March 7, 2017
By Megan Golden
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The No. 8 University of Notre Dame used a strong first half to defeat Ohio State, 16-13, on a windy Tuesday night at Arlotta Stadium. Notre Dame’s victory extended its winning streak to eight games, marking the fourth such streak in program history.
Notre Dame’s winning streak marks the longest since the Irish opened the 2013 season with a 10-0 record. The program’s other two streaks of at least eight games were in 2012, when the team started 8-0 and in 2004, when the team opened the season 10-0.
The Irish have won five consecutive home games and are 2-0 at Arlotta Stadium.
How It Happened
The Irish opened the game with an early 3-0 lead over the Buckeyes. Notre Dame and Ohio State — clearly battling the wind and a handful of dropped passes — executed their offense for much of the shot clock, limiting the number of possessions early on in the game.
Notre Dame outscored the Buckeyes 8-5 in the final 20 minutes of the half. Seven Irish players contributed goals in the first half, including a hat trick from sophomore Nikki Ortega.
Ohio State scored the first three goals of the second half, holding the Irish scoreless for the first 8:56 of the half. Irish sophomore Samantha Lynch ended Ohio State’s short run, netting her second goal of the game and giving Notre Dame a 12-8 lead.
The Buckeyes added two more goals to cut Notre Dame’s lead to 12-10 midway through the second half. But senior Casey Pearsall gave the Irish a three-goal cushion at the 8:51 mark, and sophomore Hannah Proctor followed with her first career goal, giving Notre Dame a 14-10 lead.
Notre Dame held on to win its eighth straight game with a 16-13 victory over the Buckeyes.
Player of the Game
Freshman Savannah Buchanan scored three goals with one assist and four total points. She and Casey Pearsall led the Irish with four draw controls apiece.
Buchanan has recorded four goals, five points, two ground balls, six draw controls and five caused turnovers over the last two games.
Irish head coach Christine Halfpenny said Buchanan’s draw control that eventually ended Ohio State’s scoring run was the difference in the game.
“Savannah quietly had a huge day for us,” Halfpenny said. “That draw control was nearly the deciding factor for us.”
Stat of the Game
Notre Dame recorded 35 shots against the Buckeyes’ defense, which limited the Irish to just five second-half goals. The Irish took 29 shots on goal, which is 82.9 percent of their shots.
The Irish scored 16 goals on 35 shots.
“I would have liked to put more pressure on their goalkeeper,” Halfpenny said. “But it comes down to possession time, and I think Ohio State probably had more time of possession and more scoring plays in the second half. We probably won the first half. Down the stretch, we did a great job of game management with the possession clock.”
Notes
- The Irish opened an early 3-0 lead and are now 5-1 in games in which they score first.
- Cortney Fortunato’s one assist moves her into a fourth-place tie with Crysti Foote as she currently has 76 career assists.
Coming Up Next
Notre Dame returns to action against No. 9 Princeton at Alumni Stadium (Princeton, New Jersey) at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday.
For a closer, behind-the-scenes look at the Irish women’s lacrosse program, follow @NDWomensLax on Twitter.
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Megan Golden, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since August of 2016. In her role, she coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse and cross country/track and field programs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Golden is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s College and former Irish women’s basketball manager. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, she worked in public relations with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.