The Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish once again had a great day at Arlotta Stadium. After Friday’s dominant performance against RMU, the Irish had busy to take care of against Virginia. The Sophomore class wanted to show their passion for winning. Last year, the Freshman class was just settling into their comfort zone when the stoppage of play occurred on March 12th. Last years team was destined for something special when the stoppage occurred. Once again, the Sophomore class has something to show the nation in their Lacrosse playing skills. Oh, Bridget Deehan had a little something to do with the defense.
First Half
Everyone likes a lot of offense, but you need the defense to work just as well. The Fightin’ Irish offense did what it was supposed to do when they had the ball. Once again, the offense scored and they scored often on Sunday afternoon versus Virginia. The Irish defense only allowed two goals in the first half. The first score for Virginia at 20:45 and their last goal of the half was thirty eight seconds later. Deehan was a like a “Brickwall” between the pipes in the first half. Deehan racked up six saves on eight attempts by Virginia. The Irish defense was stifling against Virginia and they had no solution for the Irish.
On the offensive side of the game, Sophomore Jackie Wolak and Madison Ahern were hungry to set the tone for the game. Wolak scored at 22:51 and Ahern score the second goal at 21:48. After Ashley McGovern of Virginia scored her second goal 20:07, the Irish went on a 5-0 run to end the half. The five goals were scored by Wolak at 17:56 assisted by Maddie Howe. Howe got her own goal at 15:37 from a free position shot. Wolak picked up the Hat Trick (third goal) at 9:17. Samantha Lynch picked up her goal at 8:21 and Ahern picked up her second goal of the half at 00:31. For a 7-2 halftime score.
Second Half
Though the Irish were up 7-2 to start the second half, there were some tweaks to be made by both teams. The Virginia offense made the biggest changes. Realizing they were not impeding Deehan’s view, Virginia starting making seeing the ball difficult for the Irish Goalie. After Andie Aldave scored at 28:57 to brow the Irish lead 8-2. Virginia came back with a 3-0 run to tighten the score 8-5. Morgan Schwab, Samantha Lynch, Jaime Biskup created the offensive scoring need to keep Virginia in the game. Not to be out done and outplayed, the Irish returned the favor with their own 4-0 run to push the score 12-5 and the biggest lead of the game.
Kasey Choma scored her first goal of the game at 17:16. Howe got consecutive goals assisted by Aldave and Wolak at 13:48 and 11:16. Ahern got her Hat Trick at 9:29, to push the lead to 12-5. Virginia still had some fight left in the tank. Biskup and McGovern (Hat Trick) brought the score to 12-7. Wolak for the Irish added her fourth goal of the afternoon at 4:32 for a 13-7 score. Devon Whitaker of Virginia scored the final goal of the game as the final score is 13-8. Deehan ended up with 10 saves on the day, 6 saves in the first half and 4 in the second half.
The Damage Done By The Sophomore Class
Jackie Wolak 4 Goals and 2 Assists
Madison Ahern 3 Goals
Kasey Choma 1 Goal
What’s Up Next For the Irish
The Irish head to the quarterfinals against ACC foe Boston College in Newton, MA. The game is scheduled for a 3 PM EST start on ESPN3. The Fightin’ Irish are 0-2 versus BC this season. The Fightin’ Irish will look to right the wrong of the two regular season losses. The printable bracket can be found here.
Cheers and Go Irish! ☘🥍🌩