On Friday, the 2-2 Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team will travel to Durham, North Carolina, as it squares off against No. 21 Duke (2-2). The Irish will then embark on a 30-minute trip northwest to Burlington, North Carolina, for a game against Elon on Sunday.
Looking to rebound
Notre Dame is fresh off a heartbreaking, 12-11 loss against No. 19 Clemson in its ACC opener. The one-goal loss was its second of the year, the first coming away to No. 2 Northwestern on Feb. 7.
The Irish showed immense resilience in their bout against the Tigers. Notre Dame was slow out of the gate and Clemson capitalized, resulting in an early 3-0 lead. Led by star freshman midfielder Madison Rassas’ hat trick, the Irish kept chipping away in pursuit of a lead. Sophomore Kate Timarky cut the deficit to two with 10 seconds left in the first half. Then, a goal-scoring barrage ensued as Notre Dame scored three goals to open the second half, finding itself in an 8-7 lead. However, some defensive mistakes in the fourth quarter allowed Clemson to gain momentum and restore its lead with one minute left. The Irish fired back with 10 seconds left, but their game-tying goal was called back for offsides. The Tigers stormed the field as they celebrated their biggest win in program history.
As it heads to North Carolina, Notre Dame is aiming to rebound by picking up a top-25 win against Duke and an out-of-conference victory over Elon.
Duke preview
Notre Dame vs. Duke always draws high expectations. The two programs both hold strong history with one another. Last year, the Irish got the better of the Blue Devils in a 19-7 triumph on Senior Day. The game also marked head coach Christine Halfpenny’s program-record 148th career win.
This year, the tides have shifted as both teams find themselves in similar positions despite different roster makeups. The Irish have filled out their roster with 19 underclassmen after losing 17 seniors and graduates from last season. The underclassmen have stepped up to the plate. Rassas’ 13 goals place her as the leading freshman goal-scorer in the country. Sophomore Megan O’Hare has totaled 10 ground balls. The contributions from the younger players have been integral to Notre Dame’s fight in its two losses against top teams in the country.
Meanwhile, the Blue Devils' story is strikingly similar. The team competed valiantly but has lost its two ranked matchups this year: No. 10 Johns Hopkins and No. 1 Boston College. However, contrary to the Irish, the Blue Devils are led by upperclassmen. Senior Carly Bernstein and graduate senior Callie Hem have both tallied 11 goals this year. Hem, a transfer from Harvard, has fit in seamlessly with Duke’s attack after a dominant four years in the Ivy League.
Duke seeks to secure its first win against Notre Dame since 2022, although Notre Dame won the reverse fixture in the first round of the ACC Tournament. With how similar the two teams' seasons have gone thus far, a fairly even matchup is expected to take place. One thing is for certain, however: the game will be a hard-fought battle as both programs seek their first ranked win of the year.
Elon preview
After two big losses to start the year to Duke and Virginia Tech, Elon is on a roll. The Phoenix are entering the game off the back of 17-6 and 12-7 wins over VCU and East Carolina, respectively. Redshirt freshman Ana Lee Vandiver is the player to watch for Elon. She started the season off strong with a hat trick against Duke and just recorded her second hat trick of the year against Eastern Carolina. Vandiver’s efficiency has been remarkable. With only 10 shots on goal all year, she has converted seven times.
Defensively, Elon is not to be taken lightly. Its defensive unit caused 11 turnovers against East Carolina. Notre Dame holds the advantage in size and speed, but Sunday should pose an interesting matchup against a team which has something to prove. In order to break down Elon, the Irish will need to control the draw circle. Duke’s 20-6 record in the draw circle against Elon dragged it out of the game, and Notre Dame will need to imitate that game plan.
Both games will be broadcast live on the ACC Network. Face-off is set for 2 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Sunday.
