The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team (No. 4, 1-0) seeks to continue their winning streak against Robert Morris Saturday at noon. This matchup follows the announcement that their game against Virginia Tech is postponed due to a positive COVID-19 test on Virginia’s team. The rematch is scheduled for April 21 at Arlotta Stadium.

Saturday’s match is Notre Dame’s “Hair Havoc” game, with the players styling their hair in order to raise awareness and funds for the HEADstrong Foundation, which seeks to improve the lives of families who have been affected by cancer.

This will be the first time the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team faces Robert Morris, whose team is currently undefeated this season — having already downed Liberty University, Fresno State, Gardner-Webb University and Kent State. The last time their women’s lacrosse team started the season like this was in 2014.

Hoping to put an end to this streak, Notre Dame’s defense remains strong this year. After dominating the game against Vanderbilt, the group seeks to keep its momentum going into the rest of the season.

“That just goes to show that our defense is so strong,” graduate student attacker Jessi Masinko said of the results of the season opener. “Playing against our defense every day at practice, you know that you’re going up against the best of the best, so it’s nice to see them hold off other teams.”

However, the skill does not stop at the defensive line. Masinko commented on the depth of talent the team has this year, which will make them competitive in their matches.

“We have so much depth and I think that that’s extremely important this year,” Masinko said. “Especially with COVID, you never know if people will be down, so it’s great to have a team as deep as ours.”

The effects of the pandemic have been apparent in scheduling. So far, the team’s only match of the season has been against Vanderbilt, from which they emerged victorious, making their overall record 21-4 for season-openers. Their games against Central Michigan and Marquette were postponed due to Irish players testing positive. As of now, there are no make-up matches scheduled.

Due to the unpredictability of the virus and the possibility of having a player or opponent test positive, Masinko said communication will be key for the team. She said the team focused on this aspect of the game during preseason, making sure they were all on the same page and working well together. After their showing against Vanderbilt, this cooperation is already apparent in the team’s gameplay.

When asked if there was a particular player she looked forward to seeing perform on the field, Masinko said she could not name one because it is a true team effort.

“I think that speaks a lot to our team that everyone works well together,” she said. “I think that we’ll just keep building off of what we did this past weekend.”

Though time will tell if this rings true, Masinko said she is excited to see what the team has to offer throughout the remainder of the season.

“I think we’re just so excited for this year, and we have such a special team, and I can’t wait to see what we all accomplish,” Masinko said.

Tags: Arlotta Stadium, Hair Havoc, Jessi Masinko, ND Women's Lacrosse, Notre Dame Women's Lacrosse