• HPU outscored No. 21 Notre Dame, 8-2, in the second half to defeat the Fighting Irish, 13-7
• It was the Panthers’ third win over a nationally-ranked opponent in program history
• Seniors Darla Poulin and Erica Perrotta each tallied a hat trick
HIGH POINT, N.C. — The High Point University women’s lacrosse team used a big second half to pull away from No. 21 Notre Dame, 13-7, Wednesday afternoon (March 14) at Vert Stadium.
The victory for the Panthers is the third over a nationally-ranked opponent in program history. The first was an 11-10 triumph over No. 19 Navy in 2012, while the second came in the 2017 NCAA Tournament First Round, a 21-15 win over No. 18 Towson.
“I thought our girls prepared really hard the last couple of days for Notre Dame and we’re excited to get this level of a win at home in front of our fans,” HPU head coach Lyndsey Boswell said. “I’m just really happy for everybody today.”
The game was tied 5-5 at halftime, but the Panthers (4-2) outscored the Fighting Irish (5-4), 8-2, in the second frame, including a 6-0 run when the game was tied at 6-6 with 22:34 remaining.
“We made small adjustments at halftime, but nothing major,” Boswell said. “I thought we played a little less urgency than I wanted to see in the first half, so we came out of halftime with nothing to lose and I thought that really helped our game.”
The Panthers led the Irish at the draw circle, 14-8, and outshot Notre Dame, 39-21. HPU also won the turnover battle, committing 13 to the Irish’s 20 miscues.
Seniors Darla Poulin and Erica Perrotta each scored a hat trick, while fellow senior Brooke Stevens added a goal and two assists. Sophomore Ashley Britton won four draw controls while scoring two goals and an assist.
Redshirt sophomore Meredith Chapman led the team with five draw controls, while junior Samantha Herman added three draws to go along with a pair of goals.
Sophomore Jill Rall made eight big saves in goal to improve to 4-2 on the season, while Notre Dame’s Samantha Giacolon made 14 saves in a losing effort.
Maddie Howe led the Irish with four goals.
Next up, the Panthers hit the road to take on Old Dominion on March 21 at 4 p.m. in Norfolk, Va.