Notre Dame had lost three straight games, including a stunning 10-goal loss on the road at Virginia last Saturday. Syracuse had lost two of three, with the one victory coming in overtime against Harvard in a game they figured to win handily.

So, what would happen when two struggling preseason Top 10 teams met on Sunday in the Carrier Dome?

A blowout.

Notre Dame snapped its losing streak with a 16-7 victory over the Orange behind a career-high tying 13 saves from sophomore goalie Samantha Giacolone.

Notre Dame had a four-goal run in the first half and took momentum and a 7-4 lead into the break after Cortney Fortunato’s goal with just one second remaining in the opening stanza.

The Irish (9-4, 3-1 ACC) broke the game open early in the second half. Casey Pearsall scored for Notre Dame at the 26:10 mark and after the goal, Syracuse’s Nicole Levy was hit with an illegal stick penalty. The Irish proceeded to score three more goals after the penalty as part of a run that eventually reached six goals.

Fourtunato (3g, 1a) and Nikki Ortega (3g) led the Irish offense and Pearsall was solid all over the field with two goals, an assist and six draw controls.

Cara Quimby was Syracuse’s only multiple goal scorer with two and Levy had three assists. Syracuse (8-3, 2-1 ACC) converted just 3-of-10 free position shots in the game, while Notre Dame cashed in on 4-of-6 chances.

In other top 20 games on Sunday:

• Taryn Ohlmiller had five goals as No. 9 Stony Brook opened America East play with a 14-2 win over New Hampshire. Her sister, Kylie, had two goals and eight assists.

• No. 10 USC bounced back from Friday’s loss at Stony Brook with a 16-7 win over Ohio State. Michaela Michael had six goals in the win.

• Stephanie Asher had six goals and two assists as No. 13 Elon downed Davidson 15-7.

• No. 14 Northwestern has won back-to-back games for the first time since the start of the season after beating Louisville 12-8. Trailing 8-7 with just over 11 minutes to play, Northwestern scored the final five goals of the game. Catie Ingrilli had a team-high four points (2g, 2a) for Northwestern, including a goal and an assist during the game-closing five-goal run.

Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20 Division I Scoreboard

No. 16 Notre Dame 16, No. 7 Syracuse 7
No. 9 Stony Brook 14, New Hampshire 2
No. 10 USC 16, Ohio State 7
No. 13 Elon 15, Davidson 7
No. 14 Northwestern 12, Louisville 8

Division II

In Division II action, Rollins’ Maggie Dougherty scored with just eight seconds left in the first half to break a 6-6 tie and the No. 6 Tars carried that momentum into the second half, beating Grand Valley State 16-10 in a game played on Tierney Field at US Lacrosse. Kallie German and Hannah Ashton each had four goals for Rollins (10-2) while Sarah Stagaard led Grand Valley with a hat trick.

Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20 Division II Scoreboard

No. 2 Lindenwood 24, CSU-Pueblo 9
No. 2 Lindenwood vs. Indianapolis, 5 pm
No. 6 Rollins 16, Grand Valley State 10
No. 12 Regis 16, Fort Lewis 8

Division III

In Division III play, No. 7 Franklin & Marshall won its sixth straight game, defeating Salisbury 8-4. Salisbury was held without a first half goal, but unlike Tuesday when the Gulls rallied from a 5-1 halftime deficit to beat Colby 6-5 on Tierney Field, they were unable to get past the Diplomats. Maddie Hughes had three goals and an assist for F&M and Danielle Harrington made 10 saves.

Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20 Division III Scoreboard

No. 4 Brockport 17, Montclair State 7
No. 7 Franklin & Marshall 8, No. 14 Salisbury 4
No. 9 Trinity 14, Wheaton 4