Irish senior attacker Madison Ahern runs onto the field before Notre Dame’s 24-5 win over Central Michigan on Feb. 11, 2022.
Irish junior attacker Madison Ahern runs onto the field before Notre Dame’s 24-5 win over Central Michigan on Feb. 11.
No. 8 Boston College narrowly overcomes Notre Dame
On Saturday, No. 11 Notre Dame women’s lacrosse took on No. 8 Boston College in a critical conference matchup.Heading into the match, Boston College was 5-1 in ACC play, tied with No. 4 North Carolina and a game back of No. 1 Syracuse. Notre Dame sat even with No. 12 Virginia at 4-2, looking to move up in the standings.
The two teams played an incredibly even first quarter, with Boston College scoring the game’s first goal with just 1:17 remaining in the period. The Eagles were not quite done, as they added a second goal with just three seconds left in the first, giving them a 2-0 lead over the Irish.
Notre Dame got back in the game early in the second, as they took advantage of a man-up advantage with a goal from senior attacker Jackie Wolak at 14:24. The assist came from fellow senior attacker Madison Ahern.
With momentum now on their side, Notre Dame added two more goals from junior midfielder Kristen Shanahan and senior midfielder Kasey Choma (both were unassisted).
Boston College quickly tied the game and then re-took the lead on a free position shot. Ahern tied the game at 4-4 with an unassisted goal. In the final five minutes of the half, the Eagles added on two goals. But senior attacker Jane McAvoy scored to keep the Irish within one heading into the half.
The third quarter saw the Irish go on a dominant run, only allowing one Eagle goal on five shots. The Irish scored five goals on eight shots, with Wolak scoring one and Ahern scoring two unassisted. Choma and junior midfielder Mary Kelly Doherty also chipped in with an unassisted goal each.
The Irish extended their lead to 11-7 to start the fourth with another Wolak goal. One minute later, Boston College scored a goal on a free position shot, and the Irish saw their lead start to slowly slip away.
With 4:12 remaining, Boston College scored again to cut the lead to two. A yellow card call on junior midfielder Ali McHugh gave the Eagles an advantage that they converted into another goal at 3:43. Then, at 2:30, the Eagles tied the game.
In the contest’s final seconds, the Eagles put one past junior goalkeeper Lilly Callahan, to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat. The final score was 12-11 in Boston College's favor.
The loss dropped the Irish to 4-3 in ACC play with just two conference games left against Pittsburgh on April 14 and Louisville on April 20. After that, it is off to the ACC Tournament, which begins on April 26.
Notre Dame take down Butler
On Monday, the Irish took a break from ACC play when they matched up with Butler on the road in Indianapolis.The short bus ride did not faze the Irish in any way, as Notre Dame rattled off the first 24 goals, with 12 coming in the first quarter.
Four Irish players had a hat trick: Choma, freshman attacker Fran Frieri, Shanahan and McAvoy. Ahern, Wolak, Doherty and freshman midfielder Franny O’Brien all contributed two each.
Goalkeeper Callahan earned a partial shutout, with seven saves in 45 minutes of action before she was subbed out for sophomore goaltender Malie Follet, who allowed three goals on the five shots she saw.
The win improved the Irish’s record to 9-4 overall. The win also served as their first road win of the season. Previously, Notre Dame had lost to Northwestern, Syracuse and Virginia on the road, though they had defeated Duke in a neutral site game.
The Irish will look to pick up another road win when they resume ACC play against Pittsburgh. The game is set for a 5 p.m. start on Friday.
