NOTRE DAME, Ind. — With NCAA appearances in six of the last seven seasons and a fall campaign that wrapped up last weekend, the University of Notre Dame women’s lacrosse program is primed for a challenging spring schedule as head coach Christine Halfpenny announced the 16-game slate on Tuesday (Oct. 30).
Six of Notre Dame’s 16 opponents made the NCAA Championship field in 2018, and five of those six advanced to the second round or further.
“Our schedule presents a terrific test,” Halfpenny said. “We are playing in the strongest conference in the country in the ACC and are set to square off against talented non-conference opponents as well. We’re excited to continue building our identity in the months leading up to what will be an exciting 2019 season.”
The Irish, who went 10-9 in the 2018 campaign, open the season on Friday, Feb. 8 at Marquette before returning home to take on Canisius at the Loftus Sports Center on Sunday, Feb. 10. Notre Dame then hits the road for a pair of contests against Liberty (Feb. 17) and Ohio State (Feb. 22).
Notre Dame hosts Kent State (Feb. 24) and Louisville (March 2) before traveling down south for matchups against VCU (March 13) and Virginia (March 16). The Irish open play at Arlotta Stadium on March 20 against SEC foe Vanderbilt and then travel to Syracuse on March 23.
Four of the final six regular season games will be held at Arlotta, with the Irish hosting North Carolina (March 31), Virginia Tech (April 7), Butler (April 10) and Northwestern (April 20) on Senior Day while also traveling to Boston College (April 3) and Duke (April 14).
The end of April holds the ACC Championships in Newton, Massachusetts, before the NCAA Championship begins the second weekend in May. This season’s NCAA Final Four will be held the on May 24 and 26 at Homewood Field on the campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Halfpenny is excited to see the Irish on the field in the spring after building the foundation of the 2019 season in what’s been an intense fall slate.
“It’s been a fantastic fall season watching this group begin to come together,” Halfpenny said. “The new faces have already made a big impact, and the veterans have turned into leaders for this team. We need to continue to bring that contagious energy and positive attitude every single day to get ready for a challenging and exciting 2019 spring season.”
For the full 2019 schedule, see below.
For a closer, behind-the-scenes look at the Irish women’s lacrosse program, follow @NDWomensLax on Twitter and ndwlax on Snapchat.
2019 Notre Dame Women’s Lacrosse Schedule
All Times ET
Feb. 8 – at Marquette (3 p.m.)
Feb. 10 – vs. Canisius (1 p.m.)
Feb. 17 – at Liberty (11 a.m.)
Feb. 22 – at Ohio State (3 p.m.)
Feb. 24 – vs. Kent State (1 p.m.)
March 2 – vs. Louisville (TBD)
March 13 – at VCU (4 p.m.)
March 16 – at Virginia (noon)
March 20 – vs. Vanderbilt (4 p.m.)
March 23 – at Syracuse (noon)
March 31 – vs. North Carolina (1 p.m.)
April 3 – at Boston College (1 p.m.)
April 7 – vs. Virginia Tech (noon)
April 10 – vs. Butler (7 p.m.)
April 14 – at Duke (noon)
April 20 – vs. Northwestern (TBD)
April 24-28 – ACC Championship (Newton, Mass.)
May 10 – NCAA Championship First Round
May 12 – NCAA Championship Second Round
May 18-19 – NCAA Championship Quarterfinals
May 24 & 26 – NCAA Championship (Homewood Field, Johns Hopkins University)
