NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The 10th-ranked Irish women's lacrosse team extended its win streak to seven and improved to 8-1 on the season with a 20-4 victory over California Sunday at the Loftus Sports Center.

Jillian Byers notched five goals and one assist to lead Notre Dame. Kailene Abt scored four goals to go along with two assists, and Gina Scioscia added two goals and four assists. Maggie Tamasitis had three assists and a goal, while Kelly Driscoll scored her first two career goals for the Irish. Kaitlin Keena, Shannon Burke, Beth Koloup, Shaylyn Blaney, Meredith Locasto and Maggie Zentgraf each added one goal, while Ansley Stewart chipped in an assist for Notre Dame.

Alex Tickner led the Bears with two goals. Ghillie Little and Alyse Kennedy each added a goal, while Elizabeth Jahp and Sam Price added one assist a piece.

The Irish opened the match with a 5-0 run in the first eight minutes with goals by Blaney, Byers, Keena and Abt. Cal got on the board with 19:03 left on a Tickner goal.

Notre Dame answered with another four goals, before the Bears could find the net again. Scioscia closed out the first period with her first goal to give the Irish a 10-2 lead at the break.

Scioscia scored just 21 seconds into the second period, while Abt added two more goals to move the Irish ahead 13-2. Kennedy scored for California with 22:36 left, but Notre Dame countered with four more goals to go up 17-3.

Little scored with 8:50 left to give the Bears their fourth and final goal. Driscoll scored twice and Locasto added her second career goal to make the final score 20-4.

Erin Goodman got the win in goal for the Irish, recording two saves in 45:26. The win over the Bears gave Goodman her 31st career victory, which ties her with Jen White ('03) for the most career wins in Irish history.

Morgan Dyson took the loss for California, allowing 16 goals with just eight saves in 48:16.

The Irish return to the Loftus Sports Center Friday to host Georgetown in an 8:00 p.m. matchup.

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. – California lost to No. 10 Notre Dame, 20-4, on the first game of a three-game road trip on Sunday at the Loftus Sports Center. Junior midfielder Alex Tickner scored two goals to lead the Golden Bears, whose record fell to 4-6 after their third straight loss. The Irish, who have won seven straight, improved to 8-1.

Notre Dame had three players – Jillian Byers (5 goals, 1 assist), Kailene Abt (4, 2) and Gina Scioscia (2, 4) – each score a game-high six points. The Irish outshot Cal, 38-10, and forced the Bears to make 21 turnovers, to just eight for Notre Dame.

Cal fell to 0-6 in the all-time series with the Irish.

For the second straight game, Cal fell behind by a score of 5-0 before notching its first goal, also Tickner's first, at 10:57. Trailing 5-1, the Bears allowed four more goals before they and Tickner scored their second at 28:23 to make the score 9-1.

Scioscia scored with 25 seconds remaining in the first period to give the Irish a 10-2 lead heading into halftime.

Cal got second-half goals from junior midfielder Alyse Kennedy at 37:24 and senior defender Ghillie Little at 51:10, but the Irish again outscored the Bears 10-2 to claim the 20-4 victory.

The Bears continue on their road trip with a 4:00 p.m. PT game at Ohio State on Tuesday, March 24, and a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match at 12:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, March 28, at Denver.

2009-03-22