On Saturday, the 1-1 Notre Dame women's lacrosse team will host Eastern Michigan for its final game before ACC play begins.
Irish opening weekend outlook
Notre Dame split its first pair of games this past weekend, losing 13-10 on the road against No. 2 Northwestern in the season opener before returning home for a 20-7 blowout of Central Michigan two days later. The question going into the season for an Irish team coming off its best season in program history was always going to be how it might replace its 17 graduating players, especially the legendary attacking trio of Jackie Wolak, Madison Ahern and Kasey Choma.
Traveling to Evanston to face one of the nation’s best in game one was quite the test for this new-look Notre Dame roster under head coach Christine Halfpenny. However, her young squad, a group Halfpenny expressed excitement about before the season, passed the test with flying colors. While it ultimately fell short against Northwestern, the core of new contributors stepped up in a big way. It looked early on like the Irish might get run off the field after a 7-0 first quarter, but they would battle back behind strong performances from sophomores Kathryn Morrissey and Kate Timarky, as well as graduate student Kristen Shanahan, the trio combining for 9 of Notre Dame’s 10 goals, each tallying a hat trick. Morrissey projected to be a key returner for the Irish, the midfielder leading all freshmen in points last season with 26. Shanahan was also a welcome return to the attack after missing the entirety of 2024 with injury, having amassed 29 points as a junior in 2023.
While the Irish ran out of time to mount the comeback on Friday, they would respond in resounding fashion two days later against CMU behind outstanding performances from several underclassmen. The trio of Morrissey, Timarky and Shanahan continued to produce, combining for 6 of the team’s 20 goals, but had much more help this time around. The star of the show was freshman midfielder Madison Rassas. The highly-touted recruit and daughter of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse All-American Todd Rassas tallied a game-high 8 points between 5 goals and 3 assists. Sophomore attacker Angie Conley also pitched in with a hat trick while freshman midfielder Ellie McClelland, another top recruit from the 2023 USA U18 National Development Team, also got in on the action with her first career goal.
Powered by the offensive onslaught of the underclassmen, now-No. 10-ranked Notre Dame flashed its potential to be back among the nation’s best in 2025. Staying in South Bend to face Eastern Michigan, a team they easily handled last season, the Irish should expect to make it a 2-1 start.
A young EMU program
Since the program's birth in 2023, Eastern Michigan has quickly risen to prominence in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The young program’s first season was a challenging one. The Eagles sputtered to a 2-14 record, going 1-7 in conference play. However, they took a massive leap under head coach Sarah Tisdale only one year later. In 2024, Tisdale’s group improved to 7-9, going 4-2 in the MAC and reaching the conference tournament as a No. 3 seed. The Eagles would lose a 12-11 heartbreaker to eventual champion Robert Morris but far exceeded expectations in year two.
Now entering the program’s third season, reigning MAC Coach of the Year Maddie Duggan takes over after a successful season with the University of Detroit Mercy. In her lone season with the Titans, Duggan took her squad to the championship game, where it fell to Robert Morris University despite being picked last in the preseason coaches' poll. She inherits a young Eastern Michigan roster that returns nearly its entire core, including goalie Maddie Porter, the 2024 MAC Freshman of the Year, and Mackenzie Blackwell, a 2024 All-MAC First Team selection who ranked among the top sophomores nationally in goals scored and draw controls.
The Eagles faced Notre Dame for the first and only time in program history last season, suffering a 21-6 defeat in South Bend. They opened up 2025 against San Diego State last Sunday, where they fell 15-10. Now going on the road for a rematch in South Bend, the Eagles will need to play their best game to compete with this talented Irish team.
Face-off for the game, which will be dedicated to military appreciation, is set for 3 p.m. at Loftus Sports Center on Saturday, Feb. 15, with the ACC Network providing the broadcast.
