished strong to post a 10-5 victory, after leading the Redhawks 2-1 at half. Durkin again led the scoring with three goals. Romano, Kristen Harchut and Kelly Horner each had two goals, and Bridget O’Neill completed the scoring. The goal was kept solidly by Hyde against a strong attack.

On Sunday, the Irish faced Michigan State in their first game, winning a close match 5-3. Kat Kennifer’s two goals were the difference. Romano, Horner and Bridget O’Neill each added one goal, while goalie Betsy O’Neill shut down a potent MSU offense. The final game of the weekend pitted the Irish against the home standing Wolverines.

The Irish came out on top, winning 5-4, as the disciplined team drew eleven Michigan ejections and three penalty shots, all of which were converted. O’Neill had two scores, while Durkin, Horner and Harchet each found the back of the net for the Irish. Goalie Betsy O’Neill made several key stops, keeping the Wolverines playing catch-up the entire game.  

February 1-3, 2008

Notre Dame Women's Water Polo started off their season right this weekend, winning their first tournament at Michigan State University. Friday night saw the Irish against a tough Illinois team, trailing 2-1 after the first quarter. ND pulled away after that, finishing with a strong 11-4 victory. Cristina Romano and Bridget O'Neill led the scoring with three goals apiece; Kristen Harchut had two, and Kelly Horner, Ali Durkin and Kat Kennifer each added another. Betsy O'Neill kept the goal.

On Saturday morning the Irish faced Lindenwood. The Irish secured a quick 14-1 win, with goalkeeper-turned-field player Betsy O'Neill scoring a total of six goals. Romano added another three, Meghan Pearl and Paige Chang each had two, and Emily Harig added one. Goalie Maggie Hyde was solid, allowing the only Lindenwood goal on a late fourth-quarter floater.

The second contest of the day pitted the Irish against a different kind of opponent – the Chicago Area Water Polo club (CAWP), a team made up of talented high school players. The game was the toughest of the weekend so far, but the Irish won solidly, 10-5. Horner led the scoring with four goals; Romano had another three, Bridget O'Neill two, and Durkin one. Betsy O'Neill returned to the goal for this game and recorded 9 saves.

In the tournament championship game Sunday, the Irish faced a strong University of Michigan team. The low-scoring game favored Michigan's style of play, and with three minutes to go in the game, the Irish were down 4-2, with scores by O'Neill and Horner. A pair of quick goals by Horner and Durkin tied the game, and forced sudden death. On a crucial man-up opportunity, Kat Kennifer skipped the winning shot by the Michigan goalie, ensuring the Irish victory. Goalie O'Neill came up huge in the game, shutting the Michigan team down in the overtime periods. The Irish will most likely face Michigan again next weekend, when they head to Ann Arbor for their next tournament.  

April 20-22, 2007

Women’s Water Polo secured a bid to nationals this weekend by winning the Midwest Conference Tournament. Playing at home, the Irish started off strong, beating Western Michigan 15-2. Cristina Romano and Kelly Horner led the scoring with four goals apiece, MC Cimino and Kristin Schmitt each had two, and Bridget O’Neill, Ali Schilling and Emily Harig each added another. Goaltending was split between Betsy O’Neill and Maggie Hyde.

In the championship game, the Irish faced Grand Valley State. GVSU scored the first two goals of the game, but the Irish came back with seven unanswered goals, leading to an eventual score of 15-3. O’Neill led the team with five goals, Horner added another four, Schmitt and Romano had two apiece, and Cimino and Schilling each one. The cage was guarded by goalie O’Neill.

The team will head to nationals in two weeks, which will be held at Williams College in Massachusetts.  

April 13-15, 2007

Women's water polo came away with two big victories at their home invitational this Saturday. In the day's first contest, the Irish came out strong against MSU, winning with a resounding score of 12-4. Bridget O'Neill and Kelly Horner led the scoring with three goals apiece; Cristina Romano added another two, and Kristen Harchut, MC Cimino, Paige Change and Emily Harig all tallied another. Goaltending was split between Betsy O'Neill and Maggie Hyde.

The second game was a much tighter contest against Michigan, with the lead flip-flopping between the two teams. At the end of regulation, the score was tied 7-7, with goals being scored by O'Neill (4), Kristin Schmitt (2) and MC Cimino. During the second period of overtime, Kat Kennifer – on her birthday – lofted the winning score into the corner of the net and the Irish came away with a 8-7 victory. Goalie O'Neill kept the cage the whole time. Earlier in the day Michigan had beaten MSU 7-6, also in OT.  

March 30-April 1, 2007

Notre Dame Women’s Water Polo finished third with a 4-1 record at the Miami Ohio University Tournament this weekend. The irish opened with a 15-5 victory over Illinois Friday night. MC Cimino led the scoring with four goals, while Bridget O’Neill and Kelly Horner each added three. Cristina Romano had another two, while Kat Kennifer, Meghan Pearl, and Kristin Schmitt completed the scoring. Betsy O’Neill and Maggie Hyde split the relatively uneventful goal, having four and two saves, respectively.

The Irish faced a tough Michigan squad Saturday morning, but came away with a strong 7-4 win. Schmitt had two goals, and Romano, Cimino, Horner, O’Neill and Kristen Harchut each added another. Goalie O’Neill kept the cage with nine saves.

The second contest of the day was against Purdue, with the Irish coming out ahead 15-4. Horner led with three goals, while O’Neill, Schmitt and Cimino each had a pair. Romano, Kennifer, Harchut and Paige Change added another. Goaltenders O’Neill and Hyde combined for nine saves.

The third match of the day pitted the Irish against #3 ranked Cal Poly. Cal Poly pulled away in the second half, and although goalie O’Neill made 17 huge saves, the game resulted in a 9-4 loss. O’Neill led the scoring with two goals, and Schmitt and Horner each had one.

Sunday morning the Irish played for third place against Michigan State. The game was close through three quarters, but four fourth-quarter goals gave the Irish an 8-5 victory. Romano, Harchut, Schmitt and Horner each had a pair of goals, and goalie O’Neill had five saves.  

March 23-25, 2007

Notre Dame Women’s Water Polo had a strong showing at this weekend at Grand Valley State University’s tournament, going 3-1. The first game was a decisive 13-4 victory of the University of Michigan’s B team. Kristin Schmitt led the scoring with four goals, followed by Bridget O’Neill with three. Kelly Horner, MC Cimino and Cristina Romano each had two of their own. The cage was shared by Betsy O’Neill and Maggie Hyde, with all four of the opponent’s goals coming in the fourth quarter.

The second game was a decisive 15-2 victory over the University of Guelph. Romano, O’Neill and Cimino all scored hat-tricks, Horner and Kristen Harchut had two goals each, and Schmitt and Kat Kennifer each added another. Goaltending was split again between O’Neill and Hyde.

The third game on Saturday pitted a tough Miami Ohio team against the Irish, resulting in a 7-4 loss. Schmitt had two goals and O’Neill and Emily Harig each added another.

The Irish ended the weekend with a 4-3 victory over Michigan State. Horner, Kennifer, Cimino and Romano all scored for the Irish, and two of MSU’s goals were scored on man-up advantages. O’Neill manned the cage with 9 saves.  

March 10-18, 2007

Notre Dame’s women’s water polo cl;ub traveled to Southern California this Spring Break to take on some tough competition. The Irish kicked off the weekend with an 11-3 win over varsity opponent Macalester at Cal State San Bernardino’s Coyote Classic Tournament. Bridget O’Neill led the scoring with 5 goals; Kristin Schmitt and Cristina Romano added two each, and MC Cimino and Kelly Horner each tallied one of their own. Goalie Maggie Hyde protected the cage with six saves.

In the second game of the tournament, the Irish faced the tough Colorado State Varsity team, losing the contest 11-4. O’Neill again led scoring with two goals, and Schmitt and Horner each added another. Goalie Betsy O’Neill had nine saves.

On Tuesday Notre Dame took on varsity team Cal State San Bernardino, ending up on the wrong side of a close 11-9 battle. Goalie O’Neill had 13 saves, while Bridget O’Neill and Schmitt had 3 goals each. Horner, Kat Kennifer and Kristen Harchut each added another goal. On Thursday the team played at Cal Poly University, facing their #4 ranked team. Up at halftime, the Irish couldn’t hold on and the game went to Cal Poly, 6-5. Romano and Schmitt had two goals apiece, and O’Neill had one. Goalie O’Neill played huge and recorded nine saves. The Irish will face Cal Poly again in two weeks at Miami Ohio and are looking to the rematch.  

February 24-25, 2007

Conference Tournament at Bowling Green State University

In a big step for their program, Notre Dame swept their league opponents this weekend at the Midwest Conference Tournament at Bowling Green State University. The first match on Saturday resulted in a 14-2 win over Eastern Michigan. Scoring was led by Bridget O’Neill and Cristina Romano, who each had four goals. MC Cimino added two, and Kat Kennifer, Kristin Schmitt, Kelly Horner and Katie Godfrey all scored one each. Goaltenders Betsy O’Neill and Maggie Hyde recorded seven and eight saves, respectively.

The second game was against host Bowling Green, and again the Irish prevailed 15-2. Schmitt and Romano led the scoring with four goals each; O’Neill added two, and Cimino, Godfrey, Horner, Meghan Pearl and Emily Harig each had one more. Goalie Hyde made eight saves.

The third match of the day pitted the Irish against Grand Valley State University, the toughest opponents of the tournament. Notre Dame once again laid any doubts to rest and handily beat GVSU 15-4. Scoring was led by Romano, with five goals, while O’Neill and Schmitt each added four. Kennifer and Harig rounded out the score with one each. Goalie O’Neill came up huge with 16 saves, an 80% save ratio.

On Sunday, the Irish played their final game against Western Michigan, and won 16-3. Ten different players scored for the Irish, with O’Neill and Cimino both recording hat-tricks. Romano, Pearl and Schmitt each added two, and Kristin Harchut, Ali Schilling, Godfrey, Horner, and Betsy O’Neill all had one. Goalie Hyde controlled the cage with three saves. The Irish will face its next competition over Spring Break in Southern California.  

February 9-11, 2007

 The seventh-ranked women’s water polo club swept the competition this weekend at the University of Michigan, handily beating all of their opponents. Saturday’s first contest pitted fifth-ranked Miami Ohio against the Irish. The Irish controlled the game and ended with a sound 6-2 victory. Scoring was led by Kristin Schmitt with two goals; Bridget O’Neill, Cristina Romano, Kelly Horner and Emily Harig all added one as well. Freshman goalie Betsy O’Neill recorded 8 saves.

The second game of the day saw a 14-10 victory over Eastern Michigan. Both Schmitt and Romano had four goals, while goalie-turned-field player Betsy O’Neill added three of her own. MC Cimino, Horner and Bridget O’Neill added one each. Sophomore goalie Maggie Hyde came up big with 12 saves.

Notre Dame’s third game of the day was against tournament host Michigan, and the Irish put them away with a score of 9-5. Schmitt again led scoring with 3 goals, Romano and Kat Kennifer both added two of their own, and Cimino and Horner each had one. Goalie O’Neill had 10 saves.

On Sunday the Irish opened against Ohio State with a 12-10 victory. Eight players scored for the Irish; Horner had three goals, while Katie Godfrey and Harig had two apiece. Other scores were by Romano, Ciminoi, Schmitt, Paige Change and O’Neill. Goalie Hyde made 9 saves.

The last game of the tournament was a 12-0 victory against fourth-ranked Michigan State. O’Neill led the scoring with 4 goals, Schmitt and Kristen Harchut contributed 3 each, and Romano and Horner each added one. Goalie O’Neill came away with the shutout, tallying 9 saves.

February 2-4, 2007

In their first game of the season, the Women’s Water Polo team gained a major victory over the Michigan State Alumni team, which boasted six players from the 2006 National Championship team. With two scores by Bridget O’Neill, and one each from Cristina Romano, Kat Kennifer and MC Cimino, the game was 5-4. MSU scored a quick goal before time expired, forcing sudden death overtime. O’Neill scored the winning shot in the second period of OT on a pass from Kristin Schmitt. Freshman goalie Betsy O’Neill came up huge in the goal, recording 14 saves.

The next contest took place against the University of Wisconsin. With a winning score of 15-2, everyone got good minutes. Scoring was led by Schmitt, who had five goals, Romano, who had four, and Kelly Horner, who had two. Cimino, Katie Godfrey, Emily Harig, and Kristen Harchut all added to the tally, and goalie Maggie Hyde came out with eight saves, including a huge blocked penalty shot to shut down the Badgers.

Sunday morning pitted Notre Dame against the University of Toronto. The Canadians came out first, with three quick goals. The Irish answered with two scores by Horner and one by Romano to tie it up. Four unanswered Canadian goals were just enough to keep the Irish at bay, despite a quick hat-trick by O’Neill in the fourth quarter, ending the game at a 7-6 loss. Goalie O’Neill had 15 saves.

Playing for third place in the tournament, the Irish met hosts MSU in a defensive struggle, with no score put on board until the end of the third quarter. With only one score by Romano, the Irish lost 2-1. Goalie O’Neill had eight saves.  

November 10-12, 2006

The Notre Dame women’s water polo team captured first place at the University of Virginia Invitational this weekend. The Irish won their opening game with James Madison 10-2 behind fourd goals from freshman Cristina Romano and three from senior captain Kristin Schmitt. M.C. Cimino, Bridget O’Neill, and Kelly Horner rounded out the rest of the Irish scoring, while freshman goalie Betsy O’Neill registered twelve saves.

The Irish dominated the next match again the University of Richmond Spiders. Schmitt led the scoring with five goals and O’Neill added three. Romano, Cimino, Horner, sophomore Kat Kennifer and freshman Emily Harig found the net as well for the Irish.

The Irish routed the University of North Carolina, 14-2 in their third game. Eight Irish players scored, including two goals from freshman Ali Schilling and a goal from sophomore Kristen Harchut.

The final proved to be a closely contested match, as the Irish prevailed 8-6 over the University of Guelph. Schmitt again led the scoring with four goals against the Canadians. Cimino ripped home two goals while Romano and Horner each splashed rifled shots into the net. Goalie O’Neill was credited with fourteen saves against a talented team.  

May 5-7, 2006

Notre Dame’s women’s water polo club finished ninth at the national championships this weekend, hosted by Northwestern University. The Irish dropped a hard fought opening game on Friday to eventual national champion, Michigan State, 12-9. The Spartans opened up a 10-4 lead at the half, but the Irish cut the lead to one with a pair of third quarter goals by Kristen Schmitt and another by Bridget O’Neill, but were unable to ever tie the contest. Kristy Bohling’s three goals paced the squad, with Katie Lancos and Kelly Hoerner also scoring for the Irish. This placed the Irish in the consolation bracket where the club swept three strong opponents.

The Irish played again on Friday, as they rebounded with a 14-4 romp over Carlton College, a game in which every member of the squad saw action. Schmitt scored the first of her five goals twenty seconds into the game to set the tone, while two goals apiece by O’Neill and MC Cimino helped build a 6-1 lead at the quarter. Horner and Maggie Baker also chipped in Irish goals.

This was to be the only breather of the weekend as the Irish next squared off with Ivy champion Yale on Saturday. In a tense back and forth contest, the clubs were knotted at 3-3 at the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs jumped ahead by two goals, but the Irish responded with a 3-0 run to take a one goal lead into the half. Lancos, Horner, Bohling, and O’Neill scored to build a 10-7 Irish lead, only to see the Eli rip the nets for five goals, tying the game as time expired. In the first of two overtime periods, Yale went ahead 13-12. In the second overtime, Kat Kennifer converted on a man-advantage, sending the game into sudden death overtime at 13-13. Katie Lancos then converted on a man-advantage as the Irish claimed a wild 14-13 victory.

On Sunday, the Irish closed the season against Northwestern in the Wildcats’ home pool. Tied at 2-2 after one period, thanks to a pair of Lancos goals, the clubs played a scoreless second quarter, setting the stage for a high scoring second half. After Kaitlin Schorrock tied the game at 3-3, Schmitt rifled home three quick goals for a hat trick. Bohling scored with 1:24 remaining to give the Irish a 10-8 lead, and the Irish withstood a Wildcat attack that scored one goal but was unable to score again, as the Irish ended the season with another thrilling 10-9 victory.

Final national rankings will be released on Wednesday, with the Irish expected to finish even higher than their 9th place showing this weekend.

April 21-23, 2006

Notre Dame hosted the MCWPA championships this weekend at Rolfs Aquatics. A second place finish secured a big to the national championships in two weeks at Northwestern.

The Irish opened play with a 16-2 victory over Washington, and then defeated Eastern Michigan 11-7. Virtually every player on the squad scored in the opener, and seven players scored in the EMU game. Freshman Kelly Horner led the attack with three goals, while Katie Lancos and Bridget O’Neill each found the net twice.

Sunday morning saw the Irish square off with the Lakers of Grand Valley, with the trip to the nationals on the line. Lancos led the scoring with a hat trick, followed b O’Neill and Horner each registering two goals. Kristy Bohling and MC Cimino each scored a goal to secure the 9-4 victory. The Irish fell in the gold medal game to Miami, 9-5, with Bohling, O’Neill, and Horner accounting for all the Irish scoring.  

March 31-April 2, 2006

The Notre Dame water polo club competed at Miami Ohio this weekend, seeing several top 10 teams. On Friday night they played the Illinois Illini, beating them decicively 9-6. The Irish opened play Saturday with a 9-2 loss against top-ranked Michigan State. The club then played a great second game, beating the Purdue, 11-6. The Irish ended their weekend on Sunday losing to Northwestern 9-7. The Irish look to avenge this loss to the Wildcats this weekend at Rolf's Aquatic Center on Saturday. The Irish will also host Wisconsin.  

March 24-26, 2006

Irish water polo had a successful weekend at Michigan State this weekend, registering two wins in four contests, and two strong comebacks that fell short against nationally top ranked teams in the other games.

The Irish opened the weekend with a 14-4 win against Eastern Michigan University, with hole sets Kristin Schmitt and Kelly Horner both contributing the majority of the team’s points. An equally dominating performance against Purdue in the second game featured MC Cimino, who led the scoring with 3 goals.

The two wins placed the Irish in the championship bracket of the tournament where the club came very close to upsetting both Miami and Michigan State. The Irish lost a close aggressive battle to Miami 10-8, with Kristy Bohling contributing two goals. In their final game, the Irish lost to the host Spartans 11-7, despite climbing back from a 6-1 deficit at half time. Bridget O’Neill came up big in the come back. Freshman goalie Maggie Hyde played huge in the goal all weekend, as she reached for the sky to make some impressive blocks.  

February 24-26, 2006

Notre Dame’s women’s water polo club swept through four opponents before droppng the title game to Miami OH this weekend at Eastern Michigan. In the opening 16-1 victory over Dayton, every member of the club contributed to the score.

The Irish blanked Ohio 21-0 in the second round, as Junior Caitlin Shorrock and freshman Maggie Hyde combined to register the club’s first shutout of the year. The Irish then faced the host Eastern Michigan squad, and posted a solid 12-3 win in front of their home crowd. The tournament finale saw the Irish drop a 10-4 decision to rival Miami OH. Senior Kristy Bohling rifled home two goals, while junior Bridget O’Neill and freshman Kelly Horner each put a shot in the cage to account for all the scoring.

The Irish will next head to California for a week-long training camp featuring games against tough west coast varsity and club teams. The Irish will host the division championship April 22-23 in Rolfs Aquatics, with the winning team advancing to the Nationals. Miami will be the top seed, with the Irish seeded second.  

February 10-12, 2006

The Irish women’s water polo squad stepped up in competition at this weekend’s Michigan Invitational in Ann Arbor. It was a rousing start for the Irish as they opened play with an 8-3 upset of the host Wolverines. Junior Bridget O’Neill scored a hat trick, while classmate Kristen Schmitt and senior Katie Lancos each found the back of the net twice for the Irish. In Saturday’s second game, the Irish streaked past Miami Ohio B, 14-4. Seven players scored in the one-sided contest, with O’Neill and freshman Kelly Horner each rifling home four goals.

On Sunday, the Irish dropped a pair of back and forth games to 3rd ranked Michigan State, 12-9, and 4th ranked Miami Ohio, 6-3. Against the Spartans, O’Neill again splashed home three goals, Lancos and Schmitt each scored a pair, and the remaining goals were fired home by Kristy Bohling and MC Cimino. A pair of Lancos goals and a solo score from O’Neill accounted for the Irish scoring against the Redhawks.  

February 3-5, 2006

Notre Dame’s women’s water polo club opened its season this weekend by sweeping four opponents at the James Madison University Invitational in Harrisonburg, VA. In their first game, the Irish dominated Ohio University 16-3 behind the strong offense from the center. Junior Kristen Schmidt and freshman phenom Kelly Horner each rifled home four goals to pace the attack.

Penn State fell to the Irish 11-4 in the second round, as Schmitt again found the net for four goals and senior MC Cimino splashed home three more. In the day’s final contest, the Irish pasted host JMU 16-2. Lightning-fast Cimino led the attack with six goals, followed by senior Kristy Bohling, who contributed three of her own.

The last team to fall in the Irish’s path of destruction was Duke on Sunday morning. With Cimino and Horner each accounting for four goals, and junior Bridget O’Neill another three, the Irish thumped the Blue Devils by a final count of 16-5. The squad will travel to Michigan next week where many regional rivals will be lying in wait for the Irish.  

April 15-17, 2005

Another highly successful season came to an abrupt end for Notre Dame's talented women's water polo club this weekend in regional championship play. The Irish opened with an 18-3 drubbing of Washington U. as every member of the squad scored at least one goal. Katilin Shorrock and Rachel Sehgal provided stellar goaltending. The Irish then defeated Miami B 9-5 witih Bridget O'Neill and Kristy Bohling leading the scoring with four and two goals respectively. Emily Obringer and Kristen Schmitt also scored for the Irish. In the championship game, the Irish fell to 3rd ranked Miami OH in the finals, 10-6. Katie Lancos and MC Cimino each ripped home two goals, with Kimmy Moore and Schmitt registering the other two goals. Moore's goal was a spectacular double bar-in backhand that found the net in the third quarter.

The club finished the season with a 20-7 record, beating five varsity teams, many of them ranked in the top 10 of Division III. The Irish also defeated many nationally ranked club teams, including rival USC. Six of seven starters will return for the Irish next season  

April 1-3, 2005

Notre Dame's women's water polo team traveled to the Miami Ohio Invitational this weekend, an event featuring several top ten ranked teams. The Irish dropped their Friday opener to the host Redhawks, 3-2. Kimmy Moore and Bridget O'Neill scored the squad's two goals.

The loss would prove to be the only blemish on the weekend, as the Irish rallied to thump Northwestern 11-2 with O'Neill setting the pace with four goals. Moor and MC Cimino each added a hat trick, with Kristy Bohling accounting for the other goal. The Irish then defeated Purdue, 7-5, behind the balanced attack of Moore and O'Neill with two goals each, and Cimino, Bohling, and Meghan Keane registering solo goals. On Sunday, the Irish posted an impressive 6-5 victory over the varsity squad from Slippery Rock. O'Neill's two goals again led a balanced attack, as Cimino, Boling, Katie Lancos, and Kristin Schmidt each scored against the Rockets.

The Irish will travel back to Miami once again in two weeks for their divisional tournament, as the squad hopes to capture a bid to the Nationals in Texas.  

March 18-20, 2005

Last weekend the women's water polo team traveled to Penn State Erie to compete in a varsity tournament. The squad held their own against tough competition, finishing with a 4-1 record.

The first game was a rematch of last year's final game against the University of Ottawa. This year the Irish prevailed with a 17-10 victory. On Saturday, the Irish opened with a 10-5 victory over Maryland, the nation's 10th ranked varsity team. The Irish swept through the rest of the day's competition, defeating Utica 14-1, and Iona, 6-2. The Irish dropped a close 7-6 game to Villanova's varsity squad on Sunday, to complete the tournament action. Stellar goaltending by Kaitlin Shorrock and Rachel Seghal highlighted the weekend play.

The team is currently 15-5 and will next compete at Miami OH next month.

Notre Dame's women's water polo club completed its annual swing through California over spring break, more than holding their own against some of the nation's top teams on the west coast. On Sunday, the Irish opened the trip with an 8-4 victory over the USC club team, 8-4. This marked the first win in history for the Irish over the Trojans. The next day, the Irish traveled to Pepperdine and were again victorious, 11-9.

Wednesday found the Irish challenging two time defending national club champion Cal Poly. The Irish came up short, 8-4, but stayed close throughout the contest. The Irish were anxious to test their skills against varsity competition and opened some eyes the next day at the Cal State Bernadino tournament. A solid 13-11 victory in the opening round over 8th ranked Div. III Claremont College proved to be no fluke as the Irish followed up with a 9-8 win over 9th ranked Div. III University of Laverne. On Sunday, the club played evenly with host San Bernadino, a Div. II varsity, before falling 10-7, and the Irish dropped their final match of the week 7-6 to 5th ranked Div. III Chapman University. The Irish sported a 4-3 record against the field including the defending club national champion and two other national club powers, three top ten ranked Div. III varsity teams, and a powerhouse Div. II varsity.

March 5-13, 2005

Notre Dame's women's water polo club completed its annual swing through California this week, more than holding their own against some of the nation's top teams on the west coast. On Sunday, the Irish opened the trip with an 8-4 victory over the USC club team, 8-4. This marked the first win in history for the Irish over the Trojans. The next day, the Irish traveled to Pepperdine and were again victorious, 11-9.

Wednesday found the Irish challenging two time defending national club champion Cal Poly. The Irish came up short, 8-4, but stayed close throughout the contest. The Irish were anxious to test their skills against varsity competition and opened some eyes the next day at the Cal State Bernadino tournament. A solid 13-11 victory in the opening round over 8th ranked Div. III Claremont College proved to be no fluke as the Irish followed up with a 9-8 win over 9th ranked Div. III University of Laverne. On Sunday, the club played evenly with host San Bernadino, a Div. II varsity, before falling 10-7, and the Irish dropped their final match of the week 7-6 to 5th ranked Div. III Chapman University. The Irish sported a 4-3 record against the field including the defending club national champion and two other national club powers, three top ten ranked Div. III varsity teams, and a powerhouse Div. II varsity.  

February 18-20, 2005

The women's water polo club swept all four opponents this weekend, defeating Western Michigan, 15-2, and Eastern Michigan, 15 -1 on Saturday. They then topped Grand Valley State, 15-4, and Eastern Michigan 14-3, in a rematch on Sunday. The club is preparing for its trip to Cal San Bernardino, to challenge both the top clubs and some varsity teams in California.

Centered in the left picture is
Brian Coughlin, coach.


At right, co-captain Kristy Bohling rifles home a goal for
the Irish.

April 2-4, 2004

Behind the stellar goaltending of Brigette Alge, Notre Dame's women's water polo club had a very strong showing at the Miami Invitational this weekend.  Notre Dame splashed Northwestern 16-3 in the opener as Kristy Bohling exploded for five goals and Bridget O'Neill and Allison Gienko rifled in three goals apiece.

In the first of two marquee match-ups, the tenth ranked Irish gave number one ranked and defending national champion Cap Poly all it could handle in a tense 5-3 loss.  O'Neill scored twice and Gienko once in the defensive struggle.

The Irish rebounded to upend seventh ranked Florida in their next game by a 9-7 count.  Katie Lancos, Kimmy Moore, and Bohling made the big contributions that secured the victory.

With Janna Stewart continuing to spell Alge in goal with quality minutes, the Irish defeated Illinois in their final game by a 9-5 count.  O'Neill and Bohling again led the club in scoring.

March 19-21, 2004

The Notre Dame women's water polo club captured the Penn State Behrend Invitational this weekend in Erie, PA.  In the opener, the Irish defeated Eastern Michigan 17-5 in the opener, behind Allie Gienko's five goals and Bridget O'Neill's three goals.  The Irish continued to overmatch opponents with a 12-0 shut out of Grove City, with Brigette Alge and Jana Stewart each playing one half in net and a balanced attack featuring two goals apiece from Kristy Bohling, Emily Obringer, Katie Lancos, and O'Neill, and three goals from Kaitlin Shorrock.

In the third round, the Irish swamped Cal Tech, 15-3.  Kristin Schmitt rifled home four goals, while Bohling, Lancos, and Kimmy Moore each tallied two scores.  Round four also found little resistance as the Irish crushed Grand Valley State, 11-2, with M C Cimino and Moore each scoring three times.  The final against Ottawa proved to be a thriller, as the Irish prevailed 14-13 in overtime.  While Boling and Gienko each scored three goals, the heroine for the Irish was Katie Lancos.  Lancos, who is ironically Canadian, led the club with five goals and scored the winner in overtime.

March 8-14, 2004

California is home to some of the strongest water polo teams in the country, and provided some great competition for the women's water polo club over break.  The Irish challenged some of the nation's top club teams and also several varsity teams.  The Irish dropped a close 13-11 contest to 3rd ranked USC at USC to open the trip, serving notice that the club belongs among the elite club teams.  In their second game, the Irish defeated Pepperdine, 8-3, at Pepperdine.  The Irish then traveled to Cal Poly to take on the top ranked club, Cal Poly, which won a 10-3 contest that was closer than the final score.

Notre Dame then competed against varsity competition at the Cal State San Bernardino Invitational this weekend.  The Irish dropped the opener to the host school 12-4, but rebounded to beat Cal Lutheran 15-5, and Laverne, 6-3, before dropping a close 6-5 decision to Whittier to close the trip.  Kendra Harmon, Christina Hoover, Kristy Bohling, Brigette Alge, and Brigette O'Neill stood out for the Irish all week long.

February 20-22, 2004

Notre Dame's women's water polo club  hosted its Irish Invitational this weekend, bringing a very strong field to Rolfs Aquatics for JPW.  The Irish split four contests over two days of play.  Behind the strong offensive play of co-captain Kimmy Moore and  Kendra Harmon, and stalwart defensive play of Christina Hoover and goalie Brigette Alge, the Irish defeated Northwestern 11-2 and Illinois 7-2.  The Irish dropped a 7-2 decision  to defending national champion and 2nd ranked Michigan State, and then lost a nail biter to Miami OH, 6-4.  These two rivals may meet one more time this year to determine who will advance to the national championships.  Leading tournament goal scorers for the Irish also included Kristy Bohling and Katie Lancos.

February 13-16, 2004

Western Michigan played host to the Midwest Regional Seeding Tournament this weekend in Kalamazoo.  As expected, Notre Dame and Miami OH renewed their bitter rivalry in a closely contested championship finals.  The eighth ranked Red Hawks avenged a 7-6 Irish victory a week earlier with a 6-5 win to capture top seed in the Regional Championships in April.  The Irish will be seeded second.

Early round victories over Miami B, 12-3, and Ohio, 13-3, earned the Irish a spot in the finals.  Freshman Jana Stewart saw considerable time in net, spelling team captain Brigette Alge.  M.C. Cimino, Kaitlin Shorock, Christina Hoover, Bridget O'Neill, and Katie Lancos led a balanced attack for the Irish.

February 6-8, 2004

With its take on all comers attitude, Notre Dame's ninth ranked women's water polo club opened its season by challenging three other the top ten ranked teams in the country this weekend at the Michigan State Invitational.   The Irish played very well in all three games.  Kimmy Moore's two goals were not enough to offset a strong Spartan attack in the opener, as the Irish fell 8-3 to second ranked MSU in a hard fought game.

In the second game, the Irish hung a 9-6 loss on fifth ranked Purdue, the Irish first win over the Boilermakers in over a year.  Moore was joined by Bridget O'Neill and Kristy Bohling as all three scored a pair of goals.  M.C. Cimino and Katie Lanco had great games, as did Brigette Alge in goal.
The third game was against bitter conference rival and eighth ranked Miami OH.  After jumping out to a 4-0 first quarter lead, the Irish held on for a 7-6 victory.   Bohling, Moore, and  Allison Gienko scored two goals apiece in the balanced attack.  Alge continued to establish herself as one of the best goalies in the country.

November 21-23, 2003

The Notre Dame women's volleyball club opened the season in great form this weekend by capturing the Penn Invitational in Philadelphia. The Irish overwhelmed Richmond in the first round 14-2, as co-captain Allison Gienko spearheaded the attack with three goals. The sophomore tandem of M.C. Cimino and Kristy Bohling rifled in a pair of goals each. Penn State proved to be no more of a threat to the Irish in the second round, falling 14-3 as co-captain Brigette Alge and freshman Jana Stewart continued there exceptional play in goal. Sophomore Katie Lancos led the diversified attack with four goals, while Gienko, Cimino, and Bohling scored two goals apiece.

In the semifinals, Colgate showed an explosive attack at times, but were still overwhelmed by the Irish in a 17-8 contest. Freshman Bridget O'Neill put on an offensive show as she netted seven goals, while Bohling added four of her own. A finals showdown with DC Metro, a Masters Club team, was the most challenging for the squad, but the Irish claimed the championship with an 11-6 victory. Tri-captain Kimmy Moore and Lancos shared scoring honors with three goals each. The Irish displayed a nice blend of veteran leadership and many young players

November 15-16, 2003

Also swinging into action for the first time this season in the women's water polo club. With start goalie Brigette Alge anchoring the defense and veteran Kim Moore leading the attack, the Irish open their usual tough schedule at the Penn Invitational in Philadelphia. The season will again feature an extended trip to California to play both intercollegiate varsity and club squads, as well as tournament play against the top teams from the Midwest and east.