Sept. 19, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team opens up its fall schedule this Saturday at Arlotta Stadium as the Irish welcome in Marquette for an 11 a.m. scrimmage.
Marquette, who is beginning its first season as a program, is led by former Irish standout Meredith Simon Black and is assisted by former Notre Dame All-American Jackie Doherty.
“I am excited for the 2013 team to get its first taste of competition this weekend against future rival Marquette,” said head coach Christine Halfpenny. “It’s going to be a special scrimmage for us with Meredith and Jackie returning to campus. They both meant so much to Notre Dame women’s lacrosse when they were here as players, and in Meredith’s case as an assistant coach, so we are looking forward to hosting them in their debut with the new Marquette program.”
Following the matchup with the Golden Eagles, Notre Dame heads down to Indianapolis on Sept. 29 for a play day against the Ohio State Buckeyes and Northwestern Wildcats. The Irish will scrimmage both in the afternoon. The matchup with the Wildcats will be from 1:25-2:25 p.m., followed by Notre Dame and Ohio State going at it from 2:45-4:05 p.m.
Last season the Irish blitzed the then-No. 10 Buckeyes in Columbus, 16-7, as the Irish jumped out to an 8-0 start to begin the 2012 season, while Northwestern ended Notre Dame’s year with a 12-7 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The next day (Sept. 30) the Irish head to Evanston, Ill., for a 1 p.m. showdown with the defending national champion Wildcats in a full scrimmage.
Following two more weeks of practice, the Irish will get to compete against some of the greats of the past as Notre Dame women’s lacrosse alums make their return to campus for an hour and a half scrimmage on Oct. 13 before the Stanford football game. The scrimmage is slated to begin at 9:30 a.m. and is part of Alumnae Weekend for the program.
The Irish wrap up their fall schedule as they head to Durham, N.C., on Oct. 27 for two days of scrimmages. There Notre Dame will play a handful of schools in short scrimmages throughout Saturday and Sunday.
“I am once again happy to have scheduled top opponents in each play day to allow our team to be tested throughout fall ball training,” said Halfpenny. “In the fall our main goals are to focus on the fundamentals and find chemistry with our new additions. I believe this fall slate allows us to get a great feel for each other as a team while playing top competition that will prepare us for the 2013 season.”
Halfpenny is entering her second season with the Irish. Notre Dame returns 20 student-athletes with game experience from a 13-5 team that competed in both the BIG EAST and NCAA Tournaments a year ago.
Date Opponent Location Time
9/22 Marquette Arlotta Stadium 11 a.m.
9/29 Northwestern Indianapolis, Ind. 1:25 p.m.
9/29 Ohio State Indianapolis, Ind. 2:45 p.m.
9/30 Northwestern Evanston, Ill. 1 p.m.
10/13 Alumnae Scrimmage Arlotta Stadium 9:30 a.m.
10/27 Duke Play Day Durham, N.C. All Day
10/28 Duke Play Day Durham, N.C. All Day
–ND–