ing a a perfect 4-0 mark against top-10 squads. For his efforts, the NSCAA selected Waldrum as its National Coach of the Year, the second consecutive year that he garnered a national coaching accolade (he was the ‘09 Soccer America award recipient). Waldrum’s coaching savvy was on full display in that 2009 season, as he calmly steered Notre Dame back from an injury-ravaged 3-3-0 start with a 19-match unbeaten streak (18-0-1) that included 13 consecutive wins during the final two months of the season. The Irish also rolled up 13 shutouts in that 19-match run and charged all the way to their fourth consecutive College Cup appearance, collecting their 11th BIG EAST Tournament crown along the way. The 2008 season was arguably one of the best in Waldrum’s storied coaching career, as he piloted Notre Dame to a school-record 26 victories (all to start the season) and a fourth NCAA College Cup berth in five seasons, as well as a third trip to the national championship match in that span. The Irish also collected their 10th BIG EAST postseason title with a dramatic 1-0 overtime win over Connecticut and trailed for only 4:05 all season, with Notre Dame fielding three All-Americans (Hanks, Bock, Carrie Dew) and the Hermann Trophy recipient, as well as four major BIG EAST award winners, including Waldrum’s fifth coach of the year honor. Waldrum coached the Irish to the College Cup weekend once again in 2007, as he helped the team overcome key injuries and a punishing early-season slate. The Irish went on a 17-match unbeaten streak (16-0-1) before falling in the College Cup semifinals, climbing all the way to No. 4 in the final national rankings. In addition, Hanks and Bock were named NSCAA first team All-Americans, marking the first time since 1995 that two forwards from the same team have received first team All-America honors. Bock led the BIG EAST with 10 goals during conference play, while her 16 total goals ranked 11th in the nation. Hanks became the 19th player in NCAA Division I history to reach the 50 goals and 50 assists plateau, with five of those 19 coming from Notre Dame (and four having played for Waldrum at some point in their careers). In 2006, Waldrum and his staff coached an Irish squad that still rates among the most dominant in Notre Dame history. The Irish held the nation’s top ranking for most of the season and did not lose until the national title match, tying the (then) team record for wins in a season (25-1-1) while becoming just the second women’s soccer program ever to
reach 25 wins in multiple seasons. Only four schools in the 31-year history of Division I women’s soccer have had at least 25 wins in one or more seasons (something Notre Dame has done three times, all under Waldrum’s tutelage). Waldrum’s 2006 squad led the nation with a teamrecord 19 shutouts while the 0.40 goals-against average ranked third nationally and was just shy of the Notre Dame record (0.36). The Irish also compiled the nation’s top scoring margin (+74; 85-11) and had 28 more goals than their opponents’ combined shots on goal (57). Notre Dame allowed a per-game average of only 2.11 shots on goal - setting another team record - and the Irish did not face a deficit for 16 consecutive matches prior to the NCAA final. Hanks collected the first of her two Hermann Trophies that year while joining former UNC great Mia Hamm as the only Division I players ever to end a season as the national leader in both goals (22) and assists (22). Waldrum’s 2005 team turned in another historic season, entering the year ranked No. 1 and leading the nation in scoring (4.40 goals per game). More impressively, the 2005 team’s goal total (110, good for 10th in NCAA history) was more than twice the number of shots on goal allowed by the Irish for the entire season (54, with only 15 opponent goals). The Irish rolled up a 60-3 scoring margin during a 13-match winning streak late in the 2005 season. The streak - which saw the Irish allow only two opponent shots on goal - ended in an NCAA quarterfinal loss at eventual national champion Portland. The 2005 season also featured four All-Americans Thorlakson, Hanks, Candace Chapman and Jen Buczkowski - who were among the final-15 candidates for the Hermann Trophy as well. Those players each received top BIG EAST honors in 2005 (Thorlakson on offense, Chapman on
defense, Buczkowski as best midfielder, Hanks as top rookie), marking the first time that one team had claimed four major BIG EAST player awards. Thorlakson (18G-35A) and Hanks (28G-15A) also became the second pair of teammates in Division I history to eclipse 70 points in the same season. The nation’s only repeat honoree as his region’s NSCAA coach of the year in 2003 and ‘04, Waldrum’s clever use of personnel played a key role in the 2004 team’s sustained success and postseason push, making efficient use of the roster in order to utilize the team’s depth to keep the top players fresh for the postseason (19 different players started in 2004). He also used a variety of formations and made a key decision to install the veteran Chapman at forward, following a broken leg suffered by her classmate Boland. Chapman had not played forward since high school but she responded with an all-BIG EAST season as the team’s secondleading scorer (12G-8A). The 2004 squad posted (at the time) the best winning percentage in program history (.944, 25-1-1), with only three previous Division I teams winning more games in a season. They also finished fourth in the nation with a 0.51 season goals-against average while totaling nearly as many goals (70) as opponent shots on goal (71) and trailing only 102 minutes all season. On the way to the title, Notre Dame beat three Top 25 teams twice (Santa Clara, Boston College and Connecticut), while adding noteworthy wins over Portland, Stanford, West Virginia, Villanova, Michigan and Arizona State. The 2003 and 2004 teams combined to win more than 90 percent of their matches (45-4-2) - a two-year mark that was bettered by the 2005 and 2006 Irish teams (47-4-1).
Randy Waldrum – By the Numbers 2010
Second national championship season (Notre Dame) 2004 First national championship season (Notre Dame) 1,938 Average home attendance in 2006 (4th-best in nation) 956 2003 streak of shutout minutes (5th in NCAA history) .782 Career women’s soccer win pct. (4th in Division I history) 446 Career wins as college head coach 370 Career wins as college women’s head coach (5th D-I history) 263 Wins at Notre Dame (263-44-14; .841 winning pct.) 157-14-3 Home record at Notre Dame (.911 winning pct.) 109-32-5 Record at ND vs. top-25 and postseason opponents 99 Home unbeaten streak vs. BIG EAST (1995-2010) 77 Overall unbeaten streak vs. BIG EAST from ’95-’10 (NCAA record) 54 Consecutive matches with goal from ’07-09 (2nd ND history) 38 ND players’ home states/provinces/countries (through 2010) 34 All-Americans coached (27 at Notre Dame) 24 ND-record streak without allowing 2-plus goals (’00; ’03)
24 23 21 16 13 12 11 8 8 7 7 5 5 4.40 3.28 3 2 0.39
Academic All-Americans (18 at Notre Dame) Players who were drafted/played in WPS/WUSA (22 at ND) Overtime unbeaten streak from 1999-2007 (14-0-7 record) ND record for consecutive matches without deficit (’03, ’06) NCAA Championship appearances at ND (19992011) Full national team members (10 at ND) BIG EAST regular-season titles (division/overall) NSCAA regional coach-of-the-year honors (4 at ND) Trips to NCAA College Cup final weekend (all at ND) BIG EAST Championship titles Seasons with No. 1 ranking (2000, 2004-06, 2008, 2010-11) National players of the year (all at Notre Dame) BIG EAST coach-of-the-year awards Goals per game in 2005 (led nation) 2010 team’s cumulative GPA (thru spring ’11 term) 25-win seasons (2004, 2006, 2008; 2nd D-I history) National coach of the year awards (’09, ’10 at ND) Team goals-against average in 2000 (led nation)
2012 woMEN’S SOCCER
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