The No. 4 Fighting Irish (4-2, 1-2 ACC) earned some redemption this past weekend with a pair of victories over Liberty and No. 15 Louisville. The Irish had suffered back to back losses to the No. 2-ranked Syracuse Orange (5-0, 3-0 ACC) the week before.
The Irish hosted the Liberty Flames (4-4, 0-0 ASUN) Friday at Arlotta Stadium and were able to handle them steadily in a 19-5 victory. Graduate student Samantha Lynch and senior Maddie Howe paced the Irish with four goals apiece in attack. All four of Howe’s goals came during the first half, which helped cushion Notre Dame’s lead to 9-4 by halftime. Graduate student midfielder Savannah Buchanan also helped contribute to the big win with four turnovers and three points (recording both a goal and two assists), in addition to a pair of draw controls and leading the team in ground balls with three. The Irish led the Flames in every box score category except for saves, fouls and turnovers.
Lynch would lead the Irish in scoring again when they travelled to Louisville on Sunday. The Huntington, New York, native added five goals and an assist in the 15-10 rout of the Cardinals (4-4, 0-3 ACC). Lynch now has 20 goals on the season along with four assists, leading the team with 24 points. Sophomore attack Jackie Wolak also added a career-high four points with two goals and a pair of assists. Fellow sophomore attack Madison Ahern also added a pair of goals and an assist in the win over the Cardinals. Buchanan had two caused turnovers to bring her season total to a team-high of 16 and has caused multiple turnovers in five of six games this season.
The Irish will resume action on Sunday when they travel to Durham, North Carolina, for a highly anticipated matchup against the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils. Opening draw at Koskinen Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET, and the game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
