Halfpenny Earns 100th Win at Notre Dame

#2 Irish improve to 5-0 with 13-9 victory over #22 Duke

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Head coach Christine Halfpenny picked up her 100th victory at Notre Dame as the second-ranked Irish improved to 5-0 (1-0 ACC) with a 13-9 win over #22 Duke on Sunday afternoon at Arlotta Stadium.

Bridget Deehan matched her career-high with 12 saves while backstopping the Irish to their fifth consecutive victory. Deehan also earned four ground balls and caused a Blue Devil turnover.

Kasey Choma and Andie Aldave led the Irish with four goals and an assist each. Maddie Howe added three goals while Madison Ahern collected two goals and two assists. Jessi Masinko also dished out a pair of assists.

The Irish earned a 12-10 edge in draw controls over Duke, with Kathleen Roe and Aldave each earning four.

As a team, the Irish went 16-for-17 on clears and outshot Duke, 31-26.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After Duke opened the scoring just over three minutes in, the Irish rattled off five straight goals while keeping the Blue Devils off the board for over 16 minutes of play.

The Irish got a pair of markers by Choma to go with scores by Howe, Aldave and Ahern to take a 5-1 lead. Deehan made four stops over the 16-minute span to keep Duke off the board.

The Blue Devils responded to make it 5-3 before Notre Dame closed the half with goals from Aldave, Choma and Howe to take an 8-3 advantage into halftime.

Howe’s third extended the Irish lead to 9-3 at the 25:08 mark of the second half, but Duke answered with four straight goals to make it a 9-7 contest with 18:22 to play.

Aldave halted the Duke run at the 12:59 mark and scored her fourth with 6:41 left to make it 11-8.

The Blue Devils got within two again at 11-9 with 6:04 left, but the Irish closed the contest with goals by Choma and Ahern to make it a 13-9 final. 

Head coach Christine Halfpenny on her 100th win at Notre Dame:
“I think it’s a testament to the players we have the chance to recruit here at Notre Dame. You don’t get wins unless your players are getting them for themselves. I told the team after the game that these are their wins and I just feel really grateful to have the opportunity to be here. You also can’t do this without fantastic assistant coaches and support staff. I’m blessed to be at Notre Dame surrounded by wonderful people and resources.”

Goaltender Bridget Deehan on her 12-save performance:
” Our preparation all week long was the key to our success as a defensive unit today. Our defenders forced Duke to the outside a lot today and gave me a lot of good looks to make saves. It’s a really good feeling to be 5-0, and we’re ready to carry that energy forward into the rest of the season.”

NOTABLE NUMBERS

  • Head coach Christine Halfpenny picked up her 100th victory at Notre Dame this afternoon.
  • The Irish now own a 15-1 record in home contests dating back to March 24, 2018.
  • Notre Dame has opened the season with a 5-0 record for the second straight year.
  • Bridget Deehan matched her career-high with 12 saves in the win.
  • Andie Aldave has scored four goals in three straight games.
  • Kasey Choma has picked up 11 points (10G, 1A) in the last two contests.

UP NEXT
#2 Notre Dame continues ACC play with a home contest against Boston College next Saturday, March 7th at 3 p.m. ET. The contest is currently slated to be played inside Loftus Sports Center and will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra. 

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