Women's Lacrosse: Irish lax join nation's top 20, voted 18th in country
By ANTHONY BISHOP
Sports Writer
Women's lacrosse joins the other five spring sports at Notre Dame on their respective top 20 polls. The 18th-ranked Irish (8-4) earned their first spot on the polls since the beginning of the program.
Sixteen of Notre Dame's 22 varsity sports have been ranked this year.
"We really are excited about the ranking and gratified at seeing our hard work paying off," said fifth-year Irish head coach Tracy Coyne. "Earning our first national ranking marks is another step for the program in our goal of becoming one of the elite programs in the country."
The Irish defend their ranking and host their biggest rival today against Ohio State. The match at Moose Krause stadium will be the second of a three-game home stand for the Irish who lost to fifth-ranked Georgetown on Sunday.
Notre Dame has a steady rivalry going with Ohio State.
"[The two teams have] been playing since the beginning [of the program]. They have beaten us to the last two years but we're confident it stops there," said Coyne.
The Irish have never been in a better position to do so as they go into the game with momentum and motivation to get to the playoffs.
Ohio State is known for their physical play. Their size allows them to play very hard and sometimes very rough. In the match, the Buckeyes will be led by junior Kylee Reade who is a member of the Canadian World Cup team that is also coached by Coyne. She is also supported by Celeste Sianfrani and Megan Mirick.
In response, the Irish will be looking for senior Lael O'Shaughnessy to continue leading attacks down the field. Solid play from juniors Natalie Loftus and Alissa Moser has also helped bring the Irish victories. Defensively, sophomore Jen White continues to anchor one of the better defenses in the nation.
The game will be held at 4 p.m. in the Moose Krause Stadium. The Irish are undefeated in their local region with wins over Ohio and Delaware and will hope to continue this record with Ohio State. With games against Rutgers and Syracuse left after the game today.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, April 25, 2001
