After trailing by one at halftime, sophomore midfielder Kerrigan Miller scored three straight goals to start the second half to tie the game and take a lead that never disappeared for No. 8 USC and secure an 11-8 win over No. 16 Notre Dame.
Miller finished with a team-high five goals in the game, all of which came in the second period.
Izzy McMahon opened the scoring for the Trojans just two minutes into the match, but the Irish quickly responded with a four-goal run from Savannah Buchanan, Jessi Masinko, Maddie Howe and Katherine Enrietto.
Despite Notre Dame’s hot streak, Trojans’ Izzy McMahon assisted Maeve McMahon for a sidearm top shelf goal that sparked a six-goal run that spanned both halves and ignited a comeback. Kelsey Huff scored the final goal of the first half for USC before Miller worked her magic to regain the lead.
GAME: No. 8 @USCTrojansLax sealed the deal with this diving goal from Kaeli Huff to top No. 16 @NDWomensLax 11-8. Kerrigan Miller fueled the second half comeback with a team-high 5G, all of which came in the second period. pic.twitter.com/XJUN7vZuHR
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) February 24, 2018
Huff tallied her second goal of the game following Miller’s three-goal run, yet Notre Dame’s Nikki Ortega responded just 10 seconds later to give some life back to the Irish.
Miller then scored her fourth goal before Enrietto dished a man-up goal in the back of the net for Notre Dame.
USC sealed the deal with a final three-goal run over nine minutes, featuring scores by Kelsey Huff, Kaeli Huff and Miller.
Notre Dame’s No. 1 recruit Andie Aldave and Ortega would score two more goals in an effort to rebound, but the Trojans held on for the three-goal victory and their first Top 20 win of the season.
USC outshot Notre Dame 31-23 despite the Irish’s 13-8 advantage on the draw. It was even battle in goal between USC’s Gussie Johns and Notre Dame’s Samantha Giacolone with 11 saves each.
Murray Sets Record in Stanford Win
Fifth-year senior Kelsey Murray became Stanford's all-time leading scorer in the Cardinal's 21-11 victory over Harvard on Friday. She had five points in the win with three goals and two assists.
Three Stanford players had four points – Areta Buness (four goals), Ali Baiocco (two goals, two assists) and Daniella McMahon (one goal, three assists). Maggie Nick and Dillon Schoen added hat tricks.
It was 1-1 just one minute into the game, but Stanford quickly pulled away with an eight-goal run in 10 minutes. Harvard trailed by just four at halftime, but the Cardinal fired off another five-goal run to start the second period. It was a close 5-4 battle in the final 19 minutes, but it wasn't enough for the Crimson to overcome the deficit.
Congrats Kelsey! #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/LLMpmyPXqU
— Stanford W Lacrosse (@StanfordWLax) February 24, 2018
Jacksonville Upsets Ohio State
Thanks to a three-goal lead at halftime, Jacksonville was able to upset Big Ten’s Ohio State 17-16 in overtime, despite an 8-5 second half for the Buckeyes.
Megan Prescott scored the game-winner in extra time in a man-up scenario, while Ashtyn Hiron led the Dolphins with a team-high six points.
Jacksonville took the lead with seven minutes remaining in the first half thanks to three straight goals from MacEllen McDonough, Jenny Kinsey and Alyssa Arnold.
Hiron scored the first goal of the second half, but Jacksonville went on a five-goal run to bring the game within one.
The Dolphins led the final nine minutes 3-1 before Ohio State’s Sara Dickinson scored the game-tying goal with just two seconds left.
Prescott’s free position goal in overtime secured the game for the Dolphins.
Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Top 20 Scoreboard
No. 8 USC 11, No. 16 Notre Dame 8
Other Scores
Central Michigan 12, American 10
Connecticut 12, Cal 8
Denver 17, San Diego State 12
Jacksonville 17, Ohio State 16 (OT)
Robert Morris 15, Radford 11
Stanford 21, Harvard 11
Division II
Florida Tech Stays Undefeated, Tops Limestone
Behind a team-best six points from Caroline Dunleavy and five goals from Sara Grenier, No. 6 Florida Tech continued to roll with an 18-14 win over No. 7 Limestone.
The Panthers’ dominate first half fueled the victory despite a 3-0 start by the Saints. Florida Tech used a six-goal run to secure a three-goal lead at the 12:25 mark, with two goals from Grenier and Lauren Tybor, and second six-goal spurt to end the first half, featuring two more goals from Grenier and two from Mary Gormley.
Limestone led the second period 9-6 with three scores from Caitlyn Nemeth, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the first half deficit.