On Saturday, Notre Dame faced off against No. 12 Syracuse looking for its second ACC win. The Irish pulled off the upset in thrilling overtime fashion, with freshman midfielder Andie Aldave delivering the deciding tally two minutes into overtime.
The Irish (6-5, 2-3 ACC) relied on a strong defensive effort to win the game. The team gave up 10 goals, a number that was Syracuse’s lowest goal-scoring total of the season. Junior goalie Samantha Giacolone came up with eight saves to anchor the effort.
The Irish came out strong in the first half, leading 6-2 going into halftime. The team controlled eight of the nine draws and collected more groundballs by a margin of 11-7 in the period. Sophomore midfielder Savannah Buchanan scored twice for the Irish, with the other four goals each being scored by four different Irish players, a diversity of attack the Irish have struggled to show at times in losses to No. 17 Virginia Tech and High Point.
Sophomore midfielder Erin McBride scored two goals early in the second to give the Irish a commanding 8-3 lead. The Orange (6-4, 0-2) rallied back, eventually tying the game at nine. Senior midfielder Molly Cobb scored to give the Irish a 10-9 advantage, but the Orange would get it right back, tying the game at 10-10 and ultimately sending the game into overtime.
The Orange won the draw to start overtime, but Giacolone got the stop and the Irish were able to clear, setting up Aldave for her game-winning goal, which was also her 17th goal of the season. The team now sits at 2-3 in the ACC, with the win marking its first win over a ranked opponent this season.
Next up for Notre Dame is a game Saturday against No. 5 North Carolina, with opening draw set for noon in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
