With only two games remaining in the regular season, the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team will head to Pittsburgh for a clash against Pitt this Saturday at noon. Both teams sit 1-6 in ACC play, holding 10th and 11th place in the league standings, respectively. With only the top eight teams in the conference advancing to the ACC Tournament, a win would be crucial as both programs look to close the gap on eighth-place Virginia Tech.
Notre Dame is coming off of a heartbreaking 8-7 loss to No. 10 Stanford on senior night. The Irish held a 7-5 lead with 11:11 left in the fourth quarter, but the Cardinal scored three unanswered goals to spoil the celebration. Sophomore midfielders Kathryn Morrissey and Meghan O’Hare led the charge for Notre Dame with two goals apiece. The game followed the same path as much of the season had for the Irish. Four of their six conference losses have come by two goals or less, and all of those losses have come against ranked opponents. This loss leaves Notre Dame at 6-7 overall.
Similarly, the Panthers are also 6-7. However, the team is scheduled for a game against Robert Morris prior to their fixture against the Irish. Pitt is led by senior superstar, Jenna Hendrickson, whose 36 goals are nine more than the next closest player on the team. She has proven to be a difference-maker on defense as well. Hendrickson has chipped in for 18 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers. She produced a five-goal performance on March 25 against Temple and is by far Pitt’s most potent attacker. Sydney Naylor, Avery Moon and Kaitlyn Giandonato supplement Hendrickson’s ability, with the three tallying at least 18 goals thus far.
Pitt has also gotten stellar play out of its goalkeeper, junior Molly Cain. Cain has recorded 113 saves en route to 8.69 saves per game, a mark that ranks her 35th in the country.
Notre Dame will look to continue to employ a well-balanced offensive attack. Leading goal-scorer and midfielder Madison Rassas, one of the best freshmen in the country, did not play against Stanford, and it remains unclear whether she will return. Regardless, the Irish have five other players with at least 10 goals. Among those players, Morrissey has been the most consistent playmaker. She boasts a team-high 35 points on 20 goals and 15 assists. Graduate student midfielder Kristen Shanahan trails just behind with 34 points. Shanahan has scored seven goals in the last three games, including a five-goal performance against No. 9 Syracuse.
On paper, the Irish will march into Pittsburgh as the favorites to win. Both teams have faced Syracuse, Stanford, Cal, No. 1 Boston College and No. 11 Duke, with, while losing a few, Notre Dame showing better results than Pitt.
The match should be a high-energy affair with both teams in desperate search of a conference win. Head coach Christine Halfpenny has repeatedly emphasized how proud she is of her young team for competing against some of the best teams in the country, while noting the importance of now turning these close losses into wins.
The Irish have a prime opportunity to do just that on Saturday at noon. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
