Without further ado, we bring you the results of the last week's Irish match-ups.
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Hockey: After proudly claiming the final CCHA title not quite two weeks ago and putting up an impressive 9-game unbeaten streak, the post-season came to an end for the Irish (25-13-3) on Saturday with a decisive 5-1 loss to St. Cloud State at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Toledo. The lone Irish goal came from Mike Voran, short-handed in the third period.
St. Cloud State scored first mid-way through the opening period, then the Irish had what was hoped to be a tying goal reviewed and waved off - it had been kicked in by Anders Lee. Starting midway through the second period on a power play, St. Cloud State netted three unanswered goals; ND had just 3 shots on goal in the whole period. Mike Johnson replaced Steven Summerhays (14 saves) in the goal for the third period, making 4 saves on 5 shots. The Irish were plagued in the third by consecutive penalties and St. Cloud State scored their 5th goal of the afternoon.
Penalties favored the Huskies, 7-1, as did shots on goal, 23-18.
While the loss was hard and it would have been outstanding to see the Irish advance in the tournament, this was a great, great season for ND and one that ended with a strong turnaround and exciting games. Already looking forward to next year.
We should also note here that junior captain Anders Lee, who will be greatly missed, signed a contract with the NHL's New York Islanders and played in his first game on Tuesday night (quick turnaround, right?). Anders, who tied for 13th nationally in goals made, scored on his very first shot in his very first game in the NHL. Nice way to kick things off.
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Lacrosse: The now no. 4 men's team (7-2, 2-1) split their matches over the past week, falling to no. 19 St. John's, 12-10, in a battle that saw the Irish overpowered on both ends of the field and unable to gain the lead with a late rally. Tuesday, Notre Dame earned a win over Marquette, 17-5. Junior attackman John Scioscia scored an impressive six goals and one assist (he had just two career goals coming into the game).
The Irish face Providence this Sunday on the road.
The no. 7 women's team (8-0) was idle this week, but hits the road to face no. 20 Louisville on Friday and Cincinnati on Sunday.
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Baseball: The no. 20 Irish (17-9), went 2-3 over the last week, dropping their 3 weekend matches to no. 10 Louisville, 10-5, 2-1, and 10-5 on the road. After that rough sojourn, ND returned home to claim victories earlier this week over UIC, 6-2, and Valparaiso, 3-1.
The Irish face Villanova on Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday at home. They'll face Michigan at home on Tuesday and Eastern Michigan on Wednesday.
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Softball: The Irish (24-8, 5-0) fell to Green Bay, 5-4, late last week, but earned two wins over Georgetown early this week, 8-2 and 15-3, claiming their 1000th program win in the process.
The Irish face Villanova this Saturday in a double-header at home, at noon and again at 2:00 p.m. EST, then again on Sunday at 11:00 p.m. EST. Tuesday, they play Northwestern on the road, and Wednesday they're home against Toledo.
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Swimming and diving: Last weekend, the men's team competed in the NCAA championships in Indianapolis, finishing in a tie for 36th place overall, the second best point total in program history.
The Irish saw strong finishes from John Williamson (13th in the 200 butterfly) and Zach Stephens (16th in the 200 breaststroke), who are the third and fourth student athletes to place in the top 16 of an individual event in program history; Frank Dyer came in 21st in the 100 freestyle. The Irish team of Dyer, Kevin Hughes, John McGinley, and Bill Bass came in 16th in the 800 freestyle relay. All-America honors went to five ND swimmers in three events. Several school records and career bests were set by the Irish at the tournament.
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Tennis: The no. 16 women's team (12-5) split their games this past week, falling to no. 29 Tulsa, 4-3, but beating Marquette convincingly, 6-1, on Tuesday.
Notre Dame faces Memphis on Sunday at home at 1:00 p.m. EST.
The no. 27 men's team (12-7) won out over Ball State, 5-2, on the road early this week.
The Irish will face South Florida and Butler on Saturday at home.
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Track & Field: The Irish continued the newly-begun outdoor season this past weekend with competition at the Stanford Invitational in California and the Oliver Nikoloff Open in Ohio. Notre Dame student athletes earned 18 top-10 finishes, with 11 in the top-five, including first in women's discus, women's heptathlon, women's 800m, and men's 4x400m.
The Irish travel to East Lansing this Friday and Saturday for the Michigan State Invitational.
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Rowing: The no. 14 Irish earned 8 victories in an impressive showing competing against Iowa, Michigan, and Michigan State in East Lansing over the weekend.
The Irish next head to Columbus to face Ohio State and Michigan this weekend.
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Golf: The no. 23 women's team was idle this week, but next competes in the DAC/SMU Invitational in Dallas this Friday through Sunday before the Big East Championship near the end of the month.
The men's team was idle this week, but next competes in the Irish Creek Collegiate in NC this Saturday and Sunday.
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They're not in season, of course, but women's soccer hosted the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League yesterday (Wednesday) in Alumni Stadium for a match. They play the Mexico Under-20 team on Friday at 7:00 p.m. EST. Saturday, Notre Dame hosts practice play with Iowa, IPFW, and Grand Valley St.
The men's team also begins spring play this Sunday with a match against Western Michigan at home at 2:00 p.m. EST and another immediately following against Valparaiso.
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Basketball: The no. 2 women's team (35-1) continued NCAA tournament play with victories in the rounds of sixteen and eight, first with a dominating 93-63 victory over Kansas. Skylar Diggins racked up 9 assists and 27 points in the game (22 in the first half), becoming Notre Dame's career scoring leader in the process. Tuesday night, the Irish conquered no. 5 Duke, 87-76, after a rhythm-less start that saw Diggins in foul trouble early and the team go into the locker room down six. The second half was a different story, and Diggins finished the night with 24 points and 9 assists, Kayla McBride put up 18 points, Jewell Loyd put up 17, and Natalie Achonwa scored 17 with 13 rebounds.
The Irish face UConn in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. EST (ESPN) in New Orleans. If they win, they'll compete in the championship game on Tuesday night (8:30 p.m. EST, ESPN). All the best of luck to the women's team as they make their way against UConn for the fourth time this year (they're 3-0 so far) and, hopefully, on to the championship.
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We'll bring you updates again next week on all our Notre Dame Olympic sports. Go Irish.