Head Coach Christine Halfpenny’s Irish women’s lacrosse team went 2-1 over the break. They fell short 15-9 in a clash with No. 1 Boston College two Saturdays ago but bounced back with a pair of wins in California last weekend. On Thursday, they picked up a 15-8 ACC win over Cal before crushing UC Davis 18-6 two days later. They will look to build on their recent momentum entering a midweek matchup with No. 22 Harvard.
The young stars for the Irish shined over spring break. Freshman sensation Madison Rassas logged her fourth and fifth hat trick on the weekend trip to California, scoring a combined seven goals across the two games, while also leading the team with seven draw controls against Cal. She now leads the team in goals and points with 24 and 28, respectively.
Sophomores Kate Timarky and Kathryn Morrissey continued their stellar form in their second-year seasons. Timarky scored a second-half hat trick against Boston College before tallying three more goals on the California trip. Morrissey had pairs of goals and assists against the Eagles and had a career day in Berkeley, setting career-bests with four goals scored and six points totaled in the game. The past two wins for the Irish have coalesced with improvement defensively as well. Senior netminder Isabel Pithie picked up her fourth and fifth wins of the season against Cal and UC Davis, allowing only 14 goals and making 12 saves across the two games.
No. 22-ranked Harvard has started 5-2 on the season and 1-1 in Ivy League play. Like the Irish, they will be looking to build on recent momentum, winning their previous two games against Holy Cross and Dartmouth. Caroline Mullahy is the catalyst in attack, notching a team-high 22 assists and 30 points on the year. She sets up several goal-scorers for a Crimson attack that has spread the love so far this season. Five players have already hit double-digit goals in 2025, with Callie Batchelder and Charlotte Hodgson adding seven and eight assists, respectively. The two join Mullahy as the only players to have eclipsed the 20-point mark thus far.
Despite a consistent attack that has managed double-digit goal outputs in all but one game, the Crimson defense hasn’t had the same consistency. They have proven to be vulnerable at times throughout the year, allowing 12 against UConn, 14 against Drexel and a whopping 20 in a 14-goal loss to Princeton. They have tightened up in recent games, however, allowing only 15 goals in their past two victories. Senior netminder Lizzie Francioli had an impressive 12-save performance against Holy Cross to bounce back from the Princeton game.
The top-25 matchup is set for Arlotta Stadium on Wednesday, Mar. 19 at 2:30 p.m.
