Liz O'Sullivan made seven saves to help the Irish beat Ohio State, 13-5, on March 21.

Fortunato and O'Sullivan Earn Weekly Honors

April 7, 2015

Cortney Fortunato has been named both the national and Atlantic Coast Conference women’s lacrosse player of the week while Liz O’Sullivan shared the ACC defensive player of the week honor with Duke’s Isabelle Montagne for their roles in Notre Dame’s 14-4 demolition of No. 4 Virginia on Saturday at the Cavaliers’ Klöckner Stadium.

Fortunato, who scored six goals and added two assists in the contest for eight points, was named the national player of the week by Lacrosse Magazine and the national co-player of the week by Inside Lacrosse, splitting the latter accolade with Brittain Altomare of Hofstra. The Virginia game upped Fortunato’s season totals to 40 goals and 14 assists for 54 points, her 4.50 points per game lead the nation’s top conference while her 3.33 goals per game rank second in the ACC. Virginia marked the third time in the last five games that Fortunato has recorded eight points in a game, also accomplishing that feat March 14 against Virginia Tech and March 25 at Marquette.

O’Sullivan tied her career high by making 11 saves in the win at Virginia. O’Sullivan had a significant hand in holding the Cavaliers scoreless through the game’s first 42:03, frustrating Virginia by thwarting all come-back efforts while the Irish built an 11-0 lead. O’Sullivan has helped the Irish hold each of its last six opponents to single digits in scoring, including wins over No. 4 Virginia and No. 15 Ohio State, along with a narrow, 9-8, loss to No. 3 North Carolina.

The win over Virginia was Notre Dame’s highest-ever win on an opponent’s regular home field, its most lopsided win over a ranked team since 2004 and first-ever win over the Cavaliers.

Moving up to No. 13 in the polls after the Virginia win, Notre Dame (7-5, 2-3 ACC) faces No. 7 Syracuse (9-4, 2-2 ACC) in a pivotal game on Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome. Opening draw is set for 7 p.m. EDT with ESPN3 providing a live national webstream of the contest.