Duke, Notre Dame Square Off in ACC Quarterfinals

Wednesday, April 28

Chapel Hill, N.C.

2:30 PM

Duke University

Notre Dame

Duke Women’s Lacrosse takes on the University of North Carolina Tar Heels at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, North Carolina on April 23, 2021.

Duke, Notre Dame Square Off in ACC Quarterfinals

4/27/2021 2:43:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Game Notes (PDF)Watch | ACC Network Live Stats Championship Central

DURHAM, N.C. – The No. 7 Duke women's lacrosse team is set for the 2021 ACC Championship and will face No. 5 Notre Dame Wednesday, April 28. Opening draw is set for 2:30 p.m., on ACC Network with Dana Boyle and Leah Secondo on the call.

OPENING DRAW
Top-seeded North Carolina will play host for the conference championship, with action being held at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, N.C. Notre Dame received the No. 4 seed with a 5-5 ledger in regular season conference play while Duke received the No. 5 seed with a 4-6 mark.

LAST TIME OUT
The Duke and North Carolina rivalry did not disappoint as the top-ranked Tar Heels and No. 8 Blue Devils came down to the wire Friday evening. The Tar Heels came away with a narrow 12-11 victory in Koskinen Stadium as North Carolina's Ally Mastroianni scored the game winning goal with 17 seconds remaining.

The Blue Devils were led by sophomore Olivia Carner, who scored a career-high four goals, followed by Gabby Rosenzweig with four points off of two goals and two assists. Duke's scoring was rounded out by Catherine Cordrey (1), Katie DeSimone (1), Maddie Jenner (1), Catriona Barry (1) and Abby Landry (1).

Duke's defense was top notch, led by Maddie Johnston, Cubby Biscardi, Natalie Kahn, Katie Cosgrove and Callie Humphrey. Duke held North Carolina to its second lowest goal total of the year, a team that leads the nation in scoring margin (10.71). Duke is just the second team this season to hold North Carolina to a one goal victory.

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH
The Fighting Irish enter Wednesday's contest with an 8-5 overall record and 5-5 in conference play and were tabbed the fourth seed. Notre Dame has won two in a row after dropping three straight and most recently defeated No. 19 Louisville (15-11). Notre Dame is led offensively by Kasey Choma (33 goals, 3 assists), Jackie Wolak (22 goals, 13 assists), Maddie Howe (24 goals, 10 assists) and Madison Ahern (21 goals, 13 assists). Goalkeeper Bridget Deehan has racked up nearly 800 minutes between the pipes this spring and owns a 11.16 GAA and a .470 save percentage.

DUKE IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT
Under the direction of head coach Kerstin Kimel, the Blue Devils are 12-22 all-time in the ACC Championship and 6-4 in the quarterfinal round. 2021 marks the first time Duke has received the No. 5 seed.

Duke will face Notre Dame in conference tournament action for the second time. The two previously met in 2019 in Chestnut Hill, Mass., where Duke secured a 14-13 victory. The Duke program is 0-3 historically in tournament contests played in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Blue Devils own one ACC title, which came in 2005.

ALL-ACC SELECTIONS
The Atlantic Coast Conference released its 2021 All-ACC Women's Lacrosse Teams as four Blue Devils received recognition.

Junior Maddie Jenner and graduate student Gabby Rosenzweig were selected as first team honorees, while graduate student Callie Humphrey earned a spot on the second team. Rookie Katie DeSimone captured All-Freshman honors.

DUKE DOMINANCE AT THE DRAW
The Blue Devils are 10-4 this season when winning the draw. Duke continues to rank among the national leaders in the category after claiming a 17-8 advantage at the draw in its last outing against the Tar Heels. Duke won all but one draw control in the second half to spearhead a comeback against top-ranked North Carolina. Duke claimed the draw by a 13-12 margin in the regular season meeting between the squads.

Junior Maddie Jenner leads the ACC with 10.13 draw controls per game and is second nationally heading into Wednesday's contest.

Jenner owns 152 draw controls this spring and has posted a season-high 15 three times this season, just one off her career high.

TICKET INFORMATION
All Session and Individual Session tickets for the ACC Championship are available through the UNC Ticket Office and can be purchased on the UNC website at www.goheels.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at 1-800-722-4335. All Session tickets are good for all seven games of the tournament.

Gates will open one hour prior to the start of each game or after the conclusion of the preceding game. Face masks are required and social distancing will be enforced.

All Session passes are $20 for adults and $10 for Youth (age 7-17), Seniors (age 55+). Individual session tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for Youth (age 7-17) and Seniors (age 55+). Admission is free for children 6 and under.

All tickets, regardless of session, will be Reserved Seats in order to ensure social distancing.

For more information on Duke women's lacrosse, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "DukeWLAX.

#GoDuke