March 16, 2018
By Matt Paras
NOTRE DAME, Indiana – After concluding a three-game road trip, the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team (5-4, 1-2) is back on campus and is set to host a conference matchup this weekend. The Irish will take on No. 8/7 Virginia (5-2, 1-1) on St. Patrick’s Day at Arlotta Stadium. Opening draw is scheduled for 1 pm and admission is free to all fans.
DATE: March 17, 2018
TIME: 1 p.m. (ET)
LOCATION: Arlotta Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.)
BROADCAST: ACC Network Extra
LIVE STATS:
TWITTER: @NDWomensLax
It will be 17 days between home games for the Irish, as the last time they were home was on Feb. 28 against Marquette. Starting with Saturday’s game against Virginia, five of the final seven games for the Irish will be at home. Notre Dame is 2-2 at home this season and 1-0 in games held at Arlotta Stadium.
Last time out, the Irish fell 13-7 to High Point Wednesday afternoon. Maddie Howe tied a career high with four goals and recorded her third hat trick of the season. Samantha Giacolone tied a season high with 15 saves and had a .535 save percentage. It was her fourth-straight game with a save percentage at .500 or higher and third double-digit save game of the season. Giacolone leads the ACC and is second nationally with 82 saves on the season.
Scouting the Cavaliers
Virginia enters Saturday’s game with a 5-2 record on the season and 1-1 in conference play. The Cavaliers fell this past Wednesday to No. 13 Loyola 19-18 on the road. Virginia faced two conference opponents prior to the Loyola matchup, it defeated Syracuse 17-16 but lost to UNC 13-9. This will be the third road game of the season for the Cavaliers and they are 1-1 away from Charlottesville.
Saturday will be the sixth all-time meeting between the Cavaliers and Irish. Last season in Charlottesville, the Cavaliers came out on top with a 15-5 win. Jessi Masinko scored and Makenna Pearsall added an assist in the game. The last time Virginia came to South Bend, the Irish prevailed 16-4 for their ninth win of the season.
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Matt Paras, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since January 2018. In his role, he coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse and cross country/track & field programs. A native of Warwick, Rhode Island, Paras is a graduate of the University of Louisville where he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Sport Administration. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, he worked at Vanderbilt University as the sports information contact for the women’s soccer and lacrosse programs.