After a season filled with ups and downs, the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team will play their final game of the year against Louisville this Thursday at Arlotta Stadium.
First draw is set for 3 p.m. The Irish will be eager to end their season on a high note, especially considering they are entering the game off back-to-back one-goal losses.
The first of those two losses came on April 5 against No. 8 Stanford. The Irish held a 7-5 lead early in the fourth quarter. However to the dismay of the Irish, the Cardinal scored three unanswered goals en route to a comeback. To add insult to injury, the game marked Senior Day for the Irish, who left Arlotta Stadium disappointed.
A week later, the Irish headed eastward for an ACC clash against Pitt. Needing a win in order to maintain hope of qualifying for the ACC Tournament, Notre Dame fell just short to the Panthers 13-12. Sophomore Kate Timarky’s hat trick was cancelled out by five goals from Pitt sophomore Paige Telatovich.
With these results, Notre Dame dropped to 1-7 in ACC play and 6-8 overall. It’s very likely those numbers would be better if star freshman Madison Rassas had been available. Rassas has been the spark plug for the Irish offense throughout the year, leading the team with 29 goals on the season despite her absence the past two games.
Without Rassas, Notre Dame will look to continue to rely on Timarky and graduate midfielder Kristen Shanahan for the bulk of the offensive production. With her hat trick, Timarky now has 23 goals on the season while Shanahan is just behind Rassas with 25.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Irish will seek to rely on senior goalkeeper Isabel Pithie. After patiently waiting for her turn to start, Pithie has excelled. She has recorded 109 saves on the season, establishing herself as one of the premier goalkeepers in the ACC. Pithie will be supported by junior defender Abigail Lyons, whose 23 caused turnovers rank first on the squad.
Both teams enter the clash with a 1-7 record in ACC play, albeit they’ve arrived at this destination via very different paths. For the most part, Notre Dame has been in tightly contested matchups. Meanwhile, the Cardinals, led by head coach Scott Teeter, have struggled against many conference opponents, as they are in the midst of a rebuilding period. The Cardinals suffered large defeats to No. 22 Clemson 14-2, Stanford 15-2 and No. 15 Duke 17-7 — all teams Notre Dame has played to close games. Ironically, both teams earned their lone ACC win against Cal.
Sophomore Reese Whiteman has punched in 24 goals for the Cardinals, standing tall as the only Louisville player with at least 20 goals on the year. Notre Dame, on the other hand, has four players who boast at least 20 goals: Rassas, Timarky, Shannahan and sophomore Kathryn Morrissey.
Although neither team is technically in need of a win, the game still feels like a lot is at stake. The matchup will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
