University of North Carolina Athletics
Postgame Quotes - North Carolina vs. Notre Dame (Dec. 4, 2009)
December 5, 2009 | Women's Soccer
Dec. 5, 2009
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UNC COACH Anson Dorrance
"We're obviously extremely excited to be in the national final. We tip our hats to an excellent Notre Dame team and staff that gave us all we can handle. It's great to be alive in the NCAA Tournament."
on the difference between the two matches this season between the teams...
"I think through the course of the season Notre Dame has matured tremendously. They played us a very good game. They changed some of their ideas and how they played against us, which made it harder for us to play. The game plan (Notre Dame coach) Randy (Waldrum) and his staff had was a good one against us. His kids worked hard. They made it very difficult for us to score."
on the message coming out of this game with the history between the schools...
"I don't think there's a great message. With a program like Notre Dame, or like ours if we'd lost the game, it doesn't change much. They always recruit great student-athletes to represent them. We're always going to do the same. There's no mystery to success in college athletics, I don't care what sport you're coaching. It comes down to recruiting. Notre Dame has a great school and program to recruit to, and so do we. Regardless of what happened tonight, both teams will continue to recruit well."
on the match-up with Stanford...
"Stanford has a really special team. It's an impossible matchup. We can't really key on any one player to slow down their scoring. They've got three or four girls that can really light it up. They have speed in the back, speed up front, speed in the midfield, depth up front, depth in the midfield, depth in back. This is a superb Stanford team. Honestly we're looking forward to playing them because we think they are an elite team. I just think they're an extraordinary team with special talent. Hopefully we can match up against them Sunday."
UNC JUNIOR D Rachel Givan
on the defensive effort...
"We talked about in pregame how they want to come down their left side and put the ball across behind me. We just really have to talk as a defense, and (goalkeeper) Ashlyn (Harris) talking to us, and I have to talk to the outside midfielders. It takes a lot of communication to be prepared and we tried to do that."
on Notre Dame's final run at goal...
"I remember running down the field and knowing there were only a few seconds left, and I would do anything I could to get that ball out. I just slid and kicked the ball as hard as I could."
UNC SENIOR GK Ashlyn Harris
on playing for a national title...
"We have a bunch of seniors on this team and we just love playing with each other every day. To be able to have this opportunity and continue to hang out with this team is really special to me. Obviously it's my fifth year, but it's something that's so important to me. My team has to come to play because it's not going to be easy. We will have to bring our 'A' game. Stanford is a great team. Our squad will have to bring it, and we're prepared to do that."
UNC SENIOR F Casey Nogueira
on the goal...
"I just saw Lucy going on the side. (Head coach) Anson (Dorrance) always is telling us to slash defenders. I just sprinted past my defender and she put it there. It was pretty much a 2-yard finish."
on offensive frustrations...
"Yeah. I think we were a little frustrated but we're used to taking lots of shots. We kept taking them and it paid off eventually."
NOTRE DAME COACH RANDY WALDRUM
"We just want to congratulate North Carolina on their win and wish them all the best in the championship game. I told the girls after the game how proud I was of them for this year and for getting to this point. It's never easy when you lose. We've had a fantastic year. I'm really proud of this group."
on the Casey Nogueira goal...
"When we came in, what we tried to do is put Amanda Clark on Tobin Heath and have her matched up man-to-man all over the field. We did a good job of neutralizing her. We felt we had to do that. I thought she did a great job with her. I felt like if we could do that we'd eliminate the quality service in to her (Nogueira) and the forwards. Overall we did a really good job on them, although I didn't see who got the goal. They were the better team, no question about it. But it doesn't take away how proud I am of the girls and their effort."
on the team...
"It's been one of the most rewarding years I've had at Notre Dame, and that's including the national championship of 2004. This team really has come so far. If you'd have asked anyone who saw us play Carolina in the first two weeks of the year, no one would have guessed we'd be back here. It's taken a lot of hard work. This staff has done a great job of keeping the team focused and believing they could get back. A lot of the credit goes to the players for believing that we were good enough to get back. Even though it's a disappointing night, it's been a really rewarding year."
on the senior class getting to NCAAs four straight years...
"It's been a really great group. A different group. Some of this class came in and weren't impact players the first couple of years, and some of them were. Our seniors really have had a lot of ups and downs. This is a group that has helped the rest of the team persevere. It makes the rest of the team cherish and appreciate more the time they have on the field when they see all that this class has had to go through."
on the Big East...
"This is a testament to the conference we're playing in. What frustrates me a lot is there's so much weight put into the ACC, and unquestionably it's a very good conference, but I'm really proud of the Big East putting seven teams in this year. The strength of the conference really helped drive this group this year. We got challenges through the course of the season that we haven't gotten in years past. It's a conference that we're proud to be in. It's fast becoming one of the power conferences in the country."
NOTRE DAME JUNIOR MF ROSE AUGUSTIN
on Carolina's defensive pressure...
"They were a good team, they pressed a lot. We tried to settle it down and we almost got through on a few."
NOTRE DAME SOPH. F MELISSA HENDERSON
on the season and the feeling after the game...
"I'd definitely say that we're going out proud tonight. Our team has overcome so many obstacles. The players have really stepped up and made some great things happen. I've never been prouder to be on a team. The way everyone stepped up and played for each other was phenomenal. The seniors were amazing this year. The only thing that really hurts me is not getting them a national championship."
