This Week: Notre Dame College women's lacrosse stays home to host Walsh University on March 16, at 3 p.m. The Falcons then head to Allendale, Mich. for the weekend to battle No. 10 Grand Valley State University, on March 19, at 1 p.m.
Records: Notre Dame is 1-1 after falling to Northern Michigan, on March 11. Walsh comes in with a record of 1-3, but they have played two top 25 ranked teams. Grand Valley State is 7-1, with their only loss of the season coming against No. 2 University of Indianapolis.
Coaches Corner: Ben Morhac is in his third season at the helm of the Notre Dame program. He has a record of 15-7 with a 9-1 mark in the MEC. Matt Shields is in his second season as head coach at Walsh, while Mackenzie Lawler enters her fourth season on the sideline of Grand Valley State.
Rankings: Grand Valley State is ranked No. 10 in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) top 25 poll. In the final 2021 regional rankings, Notre Dame was sixth in the Midwest Region.
Series History: Notre Dame is 2-5 against Walsh, since the two teams first met in 2013. The Falcons are 0-4 against Grand Valley State, but have not played the Lakers since 2013.
Noting the Falcons: Notre Dame had just one game last week and it was called after three quarters due to snow on the field. The Falcons fell to Northern Michigan, 13-11. However, for the second consecutive week, NDC swept the Mountain East Conference Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week awards.
Joselyn Storm took Offensive Player of the Week with two goals and an assist, while
Emileigh Scott grabbed Defensive Player of the Week with three caused turnovers and 10 draw controls.
Scott leads the Falcons with six goals, 12 shots and 19 draw controls.
Megan Dano is at the top of the team with six assists and 10 points, while also scoring four goals.
Piper Hammond has caused six turnovers this season.
Noting the Cavaliers: Walsh lost to Mercyhurst, 15-9, on March 9. The Cavaliers jumped out to a 5-1 advantage in the first quarter and led 5-3 after 15 minutes. From the 1:04-mark in the first quarter, through the entire second quarter, Mercyhurst put up eight unanswered goals and led 9-5 at halftime. The Cavaliers would score just four goals in the second half. Lindsay Hindman led the team with four goals, while Hannah McFeeters totaled three goals and an assist.
Walsh has lost three consecutive games, but have played a tough schedule. They lost to No. 10 Roberts Wesleyan by just two goals, 15-13, on Feb. 27 and then lost, 17-8, against No. 17 Seton Hill, on March 2.
McFeeters has scored 15 times in four games. She also has 22 draw controls and seven caused turnovers. McFeeters is at the top of the team with 17 points and Isabella Kelty is second with 13 points (six goals, seven assists). On the defensive side, Melinda Maers and Halle Kotulock both have caused six turnovers.
Noting the Lakers: Grand Valley State had an incredibly busy week, playing four games. The Lakers took a trip to Missouri and defeated Missouri Western State, 13-4, and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, 8-7. GVSU came home to defeat the University of Findlay, 14-4, and Tiffin University, 19-2, over the weekend. In the closest game of the week, against Colorado Springs, GVSU led, 5-2, at halftime. Colorado Springs scored three consecutive goals in the fourth quarter to tie the contest at seven with just under three minutes to go. Sophie Conroy scored the game-winning goal with 51 seconds remaining.
Grand Valley State has outscored opponents 115-56 this season. They already have totaled 34 free position goals. Two players have scored at least 20 goals and five players have more than 10. Molly Bursinger (22) and Sophie Conroy (20) have combined for 42 goals. Conroy is also second on the team with eight assists and Bursinger leads the team with 55 draw controls. Maggie Hammer has 10 assists to go along with eight goals.
