Notre Dame women’s lacrosse earns No. 7 seed, will host regional in NCAA Tournament
Notre Dame women’s lacrosse knew it would make the NCAA Tournament before Sunday night’s selection show. It did not know if it would earn a top-eight seed and host a regional at Arlotta Stadium in South Bend.
When the Irish got their answer, their watch party erupted into cheers.
Notre Dame (15-3, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) is the No. 7 overall seed, and with that comes the right to host its first- and second-round matchups. The Irish will face Coastal Carolina at 1 p.m. ET on Friday, and the winner of that game will face the winner of Michigan vs. Mercer at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday.
After falling to Boston College in the national quarterfinals last season, Notre Dame faces a similar situation in 2024. The Irish must get past the No. 2 Eagles, whom they beat in the regular season but lost to in the ACC semifinals, to reach the final four.
Boston College enters the tournament at 16-3 (7-2 ACC), with losses to Notre Dame, Northwestern and Virginia. The Wildcats and Cavaliers are the No. 1 and No. 5 overall seeds, respectively.
The Irish lost to Boston College, Virginia and Syracuse, who is the No. 3 overall seed. But in two games this season against the top-ranked team at the time, Notre Dame delivered.
On Feb. 16, the Irish hosted then-No. 1 Northwestern and stunned the Wildcats at home, 14-10. Star graduate attacker Jackie Wolak put up 6 points, including 4 goals, as Notre Dame knocked off the defending national champions in just the third game of its 2023-24 campaign.
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Exactly one month later, the Irish visited Boston College and escaped with a 15-14 victory. The Eagles tied the game with 2:32 left in the fourth quarter, but senior midfielder MK Doherty scored the unassisted game-winner with 15 seconds to go.
Wolak, along with fellow graduate students Kasey Choma (midfield) and Madison Ahern (attack), lead a potent and experienced Notre Dame offense. Choma and Wolak are both nominees for the Tewaaraton Award, given to the top player in men’s and women’s college lacrosse.
“Veteran-led team, Jackie Wolak, Madison Ahern, Kasey Choma,” ESPN analyst and Boston College legend Charlotte North said. “[We] talk about them a lot, but they do so much for this offensive unit in terms of production and different styles of play that complement each other.”
In her 13th season at the helm in South Bend, head coach Christine Halfpenny will look to lead the Irish past the national quarterfinals for the first time since 2006. Notre Dame has never won a national championship in women’s lacrosse, but the Irish have a chance to make the run in 2024.
