March 18, 2017
By Megan Golden
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Looking to snap a two-game skid on the road, the No. 10 University of Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team dropped its third straight in a 15-5 loss against Virginia at Klockner Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Irish (8-4, 2-1) suffered their first loss in Atlantic Coast Conference play, falling to 2-1 in the conference this season. The loss snaps Notre Dame’s three-game winning streak against the Cavaliers (4-4, 1-2) as the Irish are now 3-2 all-time against Virginia.
How It Happened
For the fifth time this season, the opposing team started the scoring as Virginia took an early 1-0 lead at the 26:46 mark. The Cavaliers added two goals to open a 3-0 lead, but Irish senior Alex Dalton responded to cut the Virginia lead to 3-1.
Virginia, which executed a methodical offense, ran down much of the 90-second shot clock each possession. The Irish scooped up six saves and five ground balls in the first 16:32 but were unable to capitalize on their fast break attempts toward the goal.
Freshman Jessi Masinko scored Notre Dame’s only other goal of the half. The Cavaliers added seven goals and led, 10-2, at halftime.
The Irish won the draw to start the second half, but Notre Dame’s defense struggled to stop Virginia. The Cavaliers scored three goals, and took a commanding 13-2 lead.
Seniors Cortney Fortunato and Heidi Annaheim each added goals in the second half — including Annaheim’s first two goals of the season — but the Irish were unable to overcome the Cavaliers offense in a 15-5 loss.
Stat of the Game
Irish goalkeeper Samantha Giacolone collected 10 saves, including seven first-half saves, while the Cavaliers totaled seven saves. Virginia took 37 shots, compared to Notre Dame’s 20.
Giacolone also collected four ground balls.
Game Notes
- After winning eight consecutive games, Notre Dame has lost three straight contests — all occurring on the road.
- Notre Dame is 2-4 when it allows 10-plus goals this season.
- Senior Casey Pearsall recorded one draw control and now sits one draw behind Margaret Smith (fourth place, 151 draws) on the all-time list.
Coming Up Next
The Irish return to action against No. 5 Syracuse at Noon ET on Sunday, March 26 at the Carrier Dome (Syracuse, New York). The game will be broadcast by the ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN.
For a closer, behind-the-scenes look at the Irish women’s lacrosse program, follow @NDWomensLax on Twitter and add 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.