Michele Weissenhofer Class: Sophomore Hometown: Naperville, IL High School: Neuqua Valley Height: 5-4 Position: Forward Birthdate: 08/18/1987 Club: Eclipse Select

Electrifying second-year forward who adds another dimension team's veteran attack - due to her speed, a deadly accurate leftfooted shot and a powerful flip throw-in that has instantly made her a fan favorite ... earned 2006 national freshman-of-the-year honors, after twice being named national player of the week ... emerging player with tremendous upside, after serving as one of youngest players on U.S. Under-21 National Team that won the Nordic Cup (summer 2007) ... had no previous youth national-team experience before being called into several U-20 and U-21 camps during the past few months ... could show added benefits of training with that elite group of college players ... feisty and tough competitor who continually battles through harassing defenses ... packs plenty of strength - and deceptive bursts of speed - into her sturdy and compact frame ... able to locate her flip-throw to the back post with regularity ... can deliver goals from toughest angles ... looking to boost her overall game fitness in hopes of becoming a regular 90-minute player ... benefited from several intangibles during 2006 season, including plenty of big-game experience with championship teams, familiarity with five of her teammates who also were fellow Chicago-area natives, and the unique opportunity to attend Notre Dame in the summer of 2006 (early-entry program) ... scored 26 goals for Neuqua Valley High School's 2005 state-title team while also scoring several clutch goals with Eclipse Select club that won USYS national titles in 2004 and '05 ... longtime teammate of ND classmate Amanda Clark and junior Brittany Bock ... grew up in same neighborhood as Clark while attending same middle school/high school and playing together on several teams (Brazil Girls, Eclipse, state and Region II ODP) ... played alongside Bock on various teams (Pink Panthers, NVHS), stretching back to third grade ... joined Clark in attending 2006 summer school (her early-entry courses were theology and international relations) ... Bock similarly had a jumpstart on her ND studies (summer '05), as did current freshmen Rose Augustin and Taylor Knaack during the summer of '07... as a six-year-old, she saw a friend of her mother practicing the flip throw-in and one year later began developing her own flip-throw (she also was an avid gymnast as a youth) ... hails from a family of big Notre Dame fans (her uncle Ron Weissenhofer was a top linebacker for the Irish football team in the mid-1980s) ... one of 21 Illinois natives to play for Notre Dame over the years ... could face several former teammates in 2007, including four from the Nordic Cup squad - Stanford's Rachel Buehler, Virginia teammates Nikki Krzysik and Becky Sauerbrunn, and Santa Clara's Kiki Bosio - in addition to UConn's Elizabeth Eng and Michigan's Niki Moran (both with Eclipse), Villanova's Molly Williams (NSA/Eclipse), Pittsburgh's Molly Griganavicius (NSA), Louisville's Shannon Smyth (ODP Region II), DePaul's Molly Borchardt (youth teams) and Virginia's Kelly Quinn (ODP R-II) ... coached on ODP regional team by Louisville head coach Karen Ferguson ... inherited number-11 jersey worn by All-America forward Ragen Coyne ('96), ND all-time goals leader Jenny Heft ('00), ace defensive midfielder Ashley Dryer ('03) and Academic All-America midfielder Annie Schefter ('06).

IN ND RECORD BOOK: Totaled 53 points in 2006 (18 goals, 17 assists), tying for 13th on ND season points list (6th-most goals ever by ND freshman) ... only four Irish freshmen have posted more points: Kerri Hanks (71, '05), Jenny Streiffer (66, '96), Anne Makinen (58, '97) and Meotis Erikson (56, '97) ... joined Streiffer (22G-22A) as only Irish freshmen ever to reach 17G-17A (six others were double-digits in goals/assists as freshmen) ... scored (5) or assisted (6) on 11 game-winning goals in '06 ( 9th on Irish season GWG list; 7th with 16 GW pts) ... set Notre Dame record for GWGs (4) in one postseason while tying several others: GW points in one postseason (9); goals (5) and GWGs (2) in one NCAA Tournament (5); and GWGs in one BIG EAST Tournament (2) ... sixth ND player ever to score hat trick in NCAAs (quarterfinal, vs. #8 Penn State), joining Shannon Boxx ('95; 2nd rd vs. #17 Wisconsin) and Jenny Heft ('96; 1st rd vs. #17 Indiana) as only ones to do so as freshmen ... Heft ('97 QF, vs. UCLA) is only other with hat trick in NCAA quarter or later ... posted 11th ND hat trick versus top-25 opponent (at any point in season; second since '98) ... only three previous ND players have registered hat tricks versus higher-ranked teams: Katie Thorlakson (vs. #4 Santa Clara, '98), Makinen (vs. #4 UConn, '97) and Rosella Guerrero (vs. #5 N.C. State, '92) ... posted 6th-highest point total (16; 7G-2A; also 4th-most goals) ever by an ND player in one postseason (Hanks and Makinen are only freshmen with more, both 19) ... also totaled 7th-most points by an ND player in one NCAAs (10; 5G) ... her goal vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee (4:37; 2nd round) is 5th-fastest ever by ND player in NCAAs ... joined Hanks (66) as fourth pair of ND teammates with 50-plus points in same season ... shares Irish record for games played in a season (27).

WITH U.S. NATIONAL TEAM PROGRAMS: Attended her first United States youth national-team camps of any kind during early 2007 (Jan.-Feb., with Under-21 team; at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.) ... joined ND teammates Amanda Cinalli, Hanks and Bock on U.S. U-21 team that played over spring break in Manchester, England (March 13-15, 2007), versus Blackburn Rovers Ladies (2-0), Everton Ladies (6-2) and Leeds Ladies (5-0), also attending a Manchester United game at Old Trafford ... scored in game versus Leeds Ladies ... also attended a U-20 National Team camp in Maryland (June 2007) and was set to accompany that team to the Pan-Am Games, but she was slowed by sprained ankle ... ended up joining Cinalli on 18-player U.S. U-21 National Team that won the 2007 Nordic Cup (July 12-25, in Finland) while facing European U-23 squads ... Notre Dame joined Virginia, Portland, UCLA and Texas as teams with multiple players on '07 Nordic Cup squad ... one of youngest players on that team (two other rising sophomores) ... the U.S. opened with 1-0 wins over Norway and Sweden before topping Germany in the gold-medal game (4-0) ... headed in a cross from Sarah Huffman to cap that clinching Nordic Cup win.

AS A FRESHMAN: Named Soccer America national freshman of the year, after finishing behind only Hanks among the national leaders in points (53) and assists (17; also sixth in goals with 18) - yet was overlooked on the All-America (and even all-region) teams ... tied Notre Dame record for games played (27, with 23 starts) ... scored (5) or assisted (6) on 11 game-winning goals (team-best 16 game-winning points) ... never went more than two straight games without a point ... enjoyed one of most productive postseasons in Notre Dame history (especially for a freshman; see record-book notes), after totaling 16 points (7G-2A) in nine postseason games ... became first Irish player ever to total four GWGs in one postseason while posting just the sixth hat trick ever by an ND player in the NCAAs (vs. #8 Penn State, in 4-0 quarterfinal) ... named BIG EAST rookie of the year while becoming 10th Notre Dame freshman ever named first team all-BIG EAST ... joined Jenny Streiffer (22G-22A, in '96) as only Irish players ever to reach 17G-17A in their freshman seasons (her 18 goals are 6th-most ever by an ND freshman) ... sixth Irish player (third freshman) ever to factor into four-plus goals of season opener, with 2G-2A in 9-0 win over Iowa State ... her six-point game versus ISU included a rightside corner-kick assist (header by Jill Krivacek), a ball played into right side of box (goal by Hanks), her first career goal (cashed in a turnover) and a 20-yard shot inside the far-right post ... had points in first five games, after adding: a leftside flip-throw assist on GWG at #24 Mississippi (2-1; Krivacek flicked to Hanks); two more flip-throw assists in 2-0 win over #19 USC (header goals by Clark and Cinalli); a running cross from right side to set up Cinalli's far-post header (2-1) against fellow #1 Santa Clara (3-1); and primary assists on header goals by Krivacek and Bock (off free kick) in 2-0 win at TCU ... named to ND Classic all-tournament team following wins over USC and SCU ... had 2G-1A in 5-0 road win over her hometown team DePaul (passed up open shot to find Hanks streaking down far-left side for 1-0 lead; scored on spin move and far-post shot; scored again on Bock's shot knocked down by 'keeper) ... opened scoring at Michigan after shifting ball to her right and sending 18-yard shot into far-right side (added cross on Cinalli's one-timer that capped 2-0 win) ... named to BIG EAST weekly honor roll after wins over ISU and Mississippi and again after the wins over DePaul and Michigan (when she also was named national player of the week, per Top Drawer Soccer) ... her rightside free kick set up Carrie Dew's opening goal versus Louisville (2-0) ... set off wild celebration with her 49th-minute goal that tied game with 6th-ranked West Virginia (1-1), after running onto Bock's flick and scoring inside near-right post (her point-blank shot later was put back into net by Cinalli for 87th-minute clincher, 3-1) ... scored twice in 5-0 win over Pittsburgh before pushing her point streak to six games with 1G-1A against Seton Hall (5-0; one-timer via Hanks' right-flank cross and pass on Buczkowski's goal) ... earned national player-of-the-week honors from Soccer America and Top Drawer Soccer, following 3G-1A weekend versus WVU at Pitt (also BIG EAST player of the week) ... picked up assist at Providence (5-0) before assisting twice in 4-2 battle at 9th-ranked Villanova - on shot that produced a Hanks rebound goal (2-1) and a drop pass to Courtney Rosen (3-1) ... broke through back line to cap 3-0 win at Cincinnati ... her 2G-2A in the BIG EAST Tournament included: a flip-throw in the 3-0 quarterfinal with St. John's (Bock scored on flick header); the 64th-minute goal versus 25th-ranked Marquette in 2-0 semifinal (elongated give-and-go with Hanks; far-post flick header from leftside cross); the final pass that led to Bock's 88th-minute clincher in that game; and the decisive third goal in the title game with #17 Rutgers (4-2; leftfooted strike to far-left side) ... scored to cap NCAA opening win over Oakland (7-1) before scoring more important goal two days later in 1-0 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee ... ran onto thru-ball from Hanks on left side and struck off-foot shot, from the outside of her right foot and into far-right side of the net (4:37; team's 3rd-quickest goal in '06 and 5th-quickest NCAA goal in ND history) ... saw her six-game point streak end in NCAA third round but bounced back with hat trick in 4-0 quarterfinal win over 8th-ranked Penn State ... lifted flick from Hanks for close-range shot into upper-right corner (53:05) before racing in from left side to send home Bock's deflected shot for 2-0 lead on PSU ... completed her 12-minute hat trick by scoring into vacated net, after Hanks' leftside free kick led to a collision in the box ... had five points in pair of preseason games, with header to cap 3-0 win over Virginia and 1G-1A in 5-0 win over Xavier (left endline cross on Susan Pinnick's tap-in; breakaway chip over 'keeper) ... her 2007 spring highlights included a goal in 4-2 win over Illinois, 2G versus Drake (6-0), a goal in 4-1 win over Missouri (in Dallas) and assist on a Hanks goal versus Baylor (3-0, also in Dallas).

ODP/CLUB HIGHLIGHTS: Member of Olympic Development Program Region II player pool from 2002-06, playing for ODP Region II team in 2003 ... played for Illinois state ODP team from 2001-06, teaming with Clark and Bock on Illinois team that reached 2005 ODP national semifinals (current ND junior Carrie Dew's Cal-South team also played for '05 ODP title) ... played internationally with ODP team in 2004 ... competed alongside future Notre Dame classmates Clark and Rosen at 2006 U-19 regional event (Home Depot Center) ... played key role for Eclipse Select club that won 2004 and '05 US Youth Soccer national titles (narrowly missed spot in '06 title game) ... the Eclipse u-18s were one of two teams among 48 at 2006 nationals that had won '04 and '05 titles (also Arsenal u-17 boys) ... Eclipse went 1-1-1 in semifinal round-robin at 2005 U-17 nationals (Orlando/Disney Complex), beating Calif.-based Slammers (2-0) and tying CASL (N.C.) Spartan Elite (1-1) before losing to PDA Wildcats (N.J.) in 3-2 game (she scored for 2-2 tie) ... Eclipse won rematch with PDA in 2005 national title game (3-1) ... earlier helped win U-16 national title in 2004 (beating Slammers in final), after winning regional final over Carmel in double-OT (Eclipse also reached '03 regional final) ... scored in first two games at 2006 U-18 nationals (Des Moines, Iowa) while facing two fellow ND signees, defender Haley Ford (3-3 vs. Dallas Texans) and 'keeper Kelsey Lysander (2-0 vs. San Diego Surf) ... a 2-1 loss to PDA Wildcats resulted in Eclipse and Texans tying for final spot in '06 title game (Texans advanced on PKs, 4-2, and beat PDA in 3-1 final) ... two other Eclipse teams (u-15, u-17) won '06 national titles ... helped Eclipse breeze through 2006 state and Region II qualifying - with 28-1 regional scoring edge including 7-0 wins over Sparta Velocity (Neb.) and Vardastars (Mich.), 4-1 quarterfinal with KC Metro Dynamos (Kan.), and 5-0 wins in the semifinals (Ohio Internationals) and title game (Carmel Cyclones) ... Rosen played for that Internationals team, as did fellow ND classmate Rachel VanderGenutgen with the Cyclones ... returned with Eclipse to regionals in 2007 (U-19s; Frisco, Texas), opening with 7-0 win over Dakota Impact (S.D.) before 2-1 loss to St. Louis SC, 7-0 win over Tsunami Sota (Minn.) and 2-1 semifinal loss to Cyclones ... member of Eclipse team that won 2004 WAGS and Raleigh tournaments and 2005 Disney Showcase ('06 finalist, behind Ford's Texans team) ... member of state cup club champions every year from 1998-2006 ('02 Panthers were regional champs).

PREP & PERSONAL: Youth All-American who played three seasons at Neuqua Valley High School before focusing on club soccer with Eclipse ... teamed with Bock and Clark on NVHS team that capped 2005 state-title season (27-2-1) with comeback against two-time champ New Trier, erasing 3-0 halftime deficit (6-3) ... her three goals in that game set Illinois state tournament record (her 6G in 3 GP tied that tournament record) ... led 2005 team with 26 goals, including hat trick versus St. Charles East ... earned 2004 youth All-America honors from National Soccer Coaches Association of America ... also named EA Sports All-American and all-state for both 2004 (team MVP) and '05 ... helped NVHS reach 2003 state quarterfinals (lost to New Trier) before losing to Naperville North in 2004 super sectionals ... point guard on NVHS varsity basketball team as a freshman ... member of student council ... competed in gymnastics as a youth, which helped in later developing her flip throw-in ... her uncle Ron Weissenhofer ('87) was a top linebacker with the Notre Dame football team in the mid-1980s ... her father Randy Weissenhofer played football at North Central College (Naperville, Ill.) while her mother Kathy was a cheerleader and softball player at NCC ... daughter of Randy and Kathy Weissenhofer ... full name is Michele Lynn Weissenhofer ... born Aug, 18, 1987, in Naperville, Ill. ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business.

Weissenhofer's Career Statistics

In the Postseason