May 4, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After facing the second-toughest schedule in the nation this spring, the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team was rewarded on Sunday night with the right to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Irish, the overall eighth-seed, will face High Point on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Arlotta Stadium while Duke will also play Stanford at 4:00 p.m. in a first round doubleheader. The winners of the two games will face off on Sunday at noon at Arlotta Stadium.
This marks the fourth year that the Irish have played host to the NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament. Notre Dame is 4-0 all-time on its home field in the tournament, defeating Ohio State in 2002, both Cornell and Georgetown in 2006 and Vanderbilt in 2009. The Irish are in the field for the ninth time overall and the sixth time in the last seven years. This is the third year in a row where Notre Dame has been selected for the NCAAs, matching a school record set from 2008-10. Notre Dame’s best finish was a trip to the 2006 semifinals.
“It goes without saying that we’re incredibly excited to be a host institution and in the top eight,” Notre Dame head coach Christine Halfpenny said. “A lot of credit goes out to my team. This is an awesome opportunity. This is why you play the games. We’ve been through the grind and we’ve grown so much. We battled one of the hardest schedules in the country this year with a mixed group of freshmen up to seniors and were able to get some quality wins. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome High Point, Stanford and Duke here for the first round of the tournament.”
High Point comes to Notre Dame (9-8) with a 14-5 record as the Big South Conference champion. It will be the first-ever meeting between the Irish and the Panthers, who currently have won 10 games in a row dating back to a tight 10-9 loss to Duke on April 2. Those Blue Devils bring a 9-7 record to Notre Dame for their first round matchup with Stanford. Notre Dame and Duke played each other just a few weeks ago with the Irish taking a 12-10 decision over the Blue Devils at Arlotta Stadium. The Cardinal, 14-4 on the year, are also not strangers to Arlotta Stadium, having played on that field March 29, coming away with a narrow 11-10 win over the Irish.
Tickets for either day are $5 for adults and $3 for children with those under three years of age being free of charge. Tickets may be purchased online at UND.com/tickets, by phone at (574) 631-7356, or in person at either the Murrane Family Ticket Office in the lobby of Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center or at Arlotta Stadium on game day. Tickets are still free for Notre Dame students but must be picked up in person on game day at Arlotta Stadium.