The disappointment lingers for Notre Dame after last year’s exclusion from the NCAA tournament. At 7-0 overall and 1-0 in the ACC over Louisville, the Fighting Irish are heading into the teeth of conference play.

But one question remains: Are the Fighting Irish for real?

The early returns say yes. Notre Dame, one of five remaining undefeated teams in Division I, ranks first nationally in scoring offense (18.7 goals per game), scoring defense (5.1 goals against per game), draw control percentage (73.6), assists per game (10.1) and points per game (28.9).

With that said, the Irish have yet to face a ranked team and only two teams on their schedule have winning records (Liberty, 6-2, and Ohio State, 5-2).

NO. 17 NOTRE DAME AT NO. 6 VIRGINIA
WHEN: SATURDAY, MARCH 16, NOON
WATCH: ACC NETWORK EXTRA

Last season’s team suffered crucial injuries and even more critical losses down the stretch that saw the team fall a couple victories shy of the team’s seventh straight postseason appearance. This year’s team, while putting up a massive amount of goals, has defended superbly.

According to senior captain Hannah Proctor, a cohesive unit has been motivated by what transpired last season.

“Not making the tourney was a huge setback for us,” Proctor said. “It’s more important for us to work together and work toward a common goal. [Last year’s result] is good motivation, but we’re taking one game at a time.”

Proctor and the Irish are excited to finally play a top-rated team like the sixth-ranked Cavaliers (7-2).

“Virginia is obviously a really good team with a big win [Wednesday],” Proctor said of the Cavs’ 12-9 win over No. 9 Loyola. “It doesn’t change how we come into this game. It’s one game at a time and focusing on our team and bringing a high level of play no matter the opponent.”

When asked why this year has been more positive, Proctor reiterated the team’s bond.

“This year is going better than last year from a relationship perspective,” Proctor noted. “We’re closer than we’ve been before. We’re more motivated.”

Notre Dame tuned up for Saturday’s game by getting to Virginia early and defeating VCU 15-4. The stats bore out similarly to other Notre Dame’s games this season: dominate the draw (17-3), pepper the cage (39 shots) and make timely saves (eight).

The attacking unit of Maddie Howe (five goals), Jessi Masinko (four), Nikki Ortega (two) and Samantha Lynch (one) accounted for 12 of the team’s 15 goals against the Rams.

Defensively, Proctor stood out with a team-best five caused turnovers and four ground balls. The 2018 All-ACC performer attributed the team’s lockdown defense to familiarity.

“We’re confident as a group,” Proctor said. “It helps that we got to play as a group last year. We know each other more and what plays each person can make. There’s an environment where we can let everyone succeed. Also, we have a great mentality, and excitement about what we have to do and how good we can be.”

The Irish’s formidable defense is anchored by 2018 All-ACC goalkeeper Samantha Giacolone. The senior out of Manorville, New York, currently leads the nation in goals-against average (5.08) and is sixth in save percentage (54.0). Couple that with midfielder Andie Aldave’s 8.57 draw controls per game (4^th nationally) and it’s a recipe for success.

All those facets of the game will be tested on Saturday by a Virginia team who took No. 3 North Carolina to overtime last weekend. Virginia’s 15th-ranked shooting percentage (46.4) will be put to prime use against Notre Dame in what should be another ACC classic.

Other games to watch this weekend include:

• No. 16 Georgetown at No. 1 Boston College
  Saturday, 12 p.m., ACC Network Extra

Boston College (8-0, 1-0 ACC) has shown its versatility this season in playing whatever style necessary to win. The result has been an undefeated mark and a worthy holder of the top-ranked team in the land. It will be fair to expect a lower scoring game against visiting Georgetown (5-2) on Saturday as opposed to last week’s 22-17 shootout vs. Northwestern. The Hoyas were stymied last week at Penn. In order to pull off the upset, Georgetown will need to shoot well above its season average of 37.7 percent.

• No. 14 Duke at No. 5 Penn
  Saturday, 12 p.m., ESPN+

The Quakers (6-1, 1-0 Ivy) are undefeated no more and face their third straight ranked opponent in welcoming Duke (6-1, 2-0 ACC) to Franklin Field. A substandard performance like was seen at Louisville will likely sink the Blue Devils against a disciplined Penn squad looking to bounce back from a mid-week setback at Maryland. The Quakers’ bright spot against the Terrapins was Erin Barry’s four goals. Her added production will be a critical element to Penn’s top-10 hopes moving forward.

MORE GAMES ON OUR RADAR

All times are listed in E.T. For a full list of broadcast games, please visit our US Lacrosse TV/Streaming listings.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15

3 p.m.

No. 13 Denver at Gardner-Webb

5 p.m.

USC at No. 20 Colorado (Pac-12 Plus)

SATURDAY, MARCH 16

11 a.m.

Ohio State at No. 2 Maryland (BTN Plus)

12 p.m.

No. 15 Navy at Colgate (Patriot League Network)

Penn State at No. 11 Michigan (BTN Plus)

1 p.m.

No. 3 North Carolina at No. 19 Florida (YouTube)

No. 9 Loyola at Army West Point (Patriot League Network)

Temple at No. 7 James Madison (MadiZone)

No. 18 Stony Brook at Cornell (ESPN+)

8 p.m.

Stanford at California (Pac-12 Plus)

SUNDAY, MARCH 10

10 a.m.

No. 13 Denver at Virginia Tech (ACC Network Extra)

12 p.m.

No. 4 Syracuse at Louisville (ACC Network Extra)

3 p.m.

Arizona State at No. 20 Colorado (Pac-12 Plus)