April 27, 2018
By Matt Paras
DURHAM, N.C. – Following the thrilling 11-10 win over Virginia, the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team (10-9) faced off with the second-ranked and top seed Boston College (19-0) in the semifinals Friday night. The Irish battled all game but the Eagles offense was too much to handle and the Irish fell 17-7.
How It Happened
Boston College got off to a fast start Friday night, scoring four of the first five goals heading into the first media timeout.
Notre Dame responded with a quick run coming out of the timeout. The Irish scored three of the next four goals to bring the deficit down to one. Andie Aldave scored the first goal of the run for the Irish and set a school record in the process. Aldave and Maddie Howe reached 30 goals on the year, marking the first time in school history that two freshmen scored 30 or more goals in a single season.
Savannah Buchanan and Molly Cobb scored the next two goals and it was a 5-4 game with just under 14 minutes to play in the first half.
Boston College went on a run over the remaining 13-plus minutes. They held the Irish off the scoreboard and scored six straight goals to take a 11-4 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Eagles opened up on a 5-1 run to pull away from the Irish. Kaci Messier scored the Irish goal, her fourth goal of the season off the Aldave assist.
Kelly Donnelly ended the run with her third goal of the season. It was her first goal since Feb. 18 against Stetson. Aldave added the final goal of game, her second on the night to lead the team.
Stat Leaders
- Andie Aldave set another school record by eclipsing the 30-goal plateau. This is the third school record she has been a part of this season.
- Aldave also scored twice Friday night, her ninth multi-goal game of the season.
- Samantha Giacolone made 11 saves on 20 shots. It was her sixth game this season with double-digit saves.
- Savannah Buchanan had a team-high four draw controls. She has 67 on the season and is tied for fourth all-time for draws in a single season with Barbara Sullivan.
- Kathleen Roe tallied a career-high three draw controls against Boston College.
Up Next
The Irish await a potential bid in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championships. The NCAA Selection Show will be aired live on Sunday, May 6 at 9 p.m. ET. Notre Dame is in search of its seventh straight appearance in the NCAA Championships.
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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.