Virginia Tech Lacrosse Can’t Keep Up With No. 5 Notre Dame
By Luke Boran
Staff Writer
April 14, 2024
Virginia Tech is projected for the No. 8 seed in the ACC Tournament with just a week left of the regular season after falling to Notre Dame on Saturday. (Virginia Tech Athletics)
BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech (9-7, 2-6 ACC) lost 20-9 to No. 5 Notre Dame (13-2, 6-2), after an offensive explosion from the Fighting Irish in the second half.
Notre Dame overwhelmed the Hokies with 42 shots on goal for the game and Tech sophomore keeper Jocelyn Torres could only block so many shots.
Torres had a strong first half with nine of her 11 saves in the first two periods.
Tech held its own in the first half and kept the match to a three-goal difference, trailing just 9-6 at the break. In the second half, the Irish showed what made them the No. 5 ranked team in the nation.
Two Fighting Irish players notched hat tricks in the first half, both graduate student attackers: Madison Ahern and Arden Tierney.
Notre Dame midfielder Kasey Choma notched a hat trick of her own in just the third period, scoring three goals in eight minutes. She added a fourth in the final minute of the quarter.
The third was a nightmare quarter for the Hokies as the Irish scored seven unanswered goals on 10 shots, five of which came from free position shots.
Fouls inside the arc killed Tech, especially in the third. The Irish got too many free looks for the Hokies to recapture the momentum they gained in the second quarter.
Notre Dame had eight free shot opportunities on the day and capitalized on every one. Tech only drew three free looks.
The game was relatively back-and-forth outside of the third quarter. The Hokies showed resolve to score three goals in the final quarter, but it was too little too late.
Gabby New and Paige Tyson had solid performances for Virginia Tech with two goals each.
Jackie Wolak was the fourth Fighting Irish player to finish with a hat trick. She was everywhere on the field and racked up four goals and two assists.
The Hokies have a chance to bounce back in their next game against Virginia (12-3, 5-3) in the Commonwealth Clash on April 17 in their regular season finale.
Current standings for the upcoming ACC Tournament in Charlotte have Notre Dame as the No. 3 seed and Virginia Tech as the No. 8 seed. The tournament kicks off on April 21.