March 15, 2017
By Megan Golden
TOWSON, Md. — Battling freezing temperatures and a 10-degree windchill, the No. 10 University of Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team dropped its second straight game in a 14-11 loss at No. 15 Towson on Wednesday at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The Irish (8-3, 2-0), coming off of a 14-8 loss at No. 9 Princeton, turned the ball over 31 times against the Tigers (4-3, 0-0).
Notre Dame never stopped fighting as it trailed 6-2 in the first half and went on a 5-0 run across 18:11 to overcome the deficit and take the lead midway through the second half.
The Irish scoring drive wasn’t enough as Towson rallied back to win the top-20 matchup.
How It Happened
Towson opened a 3-0 lead within the first 7:03 of the game, but senior Grace Muller got the Irish on the board with her 13th goal of the season to bring the score to 3-1 at the 22:35 mark.
The Irish controlled the ball for much of the half, winning the draw control battle 10-2 in the first half. Notre Dame also received goals from sophomore Samantha Lynch (twice) and freshman Savannah Buchanan, but the Tigers owned a 7-4 lead at halftime.
Muller started the scoring in the second half, netting her second goal of the game. She extended what was eventually a 5-0 Irish scoring run, which lasted 18:11.
Muller’s third goal of the day gave Notre Dame its first lead, an 8-7 advantage at the 15:43 mark. Towson responded by adding two goals to regain a 9-8 lead just minutes later.
Senior Casey Pearsall, who already had six assists, capped an incredible offensive showing with her first goal of the day to even the game, 9-9.
The Irish were unable to hang on as Towson rallied late to score five of the final seven goals and win, 14-11.
Player of the Game
Pearsall led the Irish all over the field at Towson. She tied her career high with seven points and collected a career-high six assists with one goal.
The Wilton, Connecticut, native tied the game, 9-9, with her first goal of the day at the 13:34 mark of the second half. Pearsall added four draw controls and two ground balls.
Stat of the Game
Notre Dame won the draw control battle, 17-9, against the Tigers.
The Irish won 10 of 12 draws in the first half but turned the ball over 16 times, leading to seven Towson goals in the half. In the second frame, Notre Dame and Towson each won seven draws.
Coming Up Next
The Irish will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, to wrap up their three-game road trip with a conference matchup against the Cavaliers at Noon ET on Saturday.
For a closer, behind-the-scenes look at the Irish women’s lacrosse program, follow @NDWomensLax on Twitter.
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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.