Notre Dame women’s lacrosse will be back in action Thursday, taking on Louisville at Arlotta Stadium.
The Irish will enter on the heels of their most successful road swing of the season. Playing three consecutive games away from South Bend last week, Notre Dame came away with a 3-0 record. The Irish had previously been 0-3 in road games heading into the week.
It was senior attacker Madison Ahern who led the way over the weekend, scoring nine goals in a pair of games in Pittsburgh. The goals brought Ahern’s total on the year to 49, tied for the team lead with fellow senior Kasey Choma.
The production from veteran upperclassmen has been a major component in Notre Dame’s success this season. The Irish have nine players who have registered double-digit points this fall. All nine hold senior or junior status.
Furthermore, the Irish defense is anchored by yet another upperclassman in junior goalie Lilly Callahan. Notre Dame’s defense has been one of the ACC’s best this season — consistently keeping the team in games even when the offense struggled for consistent production. Callahan’s steadiness in net has been a major factor in that strong goals-against record.
That strong Irish defense should receive a favorable matchup Thursday against the Cardinals. Louisville currently sits third to last in ACC standings, and their attack has been a weak point. The Cardinals sit second to bottom in the conference in both goals and assists per game metrics.
Expect senior Nicole Perroni to be leading the charge for Louisville on Thursday. The midfielder has been the Cardinals’ most productive player this spring, with 35 goals. Perroni also has eight assists on the year, giving her 43 total points. Both Perroni’s total points and goals are team-high marks, by some distance as well. No other Cardinal has more than 22 goals or 27 points.
Louisville’s defense hasn’t fared any better this spring either. The Cardinals have allowed 206 goals in 2023, the worst record in the ACC. In nine consecutive games, Louisville’s opponents have scored 10 or more goals.
The Cardinals will, however, enter South Bend with a bit of momentum. Louisville scored a dramatic victory over the weekend, scoring a 14-13 triumph over Duke. The senior-night win marked the end of an eight-game losing streak that had stretched the better part of a month.
Notre Dame women’s lacrosse will be back in action Thursday night when they take on Louisville. The game is set for a 7 p.m. start and will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
