Irish attack freezes Pioneers, 20-2
Andrew Soukup
Associate Sports Editor
Pity the Denver women's lacrosse team.
It must have thought it left the snow behind them in Colorado, but it encountered another snowstorm in South Bend, Ind. And that was before the Pioneers even set foot in the Loftus Sports Complex for their match against the Irish.
And when Denver finally arrived Sunday afternoon, they found themselves at the mercy of the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame unleashed a blizzard of goals en route to blowing away Denver, 20-2.
The win was the largest in school history for the Irish. It was the first time they scored 20 goals in a single game — a school record — and just the second time they held an opponent to just two goals in a game. The last time the Irish had only two goals scored against them was in 1999, when they beat Davidson 18-2.
With the win, Notre Dame improves to 4-1 on the season, matching their best start in school history. The last time the Irish began a season 4-1 was in 1997, their first season of play.
Senior attack Lael O'Shaughnessy continued her dominating performance so far this season by scoring two goals and adding four assists. O'Shaughnessy, last week's Big East Player of the Week, leads the Irish in scoring. She has seven goals and 15 assists for a team-high 22 points.
Sophomore defender Eleanor Weille chipped in three assists and a pair of goals, totaling five points. Before Sunday's game, Weille had three points in her entire collegiate career.
In all, 10 different players scored for the Irish. Juniors Natalie Loftus and Maureen Whitaker and sophomore Kelly McCardell each scored two goals. Three other players, Meridith Simon, Lauren Fischer and Mia Novic, scored for the first time in their collegiate careers.
Notre Dame plays later today, when they travel to head coach Tracy Coyne's alma mater, Ohio University. The match begins at 3 p.m.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, March 27, 2001
