NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Nine different players found the back of the net and the Irish defense was stout for a full 60 minutes as #5 Notre Dame earned a 16-0 victory over Robert Morris in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon at Arlotta Stadium.
With the victory, Notre Dame (10-6, 5-5 ACC) advances to take on the winner of UConn/Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this Sunday (May 16) at 1 p.m. ET at Arlotta Stadium. The Irish will be aiming to earn their fifth trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals with a victory on Sunday.
“I was really proud of our effort today,” said Irish head coach Christine Halfpenny. “We’ve talked about playing together, playing in twos, and to get a shutout in the NCAA Tournament is a testament to the great effort and energy we played with today. I think a difference-maker in the NCAA Tournament is great depth, and it’s something we showcased today.”
The shutout was the first-ever in the NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Tournament and third overall in program history (4/9/10 – 16-0 vs. Villanova & 2/24/19 – 27-0 vs. Kent State). Bridget Deehan stopped all six shots she faced before Lilly Callahan made a save in relief to keep Robert Morris off the board. The Irish also forced 10 Colonials turnovers, including two by Hannah Dorney.
Kasey Choma (3G, A) and Savannah Buchanan (4A) led the Irish with four points each while Madison Mote earned a hat trick and Madison Ahern, Maddie Howe and Andie Aldave each netted a pair of goals.
Alison Harbaugh netted the first goal of her Irish career in the closing moments and Jackie Wolak, Katie Enrietto and Keelin Schlageter rounded out the scoring for Notre Dame.
As a team, the Irish earned a 12-5 advantage in draw controls with Aldave leading the way with five and Buchanan collecting four.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish controlled the contest from start-to-finish and earned a 10-0 halftime lead with five different players each netting two goals in the first 30 minutes. The Irish got a pair of markers each by Ahern, Choma, Aldave, Mote and Howe to go with four saves by Deehan to earn the double-digit lead. Buchanan assisted on a trio of Notre Dame’s goals in the first half.
The Irish defense also caused eight Colonials turnovers in the opening half, including a pair by Dorney.
Deehan made two more saves in the second half to keep Robert Morris scoreless before Callahan made a point-blank save later in the frame to preserve the shutout.
Six different players found the back of the net in the second half for Notre Dame, including Choma, Enrietto, Mote, Wolak, Schlageter and Harbaugh’s first career goal in the closing minutes.
UP NEXT
- Notre Dame (10-6, 5-5 ACC) will take on Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this Sunday (May 16) at 1 p.m. ET at Arlotta Stadium.
- That contest will be streamed live via ESPN3.
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