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It’s time to start paying attention to Notre Dame’s defense.
After limiting Northwestern to just 10 goals in a win earlier this season, the seventh-ranked Fighting Irish were especially stingy Saturday in a 7-5 victory at North Carolina — their first-ever win in Chapel Hill.
Except for a second-half lapse last week against Syracuse, Notre Dame’s defense has been nearly impenetrable. That was certainly the case against the fourth-ranked Tar Heels, who managed just 17 shots and committed 19 turnovers.
Madison Ahern (four goals) and Jackie Wolak (two goals, one assist) provided just enough offense for the Fighting Irish to eke out their fifth win of the season.
Notre Dame (5-1) held North Carolina scoreless for the first 22 minutes and led 3-0 midway through the second quarter. The Tar Heels showed some life, scoring three unanswered goals to tie the game at 3 going into halftime.
The Fighting Irish went back up by two in the third quarter on Ahern’s 16th and 17th goals of the season, then scored twice in a span of 57 seconds in the fourth quarter to put just enough distance between them and North Carolina.
Denver’s win over Maryland in College Park last year served as a springboard for the Pioneers’ surprising undefeated run to championship weekend.
Denver is finding it slightly more difficult to replicate that magic this spring, while the Terps are proving ever more resilient after a down year by their standards.
Victoria Hensh scored three goals, while Shaylan Ahearn and Meghan Ball combined for 12 draw controls in Maryland’s 10-8 win over the Pioneers at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
The 11th-ranked Terps limited Denver to just three second-half goals. The ninth-ranked Pioneers’ defense was equally as good, but they could not muster enough to come back from a three-goal Maryland run early in the third quarter.
Chase Boyle tied her career high with six goals and corralled a career-high 15 draw controls to lead unbeaten Loyola to a 14-10 victory over visiting Penn State.
Overall, the eighth-ranked Greyhounds had a 22-5 advantage in draw controls, creating a possession imbalance in their favor.
Kristin O’Neill and Gretchen Gimore scored four goals apiece for the Nittany Lions, who have lost three straight games.
Matt DaSilva is the editor in chief of USA Lacrosse Magazine. He played LSM at Sachem (N.Y.) and for the club team at Delaware. Somewhere on the dark web resides a GIF of him getting beat for the game-winning goal in the 2002 NCLL final.