April 27, 2017
By Megan Golden
RICHMOND, Va. — The No. 4 seed University of Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team fell to No. 5 seed Boston College in the Atlantic Coast Conference Quarterfinals on Thursday at Richmond Sports Backers Stadium.
The Irish (11-7), which entered the game ranked No. 13 nationally, have suffered back-to-back losses to Boston College (13-5) and face elimination in the quarterfinals for the first time in three years.
In its fourth trip to the ACC Championships, Notre Dame falls to 2-4 in postseason conference play since joining the ACC. The Irish drop to 7-5 all-time against the Eagles and 0-1 in the ACC Championships against Boston College.
How It Happened
Notre Dame was rolling on all cylinders to start the game, outscoring the Eagles 4-1 in the first 10 minutes of play. The Irish, which lost the draw control battle in their regular-season finale against the Eagles six days ago, won the draw 7-5 in the first half.
The Irish allowed five consecutive Boston College goals in the final 13 minutes of the half, and the Eagles possessed a 7-5 halftime advantage.
Senior Grace Muller opened the second-half scoring, netting her second goal of the game just 25 seconds into the half and cutting Boston College’s lead to 7-6.
The Irish and Eagles executed quick, aggressive offenses, using very little of the clock and exchanging several possessions in the ensuing 16 minutes. During that span, the Eagles went on a 10-3 run and took control with a 17-9 lead.
Notre Dame rallied with a 5-0 run to close the game, but it came just short in a 17-4 loss to the Eagles.
Game Notes
- Thursday’s game marked Irish head coach Christine Halfpenny’s 200th career game as head coach. The game was the 113th at the helm of the Irish, which are 71-42 thus far under Halfpenny.
- Giacolone (312 saves) reached the 300-save plateau with her first save of the game in the first two minutes of the game. Her 312 saves rank fifth all-time in Notre Dame history, behind Jen White from 2000-03 (4th, 432). Giacolone’s 171 saves are the most of any Irish goalkeeper in a single season since Erin Goodman made 172 saves in 2008.
- Senior Grace Muller (95 points) is five points away from reaching 100.
- Freshman Savannah Buchanan (29 points) is six points shy of tying sophomore Nikki Ortega (35 points) for ninth place in the Irish record book for most points recorded as a freshman. Crysti Foote, who stands in eighth place, totaled 38 points as a freshman.
- Senior Cortney Fortunato (57 goals) is seven goals shy of her single-season high (64 in 2015). Her mark of 64 goals is the most scored by an individual in a single season since Jillian Byers scored 83 goals in 2009.
Coming 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 7 at 9 p.m. ET. Notre Dame is in search of its sixth straight appearance in the NCAA Championships.
For a closer, behind-the-scenes look at the Irish women’s lacrosse program, follow @NDWomensLax on Twitter and ndwlax on Snapchat.
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Megan Golden, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since August of 2016. In her role, she coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse and cross country/track and field programs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Golden is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s College and former Irish women’s basketball manager. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, she worked in public relations with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.