No. 9 Notre Dame fell 12-9 in its penultimate regular season game Tuesday night against No. 16 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, and will face an even tougher challenge on Saturday when No. 1 Syracuse visits Arlotta Stadium.
The Buckeyes (12-4, 4-1 ALC) pulled out the victory behind strong performances from junior midfielder Mary Kate Fracchina and junior goaltender Tori DeScenza. Fracchina led the way on offense with three goals and two assists. DeScenza, meanwhile, enabled Ohio State to sustain its slim lead over the Irish (9-6, 2-5 ACC) by saving 11 of the 20 shots she faced. Notre Dame played two goaltenders opposite DeScenza, but junior Allie Murphy and freshman Liz O’Sullivan each let up six goals while combining for just three saves.
On offense, junior attack Caitlin Gargan led the Irish with three goals, while freshman midfielder Casey Pearsall added two of her own. Senior attack Kaitlyn Brosco also pitched in with three assists. Their efforts could not overcome Fracchina and DeScenza however, and the Buckeyes gained their 10th win in their past 11 games.
Next for the Irish is a return to Arlotta Stadium, where the Irish are 5-3 on the season. They’ll play host to the top-rated Orange (14-1, 5-1 ACC), whose only loss on the season was to No. 2 Maryland. Syracuse gained its No. 1 ranking behind their equally strong offense and defense, scoring 15.13 goals per game, while allowing just 8.13 goals per game by opponents. Sophomore attack Kayla Treanor is the clear leader for the Orange on offense, with 54 goals on the season, including three Tuesday night in Syracuse’s 7-5 win over Cornell.
The Irish will try to build momentum for the postseason against Syracuse at 3 p.m. Saturday in Arlotta Stadium.
