Notre Dame wraps up its five-game homestand with a pair of BIG EAST games against nationally ranked teams. On Friday night the Irish will play host to the #6 Georgetown Hoyas in an 8:00 p.m. game at the Loftus Center. Sunday afternoon the #13 Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds visit Loftus for a 1:00 p.m. game.

Notre Dame brings a seven-game winning streak into the weekend and is 3-0 on the current homestand. The Irish are 8-1 overall and 1-0 in BIG EAST play and are ranked ninth in the IWLCA coaches' poll. They have beaten Hofstra, Rutgers, and California in the first three games of the homestand.

The Hoyas enter the weekend with a 5-3 overall record and will be playing their first BIG EAST games this weekend. Georgetown is coming off a big win a week ago when the Hoyas knocked off third-ranked Duke, 12-11, at home. They have now played the top three teams in the country - Northwestern, Maryland and Duke - in a row, going 1-2 in those contests. They close out the weekend at Rutgers on Sunday.

Loyola enters the week with a six-game winning streak of its own and will play at Rutgers on Friday before visiting South Bend. The Greyhounds are 7-1 to start the week and are coming off wins versus James Madison and Delaware last weekend. Following the two BIG EAST games, the Irish take to the road next week to face the conference's newest teams, Cincinnati (4/3) and Louisville (4/5).

IRISH VERSUS THE HOYAS: Notre Dame and Georgetown have met 12 times in the all-time series with the Hoyas holding a 9-3 edge in the games played. At Notre Dame, the Irish have won twice and are 2-4 against Georgetown. Last season, the teams met twice, once in the regular season and once in the BIG EAST Tournament. On April 12, the teams played at Georgetown with the Irish taking a 10-8 win for their first-ever win on the Hoyas' home field. On April 25, Georgetown ended Notre Dame's BIG EAST dreams, winning 15-14 in three overtimes at Notre Dame Stadium. In each of the last three seasons, the two teams have met in postseason play. In 2006, the Irish won an NCAA game versus the Hoyas and in 2007 and 2008, Georgetown beat Notre Dame in the BIG EAST Tournament.

IRISH VERSUS GREYHOUNDS: Notre Dame and Loyola, an associate member of the BIG EAST, have met three times since the Greyhounds joined the conference for the 2006 season. The Irish have won all three games, winning once at home, once in Maryland and once on a neutral field. Last season the teams met at Notre Dame (3/22) with the Irish taking a 13-10 win.

PREMIER PLAYMAKER: Gina Scioscia's eight-point game versus Rutgers was a career best for the Irish playmaker. Her previous best was a seven-point game last season set against Rutgers (4/20/08) where she had two goals and five assists. She also had a seven-point game this season versus Duquesne in the season opener, scoring four goals with three assists. Her six-assists were the most in a game since Kerry Callahan '99, had six assists in a 20-10 win over Gannon on March 17, 1999. Callahan had nine points in that game.

SHE'S ABT TO SCORE: Sophomore midfielder Kailene Abt is quickly becoming a major scoring threat for the Irish in her second season. Already this year, the Huntington, N.Y., native is fourth on the team in scoring with career highs in goals (18), assists (3) and points (21). She recorded a career-high six-point game in Notre Dame's 20-4 win over California, scoring four goals and two assists. The four-goal game tied a career high set earlier this season against Ohio State. FEARSOME FRESHMAN: Freshman midfield/attack Maggie Tamasitis has contributed to the Irish attack in a big way during her rookie year. The Boyertown, Pa., native is sixth in scoring with 17 points on six goals and 11 assists in nine games off the Notre Dame bench. In the win against California, Tamasitis had a career-high four-point game, scoring once and adding a career-high three assists in the contest.

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2009-03-27