After a two-win trip to California over spring break, the No. 20 Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team returned to Arlotta Stadium on Wednesday afternoon to welcome No. 23 Harvard for a midweek clash.
The Irish were aiming for their first ranked victory of the season, after previously dropping games at No. 2 Northwestern and No. 21 Duke, as well as at home against No. 19 Clemson and No. 1 Boston College. The team was looking to build on the momentum of two convincing victories on the road against Cal and UC Davis, with standout freshman midfielder Madison Rassas recording hat tricks in both.
Out of the Ivy League, the Crimson also entered the top-25 showdown riding a two-game winning streak, after road victories over Holy Cross and conference foe Dartmouth. Harvard has two ranked wins of its own thus far in 2025, using hat tricks by sophomores Grace Mullahy and Callie Batchelder to record wins over No. 15 Navy and No. 23 Connecticut.
The Crimson started out in control in the beautiful 70-degree sunny South Bend weather, holding a commanding 3-0 lead after the opening 15 minutes. Mullahy, a North Carolina native, found the back of the net twice in the first four minutes, with both goals being assisted by her teammate Batchelder.
The Irish responded with a 5-0 frame of their own in the second to take a two-goal advantage into the locker rooms. Rassas led the team with two goals in the period, while graduate midfielder Kristen Shanahan added a goal of her own to pair with two assists.
The Crimson used another 3-0 run to open the second half, reclaiming the lead at 6-5. Senior attacker Caroline Mullahy, Grace’s older sister, scored the first two Crimson goals of the half.
A free position goal from Irish sophomore midfielder Kathryn Morrissey knotted matters at 6-6 as the game moved into the final quarter.
Strong goalkeeping from both sides kept the score even with under six minutes to go. Notre Dame senior Isabel Pithie recorded a career-high tying 12 saves, while Harvard senior Lizzie Francioli stopped 14 shots, besting her previous career high by nine.
Francioli couldn’t turn away another Irish free position attempt toward the end of the fourth, however, as Rassas picked up her third consecutive hat trick to give Notre Dame the decisive 7-6 lead. Despite a few more opportunities for Harvard, Rassas added the insurance goal with just a second left, and Notre Dame escaped with the 8-6 triumph. The Virginia native now ranks top-50 nationally with 27 goals on the season.
The Crimson will return to Cambridge to host Bryant next Monday, before getting into the heart of the Ivy League slate after that.
Still sitting at just 1-3 in conference play, the Irish will wrap up the regular season with five consecutive ACC contests over the next month. Notre Dame returns to action this Sunday, March 23, for a noon opening draw at Syracuse. Streaming will be available through ACCNX.
