April 26, 2017
By Megan Golden
RICHMOND, Va. — The No. 4 seed (No. 13) University of Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team departed South Bend on Wednesday determined to take care of some unfinished business. Just five days after falling to the Eagles in its regular-season finale, the Irish have touched down in Richmond for a rematch against No. 5 seed (No. 15) Boston College at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday in the Atlantic Coast Conference Quarterfinals.
Notre Dame (11-6, 4-3) and Boston College (12-5, 3-4) will square off for the first time in the ACC Championships and the 12th time in program history. The Irish own the advantage historically, entering play with a 7-4 record all-time against the Eagles.
The teams last met five days ago on April 22, when the Irish fell, 16-10, to the Eagles at Newton Lacrosse Field. Notre Dame sophomore goalkeeper Samantha Giacolone collected 15 saves, and Katherine Eilers tied her career high with four ground balls in the loss.
WHAT: No. 5 Boston College vs. No. 4 Notre Dame
WHEN: April 27, 2017 at 2 p.m. ET
WHERE: Sports Backers Stadium (Richmond, Va.)
LIVE STREAM: RSN, ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN
Conference Tournament History
Notre Dame is set to play in its fourth ACC Championships. The Irish, which own a 2-3 record in the tournament, are looking to advance to the ACC Championships final for the first time in program history after advancing to the semifinals in each of the past two seasons.
Last season, Notre Dame defeated No. 8 seed Louisville, 12-10, in the quarterfinals and fell to No. 4 seed Syracuse, 5-9, in the semifinals.
The Irish went 3-5 in six appearances in the BIG EAST Championship, giving the program a 5-8 all-time mark in postseason conference play. Notre Dame claimed its lone conference tournament championship in 2009 by defeating Syracuse and Georgetown in Washington, D.C.
All-ACC Team Honors
Notre Dame had three players receive All-ACC team honors as announced by the conference on Wednesday. Seniors Casey Pearsall and Cortney Fortunato earned First Team All-ACC accolades, while senior Alex Dalton was named Second Team All-ACC.
After being predicted to finish third in the conference’s preseason poll, the Irish wrapped up the regular season with a 4-3 record in conference play. Notre Dame’s four wins against the ACC ties its most wins (also 2016) since joining the ACC.The Irish also finished the regular season ranked first in the conference in ground balls per game (21.47) and caused turnovers per game (10.82).
Giacolone Nears 300
Giacolone is one save shy of reaching the 300 milestone in her career. The Manorville, New York, native collected 15 saves against Boston College and a career-high 18 saves against North Carolina. She has made 63 saves over the last four games.
Giacolone ranks second in the conference in ground balls per game (2.65) and third in the ACC in saves per game (9.18). She is third in the ACC in save percentage (.479) and fifth in goals against average (10.29).
Milestone Watch
- Thursday’s game marks Irish head coach Christine Halfpenny’s 200th careeer game as head coach. The game will be the 113th at the helm of the Irish, which are 71-41 thus far under Halfpenny.
- Giacolone (299 saves) needs one save to reach 300 in her career.
- Senior Grace Muller (93 points) is seven points away from reaching 100.
Live Coverage
Thursday’s game will be aired live on the Regional Sports Network and also will be broadcast by the ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN.
For a closer, behind-the-scenes look at the Irish women’s lacrosse program, follow @NDWomensLax on Twitter and ndwlax on Snapchat.
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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.