NOTRE DAME, Ind. — After three straight ranked ACC road games, the #4 Irish return to Arlotta to take on top-ranked North Carolina this Saturday (April 10) at 3 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
#4 NOTRE DAME vs. #1 NORTH CAROLINA
Date/Time: Saturday, April 10 – 3 p.m. ET
Location: Arlotta Stadium
TV: ACC Network (Live Stream)
Live Stats
Twitter Updates: @NDWomensLax
Game Notes (PDF)
FOR STARTERS
- The Irish enter this Saturday’s top-five showdown winners of four straight, including three consecutive road wins over ranked ACC opponents (#19 Louisville – 15-10, #9 Duke – 13-9, & #7 Virginia – 12-10).
- Saturday will mark Notre Dame’s third straight contest against a top-10 opponent and fifth time the Irish have met a top-10 opponent this season
- In last Saturday’s road win at Virginia, Bridget Deehan matched her career-high with 14 saves and owns a .577% in her last two outings combined against Duke and Virginia.
- After eight games, Samantha Lynch leads the Irish with 26 goals and 32 points and she has been named the ACC’s Offensive Player of the Week twice in 2021.
- Savannah Buchanan currently leads the Irish with 19 caused turnovers in seven games and her mark of 2.38 caused turnovers per game leads the ACC and ranks seventh in the country.
- Five different players have netted at least 10 goals for Notre Dame this season and six have collected at least 13 points in a balanced Irish offensive attack.
- The Irish are ranked No. 4 in the IWLCA Poll and U.S. Lacrosse Magazine Polls and sit at No. 5 in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
THE NOTRE DAME-UNC SERIES
- The Irish and Tar Heels will be meeting for the 10th time on Saturday at Arlotta with North Carolina holding an 8-1 advantage in the all-time series.
- The two teams, which were ranked No. 1 and No. 2, were set to play each other in the next scheduled game for both before the 2020 season came to an end due to CoVID-19.
- In their last meeting, the Irish earned their first program win against North Carolina in a 9-7 triumph over the Tar Heels on March 31, 2019 at Arlotta Stadium.
- In that victory, Samantha Lynch netted a game-high four goals while Savannah Buchanan added three points (2G, A), five draw controls and a caused turnover.
DEEHAN DIALED IN
- Bridget Deehan totaled 26 saves and a save percentage of .577 in Notre Dame’s last two road wins over top-10 opponents in #9 Duke and #7 Virginia.
- In the 13-9 victory at Duke (March 28), Deehan made 12 saves and collected a career- high six ground balls en route to being named the IWLCA and ACC Defensive Player of the Week on March 30.
- Deehan backed up that performance by matching her career-high with 14 saves on 24 shots on goal, including a pair of stops in the final 5:30 to keep the Irish in front, in Notre Dame’s 12-10 road win at #7 Virginia (April 3).
- Deehan has notched double-digit saves on four occasions this season, including a pair of 14-save performances at #2 Syracuse (March 14) and at #7 Virginia (April 3).
DAUGHTERS FOR DADS/COMMUNITY SERVICE
- Notre Dame Women’s Lacrosse annually dedicates a portion of their season to raise awareness and funding for the Harper Cancer Research Institute through their Daugh- ters for Dads (D4D) campaign.
- The program is currently in the midst of its seventh annual D4D campaign, which culminates this Saturday vs. North Carolina, and its fundraising efforts include a virtual 5K.
- For more information on Daughters For Dads, click here
- In addition to the annual D4D efforts, the Irish are also fundraising and raising awareness for another foundation: No One Fights Alone (NOFA).
- NOFA is committed to raising awareness and offering support for those in our communities battling all types of cancers.
- For their contest vs. Robert Morris on March 6, the Irish participated in “Game Hair Havoc” and helped raise over $3,700 for the HeadSTRONG Foundation and families affected by cancer.
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