Buffalo, N.Y. - Using a 10-goal second half, No. 8 Notre Dame defeated the Canisius College women's lacrosse team 18-8 Saturday afternoon at the Demske Sports Complex. Awehiyo Thomas (Six Nations, Ont.) tied her career high with four goals in the game and set a career high with five points. Ashley Gray (Baldwinsville, N.Y.), Marissa Brown (Syracuse, N.Y.), Erica Nasca (Orchard Park, N.Y.) and Brittany Farrugia (Elbridge, N.Y.) also scored for the Griffs.

With the Golden Griffins (2-3) trailing 9-7 at the 23-minute mark of the second half the Irish (4-1) opened up the game with six goals during a stretch of 5:11. During the stretch, Jillian Byers had three of her game-high six goals while Caitlin McKinney had one of her three goals while Gina Scioscia had two goals for the Irish.

Notre Dame never had more than a two-goal advantage until late in the first half, and the Griffs led 4-3 with 11:38 remaining in the half before the Irish scored three goals during a span of 90 seconds to take a lead they would never relinquish.

Canisius has two games next week – playing at Gannon March 14, and hosting Robert Morris March 15 at 4 p.m.

Game Notes: Notre Dame was the first ranked opponent to play Canisius in Buffalo… The Griffs scored the first goal between the teams for the second straight year… Thomas had four goals April 8, 2006, against Marist and recorded four points in a game three times as a freshman… Brown has scored in all five of her games this season… Farrugia scored for the first time since April 28, 2006, against Fairfield… Chelsea Martinez (Bethpage, N.Y.) led all player with five groundballs… The Griffs lost for the first time in six home games.

- - - -

(Buffalo, N.Y.) - The Notre Dame women's lacrosse team traveled to Western New York for the second time in less than a week and broke open a tight game with a nine consecutive goals in the second half to roll to an 18-8 win over the Canisius Golden Griffins at the Demske Sports Complex.

The Griffins ran into two of the top offensive players in the country as sophomore Jillian Byers (Northport, N.Y.) scored six goals and added two assists for an eight-point game and junior Caitlin McKinney (Lafayette Hill, Pa.) scored three times with three assists to pace Notre Dame's attack. Senior Meghan Murphy (Centennial, Colo.) added four points on a goal and three assists while freshman Gina Scioscia (Summit, N.J.) had two goals and an assist for three points. Sophomore Kelly Gaudreau (Annapolis, Md.) saw her first action of the season and also scored twice in the win.

With her eight-point afternoon, Byers now has 21 goals and four assists for 25 points in five games and has reached 100 points in her career faster than anyone, doing it in 24 games as she has 75 goals and 28 assists for 103 points. The previous record for quickest to 100 was held by McKinney who reached 100 points in 33 games. Aweyiho Thomas led Canisius with four goals and an assist in the game and four other players had single goals for the Golden Griffins.

The win gives the Irish two straight on the road and improves them to 4-1 on the season. Canisius, who was playing host to a ranked team for the first time in the program's history with the visit from Notre Dame, falls to 2-3 for the year.

Notre Dame got off to a slow start and only led 8-6 at halftime as the Irish trailed three times in the opening stanza. Canisius opened with the first goal of the game as Brittany Farrugia scored just 2:14 into the game. Byers converted a McKinney feed just 20 seconds later for her first of the day and 16th of the year to tie the game at 1-1. The Irish would take the lead less than a minute later at 3:26 when Kaki Orr (Sr., Darien, Conn.) converted a free-position shot.

1 2    Next  »

2007-03-10