nd m lacrosse

The observer | WEDNESDAY, mArch 31, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

ND SOFTBALL

notre dame sweeps nc state

Observer Staff Report

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online March 30.

notre dame softball swept their home series against north carolina state, emerging victorious in all three games played over the weekend.

The final matchup of the fourgame series scheduled to take place sunday was cancelled due to weather, and will not be rescheduled.

Junior pitcher Payton Tidd threw a complete game against the Wolfpack (14-11, 10-11 Acc) in the first contest of the series. Tidd struck out four batters and only walked two over the course of seven innings. Additionally, she hit the eventual game winning home run for the Irish (168, 9-6 Acc), helping to make the final score 6-5 in favor of notre dame.

The team performed well at the plate, scoring at least one run in four of the six innings. Junior outfielder emma clark, graduate student infielder Katie marino, and sophomore infielder brooke marquez all contributed had rbIs. senior outfielder Abby sweet also extended her on-base streak to 40 games and was the first to score a run for the Irish, tying the score 1-1 at the end of the first inning.

Two strikeouts from Tidd made quick work of the Wolfpack in the top of the next inning, and sophomore outfielder Leea hanks started off strong with a triple that eventually led to her scoring later in the inning.

The score remained 2-1 through the third, as neither team was able to send a runner home, and after a home run early in the fourth inning for nc state, the Irish responded with two more runs of their own to make the score 4-2.

Tidd’s third home run of the

see soFTbALL PAGE 13

ND mEN’S LAcrOSSE mEN’S SWImmING AND DIVING

Hoagland makes a splash at NCAA Championships

Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

Irish junior diver David Petrison pikes midair during his dive at the Shamrock Invitational against Missouri State on Jan. 23.

By SEAN KELLEY

sports Writer

This past week, notre dame men’s swimming and diving placed 24th in the nation at the ncAA championship meet at Greensboro Aquatic center in north carolina. The team came in ready to swim fast, scoring 15 points and recording the secondhighest finish under coach mike Litzinger. This meet was an especially fun meet, Litzinger said, because of how many first-time ncAA swimmers went for the Fighting Irish. Litzinger said he always tells his first-time swimmers “everybody belongs at that meet because they qualified.”

“You can’t look at yourself as ‘qualified 31st, qualified 17th or qualified fourth’,” he will add. “You have to look at it as — everybody starts from zero, so it’s about racing at the meet. If you don’t race at the meet, you’re going to get lost.”

With this information at the back of the newcomers’ minds,

see sWIm PAGE 14

ND WOmEN’S SOccEr

Irish suffer season’s first loss to Virginia Cavaliers

Observer Staff Report

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online March 30.

The sixth-ranked notre dame men’s lacrosse team suffered their first loss of the season saturday in heartbreaking fashion against ninth-ranked virginia (7-2, 1-2 Acc) by a score of 12-11. saturday’s game also marked the first Acc game of the season for the Irish (4-1, 0-1 Acc).

At first, it looked like the cavaliers might run away with the victory. over the first quarter on saturday, the cavaliers outscored the Irish 3-0 behind solid defense that forced some tough shots by notre dame.

The second quarter, however, flipped completely in favor of the Irish. over the second quarter, the Irish outscored the cavaliers 7-2 behind 17 shots on goal.

missouri/Kansas games canceled

Observer Staff Report

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online March 30.

The notre dame women’s soccer team will not travel to missouri for their scheduled Friday match against the Tigers due to covId-19 positive tests, subsequent quarantining and contact tracing within the Irish program, the team announced in a tweet early monday evening.

The announcement follows the cancellation of notre dame’s match scheduled for this past sunday at Kansas. The cancellation of the game in Lawrence had been announced Friday in a nearly identical tweet. both statements noted the Irish were adhering to protocols outlined within the Acc medical Advisory Group report, which is available on the conference’s website.

With the cancellation, notre dame (6-5-0, 4-4-0 Acc) loses the opportunity to complete a spring home-and-away sweep over the Tigers (5-5-3, 4-1-2 sec). The Irish were last in action on march 20 against missouri, when notre dame prevailed 2-0 on senior day behind goals from senior forward eva hurm and sophomore midfielder maddie mercado.

The ncAA division I competition oversight committee approved a proposal Wednesday for the entire 2020 division I men’s and Women’s soccer Tournaments, postponed in the fall due to the covId-19 pandemic, to be played entirely in cary, north carolina, and the surrounding area starting April 27. cary’s Wakemed soccer Park is scheduled to host both the men’s and Women’s college cups from may 13-17.

This season’s Women’s Tournament is slated to include 48 teams instead of the usual field of 64. After falling to eventual conference champions and then-no. 2 Florida state in the first round of november’s Acc Tournament, notre dame must earn one of the 17 at-large bids available if the Irish hope to compete for a national