Notre Dame women’s lacrosse advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinals with a 15-13 win over Virginia on Wednesday afternoon.
The Irish showed plenty of grit in the win, fighting back after a late Cavalier comeback tied the game. Senior midfielder Kasey Choma was the hero for the Irish, notching the go-ahead goal as part of a five-point day.
Senior attacker Jackie Wolak excelled as both a scorer and creator for Notre Dame, totaling four goals and three assists. Wolak is the team’s points leader on the season, so her contribution to both stat categories is nothing new. She’s the only Irish player with more than 30 goals and 30 assists — a mark she clears easily with 45 goals and 43 assists.
Fellow senior attacker Madison Ahern also had a hat trick for the Irish, continuing her excellent form on the year. Ahern now has 55 goals this season, good for second on the team to Choma’s 56. Recently nominated for the Tewaaraton Award (college lacrosse’s Heisman equivalent) along with Choma, Ahern figures to be a major factor in any further Notre Dame postseason success.
With the win, the Irish will now move on to square off against Boston College in the semifinals. On paper, the draw is about as tough as the Irish could have gotten. The Eagles enter as the top-seeded team in the tournament. They’ve won their last eight games, including three against teams ranked in the top 15 nationally. Their final regular season game was a thrilling takedown of former national No. 1 Syracuse on the road.
But there is some silver lining to a matchup with Boston College. For one, Notre Dame has come close to beating the Eagles before. The two squads faced off at Arlotta Stadium during Easter weekend, and it was the Irish who led for most of the contest. A furious comeback by the visitors ensured that they returned to Chestnut Hill happy, but Notre Dame can draw confidence from the fact that they held an assertive lead for much of the second half.
If the Irish want to pull the upset, they’ll have to slow down an electric Boston College offense. The Eagles have scored 264 goals this year, good for fourth in the ACC. Notably, they boat-raced Notre Dame’s last opponent, Virginia, for 25 goals in the two squads’ April 15 matchup.
However, the defensive showing of the Irish in the Easter weekend defeat is promising. Boston College scored just 12 goals at Arlotta, their third-worst attacking output on the year. For Notre Dame to have a shot at advancing to the final, they’ll want to turn the game into another low scoring slugfest.
Notre Dame women’s lacrosse will be back in action against Boston College Friday afternoon from Charlotte, North Carolina. The game is slated for a 1 p.m. start time and will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
