ILWomen Fall All-Access: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

(Inside Lacrosse Photo: Ryan Kelly)  

Irish think senior class, blue-chip freshmen give them fighting chance at making history this season

In 2016, Notre Dame was one game from the Final Four. Head coach Christine Halfpenny relished the run towards history, but even then, she had an eye to the future — and on the group she’d have in 2020. She and her staff were scouring the country, recruiting players that would go onto make up the Inside Lacrosse’s No. 2 incoming class. She didn’t know midfielder Kasey Choma and attacker Madison Ahern would be tabbed the top freshmen at their positions, but she knew they were gritty, talented and could mesh with a large group of returners. And to this day, she has a gut feeling they’ll put the Irish in a position to play in the Final Four this year.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this year’s team to get here in its wholeness,” Halfpenny said.

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Ahern started coming to Halfpenny’s camps in seventh grade, and she already possessed a lacrosse IQ beyond her years. She was a magician with her stick at 12, and Halfpenny said she’s even slicker now and is quickly adjusting to the increased physical play and faster pace of the game.

“She can attack from anywhere,” Halfpenny said. “She has great speed, and her IQ is so high. She’s a fantastic finisher.”

Choma, Inside Lacrosse’s top incoming recruit overall, has also seamlessly adapted to the college game. Halfpenny could see she had sound vision and judgment when she started recruiting her in high school. She knew when to make a play and take a risk, but most of all, Halfpenny loved her hustle.

“She makes us stronger, better and faster,” Halfpenny said of Choma, who won a world championship with the U.S. U19 team this summer. “This kid never gives up. She’s never jogging on the field.”

The character of this year’s freshman class stood out to Halfpenny more than the long list of accolades on their brag sheets. (And these incoming players are decorated — they led their teams to a combined seven state titles. Five were named All-Americans by Under Armour, U.S. Lacrosse or both).

(Inside Lacrosse Photo: Zach Babo) 

“Their effort and work ethic are second to none, and I think they understand that the way to be the best teammates is to make the players around you better,” Halfpenny said.

It’s helped them fit in immediately. At Notre Dame, everyone chases down ground balls. It’s in the Fighting Irish’s DNA. Even in fall practices, the competition to pick up a loose ball is fierce. Many of these freshmen were the ones expected to make the hustle plays in high school. By creating a culture where everyone goes hard, Halfpenny thinks it relieves some of the pressure that comes with being a blue-chip recruit.

“At Notre Dame, you don’t have to come in and be a star,” Halfpenny said. “It’s never on one player. We’ve built a team, and when I say team, I mean a deep team full of of course talent — you need talent in the ACC, and it’s everywhere — but also teammates who are willing to do that extra effort and do it together.”

Andie Aldave doesn’t do it all herself, but she does do it all. Her name is all over the stat sheet. One of the Irish’s top three scorers last year, all of whom return for 2020, Aldave was second on the team in goals (47) and points (67). She tied Nikki Ortega, who graduated, for the team lead with 20 assists and caused 19 turnovers. Aldave also corralled a school-record 152 draw controls, ranking eighth nationally in draws per game.

The junior knows the Irish have a high-percentage opportunity to gain possession when she’s in the circle. She’s proud of that and wants to keep it that way. Aldave has spent the fall developing her draw skills, knowing opponents will continue to try to neutralize her, while also becoming more dynamic on offense.

“I think this year we’re going to see more of the same,” Halfpenny says. “[Andie is] continuing to develop her creativity and is utilizing her IQ and vision to distribute the ball and challenge from all sides along the 8-meter.”

Also a threat to score from anywhere, Maddie Howe plays attack like a running back, finding openings and weaving through them. She led the Irish in goals (59) and points (78) last season, and Halfpenny expects another big year out of the junior. But this fall, she has seen — or rather, heard — Howe grow in another way.

(Inside Lacrosse Photo: Ryan Kelly) 

“The most exciting thing this fall has been her [vocal] leadership,” she said. “It’s been awesome to see her confidence and conviction grow and the support she gives her teammates. If you want to see someone jump up and down when one of our freshman scores: It’s Maddie Howe.”  

Graduate student Samantha Lynch, the Irish’s third-leading goal-scorer (53) from 2019, is right there with her cheering on her teammates. Same for 30-point scorers in seniors Jessi Masinko and Savannah Buchanan and graduate student Makenna Pearsall, who paced the Irish with 25 caused turnovers last year. Twelve players on the roster will take the field for the final time in 2020, and they’re determined to bring the Irish to their first Final Four since 2006. They want their teammates to not just be along for the ride but to be a pivotal part of it.

“We have a group who came here to start something new, and they want to finish it,” Halfpenny said.

The offense is sound and continuing to develop, but the veteran defense, headlined by seven players who caused at least 15 caused turnovers last year, could be the team’s rock. Pearsall did not play due to injury during her freshman year in 2016, but she still learned from the unit that featured first-team All-American Barbara Sullivan and ranked in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense at eight goals allowed per game. But Halfpenny says this year’s group has the potential to be better.

“We have some serious athletes who have great speed and great agility,” she said. “Then you couple that with how old we are back that. That [brings] vision, experience, IQ.”

The unit won’t be playing in front of All-American Sam Giacolone this year. She graduated after turning in an 8.52 goals-against average and .498 save percentage, which ranked seventh in Div. I,  as a senior. But incumbent starter Bridget Deehan steps into her new role with experience. She played about 150 minutes last season, stopping 23 shots for a .622 save percentage. Nearly half of those saves came in the Irish’s NCAA Tournament loss to Northwestern. Deehan relived Giacolone with the Irish down 7-0 midway through the first half and stopped 11 of the 17 shots she faced. As a freshman, she made nine saves on 11 shots to help Notre Dame overcome a five-goal deficit to beat Virginia in the ACC Quarterfinals.   

“Her save percentage speaks for itself,” Halfpenny said. “You’re either a great goalie making 50 percent of your saves, or you’re not. She’s been a vocal follower. She’s been a vocal leader. She’s been creative. She’s built relationships with her teammates, and they trust her.”

And the Irish are vocal about their desire to win a national championship. It’s not talked about every day — the team is busy competing for ground balls in practice and building chemistry — but it’s not taboo to mention making history.

“We’re not afraid to have that informed consent that that’s what we came here to do,” Halfpenny said. “Our focus is on doing the little things that add up to the big things and [making sure] that our team is not just talking the talk but walking the walk.”