The mark of a great team is being able to respond to disappointment, and that is just what the No. 4 Notre Dame did Sunday. After losing a hard-fought match away to No. 3 Syracuse a week before, the Irish (10-1, 3-1 ACC) responded with grit and determination to defeated highly touted No. 5 North Carolina at Arlotta Stadium.
A back-and-forth affair, both teams traded the lead in the first half. Sophomore attack Maddie Howe opened scoring for the Irish with a goal just over two minutes into the game off an assist from junior midfielder Savannah Buchanan. The Tar Heels (9-3, 2-2 ACC) would respond however, as sophomore midfielder Andie Aldave received a yellow card, allowing Carolina to gain a man-up advantage and even the score with a goal by freshman attack Taylor Warehime.
The score remained tied until Buchanan put the Irish back on top after the Irish cleared the ball on defense. The Tar Heels again responded though, as sophomore attack Jamie Ortega scored, followed by a goal from graduate student midfielder Ida Farinholt that gave North Carolina its first lead of the day. However, Notre Dame would regain the momentum heading into the intermission as senior attack Samantha Lynch and Aldave scored successive goals in the final 3:11 of the first half to give the Irish a 4-3 lead at halftime.
The second half was no different from the first as the lead continued to change hands. The Tar Heels opened scoring with a goal by junior attack Katie Hoeg and regained the lead as Ortega scored her second goal of the day off an assist by Hoeg. Hoeg finished the day with one goal but tallied four assists in the effort.
Notre Dame responded once more as Lynch netted her second goal of the day, but the Tar Heels took the lead at 6-5 on Warehime’s second goal of the day. However, Lynch stepped up and scored two-straight goals to give her three in the period and four on the day, putting the Irish up 7-6.
A yellow card on Lynch gave North Carolina another man-up advantage and allowed the Tar Heels to tie the score at 7-7, but they would not regain the lead as Buchanan and Aldave scored successive goals in a 40-second span to put the Irish up 9-7 with four minutes remaining. Turnovers by the Tar Heels proved costly down the stretch as the Irish milked the clock and maintained the lead to win the game by two.
An integral part of the Irish victory was the play of senior goalkeeper Samantha Giacolone, who put in an especially sound performance, parrying away 14 North Carolina efforts and collecting five ground balls. In front of her, senior defenders Hannah Proctor and Makenna Pearsall secured two ground balls of their own, keeping the Tar Heels at bay.
Next up on the schedule, the Irish travel to Massachusetts for a game Wednesday against No. 1 Boston College. The match is scheduled for 1 p.m.
