April 18, 2018
By Matt Paras
ALBANY, N.Y. ââ’¬” In its final road contest of the regular season, the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team (8-8) faced off with Albany (7-7) Wednesday afternoon. In a tight contest all afternoon, the Irish were unable to overcome the first half deficit and fell 10-7.
How It Happened
Albany got on the board in the opening minutes but the Irish answered back with two quick goals in under a minute. Maddie Howe scored first for the Irish and 32 seconds later it was Abi Cullinan to give them a 2-1 lead.
Following Howe’s goal, Andie Aldave collected her second draw control of the game to break the school record for most draws in a single season. She passed Barbara Sullivan, who had 85 during the 2015 season.
The Great Danes followed the two-goal run with four of the next five goals to build a 5-3 lead with six minutes remaining in the half. Notre Dame called timeout to stop the run but the Great Danes stayed at it and scored on their next possession. That was the last goal of the half for either team and the Irish faced a 6-3 deficit at the break.
In the second half, both teams exchanged goals in the first 15 minutes. Aldave scored both goals for the Irish but the Great Danes still held a three-goal lead.
Notre Dame used its second timeout of the game with 13:50 left and the Irish responded with a goal from Jessi Masinko less than a minute later. She scored her first of the game off the assist from Howe to cut the deficit to 8-6.
Albany ripped off the next two goals but Savannah Buchanan was quick to answer. She scored less than a minute after the Great Danes goal and made it a three-goal game with 4:27 left. That was the last goal of the game as the Irish couldn’t complete the comeback and fell 10-7.
Stat Leaders
- Andie Aldave had a game-high five draw controls to increase her season total to 89. She now holds the school record for the most draws in a single season.
- Aldave also led the team with two goals for her seventh multi-goal game of the season.
- Kathleen Roe scooped up a team-high three ground balls, her fourth game with three or more.
Up Next
The Irish return home for their final game of the regular season this weekend. The Irish will host San Diego State on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET for Senior Day. Sydney Cardozo, Molly Cobb, Abi Cullinan, Caroline Doyle and student manager Annie Zou will be honored prior to the game. Senior Day ceremonies will begin at approximately 12:45 p.m.
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Matt Paras, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since January 2018. In his role, he coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse and cross country/track & field programs. A native of Warwick, Rhode Island, Paras is a graduate of the University of Louisville where he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Sport Administration. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, he worked at Vanderbilt University as the sports information contact for the women’s soccer and lacrosse programs.