SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 24 Virginia women’s lacrosse team (2-3, 1-0 ACC) picked up a 9-7 victory against No. 5 Notre Dame (4-1, 1-1 ACC) on Sunday (Feb. 2) at the Loftus Sports Center.
Virginia led 6-4 at halftime, but Notre Dame outscored the Cavaliers 3-0 in the third quarter to take a 7-6 lead.
Junior midfielder Kate Galica tied the game 7-7 on a free position shot with 9:32 remaining in the game. Junior attacker Jenna DiNardo gave the Cavaliers an 8-7 edge by scoring on a feed from junior attacker Madison Alaimo three minutes later. Alaimo scored an insurance goal with 3:33 remaining to give UVA the 9-7 victory.
Galica scored three goals with two assists and eight draw controls. Alaimo has two goals and three assists.
Alaimo’s fourth-quarter assist was the 100th of her career.
FROM HEAD COACH SONIA LAMONICA
“Such a stout defensive effort from our squad tonight. Holding a talented Notre Dame offense to 15 total shots was the catalyst for this victory. Kate was outstanding on the draws, which set the tone. This team arrived with fierce energy, belief and determination from the moment we arrived through the final whistle, and shows what’s possible when you stick together.”
VIRGINIA SCORING
GOALS: Kate Galica 3; Raleigh Foster 2; Madison Alaimo 2; Addi Foster 1; Jenna Dinardo 1
ASSISTS: Madison Alaimo 3; Kate Galica 2; Raleigh Foster 1
NOTRE DAME SCORING
GOALS: Grace Maroney 2; Katie Mallaber 2; Abigail Lyons 1; Emma Murphy 1; Madison Rassas 1
ASSISTS: Emma Murphy 2; Wynter Jock 1; Maura Irish 1
NOTES
- Virginia held a 26-15 edge in shots
- Draw controls were 9-9
- Freshman Raleigh Foster scored two goals and had an assist in the first half
- Goalkeeper Elye Finelle made six saves; Notre Dame’s Ceci Patterson made 11 saves
- Alaimo is the seventh player in program history to record 100 assists in her Cavalier career
- This is Virginia’s first victory against a top-five team since defeating No. 3 Boston College in overtime in 2024 (4/13)
- Virginia’s last top-five road win was at No. 4 Notre Dame, also during the 2024 season
- This was the ACC opener for the Cavaliers
- The game was played at Notre Dame’s indoor facility. It was the third time this season that Virginia played at an alternate venue because of winter weather
ON THE HORIZON
- The Cavaliers return home to host No. 2 Stanford on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 12 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium