Oct. 24, 2002
Notre Dame, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team closed out its fall schedule in grand style on Tuesday, Oct. 22, when the Irish downed the North Carolina Tar Heels, 13-8 at Chapel Hill, N.C. to give them a 2-1 record for the fall.
Senior Danielle Shearer paced the Irish with four goals in the win that saw the Irish take a 9-2 lead into halftime and then hold on for the 13-8 victory. Nine other Notre Dame players scored in the win with Jen White and Carol Dixon splitting time in goal.
Notre Dame’s fall trip included a visit to the University of Maryland on Fri., Oct. 18 where the Irish got off to a slow start against the nationally ranked Terrapins, dropping a 14-11 decision. Notre Dame’s game at the University of Richmond on Oct. 21 was cancelled due to safety concerns caused by the Washington-area sniper attacks.
On Oct. 12, the Irish defeated the University of Massachusetts at Moose Krause Stadium by a 12-8 score. The fall opened with the Irish playing 30-minute halves in a round-robin format at Northwestern with Ohio State. The Irish won five of the six halves they played in.
Head coach Tracy Coyne was pleased with her team’s fall performance.
“I was really pleased with the way the team played during our fall season. Our younger players got a chance and stepped up and showed they can play at this level,” said Coyne.
“We really played well against top competition like Maryland and North Carolina. We weren’t intimidated by by playing against these national powers. Our seniors showed that they know what it takes to win. This will give us plenty of confidence going into the spring.”
Coyne and her coaching staff must find replacements for six seniors lost to graduation who were regulars in the Irish lineup in 2002.
Notre Dame is coming off its best season ever as the Irish were 13-5 last season, finished second in the BIG EAST and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals. They finished the year ranked seventh in the nation.