Haley Ford Class: Sophomore Hometown: Midland, TX High School: Midland Height: 5-9 Position: Defender Birthdate: 05/16/1988 Club: Dallas Texans

Returning regular who could combine with junior Carrie Dew to form one of nation's top pairs of central defenders ... has strong skills on the ball and effective in the air, with athletic 5-foot-9 frame ... composed player who has great winning mentality, strong leadership and ability to affect teammates due to poise and confidence ... deceptively strong for her tall and lanky frame, with hard-nosed style of play ... uses quickness and long strides to chase down opponents ... rose to challenge as starter alongside Kim Lorenzen in nine 2006 postseason games, replacing Dew (injured in final regular-season game) ... graded out as team's top defender during 2006 College Cup final weekend ... earlier logged significant minutes as outside back, particularly when Dew was at U-20 World Championship ... could be key player in 2007, following graduation of Lorenzen and left back Christie Shaner (plus uncertain timing of Dew's return) ... highly motivated and organized individual who regularly made nearly six-hour commute (one way) to Dallas so she could play in Lake Highlands Classic League (starting in sixth grade) ... one of top players for Dallas Texans club from 2002-06, regularly making long commute from Midland ... headed to Notre Dame fresh off captaining Texans to 2006 U.S. Youth Soccer national title ... other current Irish players who are Texans products include senior Lauren Karas, junior Kerri Hanks and freshman Taylor Knaack ... accomplished student who is mature beyond her years ... joins Karas, Hanks, Knaack, senior Jennie Bireley, junior Becca Mendoza and sophomore Ashley Galovic among 21 Texas natives to play for Notre Dame ... inherited number eight jersey worn by All-America right back Candace Chapman (2001-05) and midfielder Anne Makinen (2000 national player of the year) ... compiled 3.11 cumulative GPA during her freshman year.

AS A FRESHMAN: One of eight to appear in all 27 games (tying ND record shared with members of 2004 squad) while drawing 14 starts, including all nine postseason games ... played key role for NCAA runner-up team (25-1-1) that allowed only 11 goals and ranked third nationally in goals-against average (0.40), with nation-leading 19 shutouts (ND record) ... helped hold 24 of 27 opponents to 0-1 goals while never allowing more than two in a game ... part of defense that set Notre Dame record for fewest shots on goal allowed (2.11/gm) ... served primarily as reserve outside back during first few weeks of season ... logged 66 minutes in opening win over Iowa State (9-0) and 60 next day at 24th-ranked Mississippi (2-1) ... Irish faced rare early deficit at Mississippi before scoring in 40th minute ... the tying goal saw Kerri Hanks deliver an outswinger corner kick from the right flag, with Ford heading the ball near the far side of the six-yard box for an assist and her only point of the season (Amanda Cinalli ultimately headed the ball in from close range) ... played 60 minutes in showdown with fellow number-one ranked Santa Clara (3-1) ... started in home-state win at TCU (2-0) and in 5-0 wins over Pittsburgh, Seton Hall (72 min.) and Providence (90), with her final start of regular season coming at Georgetown (2-0) ... met postseason pressure with the poise of a veteran, after Dew's injury in a makeup game at Cincinnati (the final regular-season game) ... logged 90 minutes in eight of nine postseason games (all six in NCAAs) ... settled in alongside Lorenzen while helping limit St. John's (3-0), #25 Marquette (2-0) and #17 Rutgers (4-2) to 10 combined shots and three corner kicks - as Irish claimed BIG EAST title ... helped solidify back line into NCAA play, with home games versus Oakland (7-1), Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1-0), 14th-ranked Colorado (3-0) and #8 Penn State (4-0) seeing opposition limited to one goal, 17 combined shots (five on goal) and 10 corner kicks ... rated as team's top all-around defender during College Cup final weekend, as Irish faced talented offenses from 5th-ranked Florida State (2-1) and fellow number-one ranked UNC (1-2). ODP/CLUB HIGHLIGHTS: First played for ODP Region II team in 2002-03 before earning spot on regional team again in '05-'06 ... member of national ODP pool in '02-'03 ... attended 2002 national ODP camp (Deerfield, Mass.) and ODP inter-regional (Boca Raton, Fla.) in '02 and '05 ... member of North Texas ODP state program from 2000-06, helping team place third nationally in 2004 ('06 semifinals) while winning Region III ODP titles in '03 and '05 ... member of Dallas Texans club program from 2002-07 ... captained Texans Red '88s to 2006 U.S. Youth Soccer under-18 national title, in Des Moines, Iowa (days before reporting to ND) ... Texans sent six teams to '06 nationals (girls u-14/15/17/18; boys u-14/18), with u-18 boys also winning title ... faced future classmates Amanda Clark and Michele Weissenhofer in opener at 2006 nationals (3-3 vs. Eclipse Select) ... the Texans trailed 3-1 in that game before scoring in 76th and 89th minutes, followed by a 1-0 loss to PDA Wildcats (N.J.) ... helped team come from behind two days later in 3-1 win over San Diego Surf team that included current ND sophomore goalkeeper Kelsey Lysander ... the Texans and Eclipse ended up tied in the round-robin, with the Texans advancing on penalty kicks (4-2) ... avenged loss to PDA Wildcats with 3-1 comeback win in title game (the Texans goals came near the end of the game) ... earlier helped Texans open strong at Region III tournament (North Little Rock, Ark.), posting 5-1 win over Vestavia Attack (Ala.) before 5-0 shutout of Diadora Impact (Tenn.) ... the Texans then tied CASL Spartans Elite (N.C.) but moved on to semifinals, where they routed their in-state rival TSC Challenge (south Texas) in 6-2 game before shutting out Georgia-based Lazers Elite in 3-0 final (19-3 overall scoring edge at regional) ... the team's key win in the North Texas state cup was a 3-1 victory over the crosstown Dallas Sting ... member of 2007 Texans squad that advanced to regionals and posted wins over a pair of Oklahoma teams (2-0 vs. FTSC and 6-0 vs. WC-TSC) before dropping 2-0 game to CASL Spartans ... helped Texans win 2006 Disney Showcase, topping Eclipse in 4-0 final after beating Arizona-based Sereno Golden Eagles in semifinal ... member of Texans teams that won league and state titles in 2004-05 and '05-'06 ... played for Midland Blast soccer club from 1998-2002.

PREP & PERSONAL: Played two varsity seasons at Midland High School before focusing on training with Texans ... earned all-district honors as a midfielder in 2004, helping team win district title and reach regional semifinals ... accomplished student (high honors) and member of National Honor Society, also serving as senior girls officer at Midland while being named 2005 and '06 U.S. Achievement Academy All-America Scholar and receiving 2006 USAA National Leadership and Service Award ... volunteered time over two spring breaks to help build houses with her church group in Juarez, Mexico ... yearbook staff editor and Midland Symphony Belle volunteer ('02-'06) ... former Notre Dame All-America defensive tackle Wally Kleine ('83-'86) played football at Midland ... her younger brother Cameron Ford plays soccer for Dallas Texans ... daughter of Mike and Cindy Ford ... full name is Cathryn Haley Ford ... born May 16, 1988, in Midland, Texas ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business.

Ford's Career Statistics

In the Postseason