Two ACC teams ranked in the top 10 of the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20 took care of business Sunday, but it didn’t come easily.

Fourth-ranked Notre Dame withstood a late rally by Virginia Tech to defeat the visiting Hokies 15-13 in an ACC matchup.

Trailing 15-7 with less than eight minutes remaining, Virginia Tech (8-7, 1-4 ACC) scored six unanswered goals, but could not complete the comeback.

Maddie Howe led the Fighting Irish (11-2, 4-2) with four goals and three assists, while Andie Aldave reeled in 12 draw controls to give her 102 this season—breaking her own school single-season record and becoming the first Notre Dame player to reach the century mark.

Madison Mote added three goals and Nikki Ortega contributed two goals and two assists for Notre Dame, whose only losses this season have come to No. 3 Syracuse (a 10-9 defeat March 24) and No. 1 Boston College (a 13-9 setback on Wednesday).
 

Eighth-ranked Virginia scored the first three goals and the last four goals Sunday in a 16-13 win at Penn State. But for the 46-plus minutes separating those spurts, it was a dog fight in Happy Valley.

Avery Shoemaker and Maggie Jackson scored four goals apiece to lead the Cavaliers (10-5, 1-4 ACC) in a game that otherwise featured five lead changes and nine ties.

The Nittany Lions (5-7, 1-3 Big Ten) responded to Virginia’s initial three-goal punch with three straight goals of their own to set the stage for the back-and-forth affair.

The Cavaliers stayed a step ahead until the second half, when upset-minded Penn State pulled ahead by a goal on three separate occasions, only for Virginia to answer. A free-position goal by Kayla Brisolari (four goals) gave the Nittany Lions a 13-12 lead with 9:25 left, but Virginia blanked Penn State for the remainder of the game. Angie Loynaz tied it the next minute, Shoemaker and Sammy Mueller scored 38 seconds apart and then Shoemaker iced the win with 14 seconds left.

In other Division I women’s lacrosse results Sunday:

• No. 11 James Madison jumped out to a 5-1 lead at halftime and maintained that advantage throughout the second half of an 11-7 victory over Towson. The Dukes (10-3, 2-0 CAA) were led by Kelsey Reed (three goals, one assist) and Hanna Haven (two goals, three assists).

• Alyssa Parrella added to her incredible junior season with six goals in Hofstra’s 10-6 win over Elon. The Pride trailed 6-3 early in the second half before Parrella took over, scoring five times during a game-ending seven-goal salvo. Hofstra improved to 9-4 (2-0 CAA) and Parrella has surpassed her career high with 63 goals on the season.

• UMass’ Stephanie Croke and Brinley Anderson combined for nine goals, and Caitlyn Petro corralled 17 draw controls — the second-best single-game mark in school history — in a 19-8 win over St. Bonaventure. UMass improved to 11-3 and 6-0 in Atlantic 10 play.

• Mount St. Mary’s 14-3 victory over Robert Morris was its seventh straight, the team’s longest win streak since 2007. Jillian Petito made 10 saves and backstopped a defense that blanked the Colonials for more than 44 minutes. The Mountaineers, 10-2 overall and 2-0 in Northeast Conference play, are enjoying  the best start in program history.

Nike/US Lacrosse
Division I Women’s
Top 20 Scoreboard

No. 4 Notre Dame 15, Virginia Tech 13
No. 8 Virginia 16, Penn State 13
No. 11 James Madison 11, Towson 7
Oregon at No. 12 USC – 4 p.m. ET

Other Scores

Bryant 14, LIU Brooklyn 7
Central Michigan 20, Howard 1
Coastal Carolina 18, Stetson 11
Detroit Mercy 20, Delaware State 5
Drexel 15, William and Mary 13
Furman 13, Mercer 11
George Mason 14, Duquesne 13
George Washington 18, Virginia Commonwealth 8
Hofstra 10, Elon 6
Jacksonville 23, Kent State 4
Kennesaw State 19, Wofford 8
Mount St. Mary’s 14, Robert Morris 3
Richmond 14, La Salle 13
Sacred Heart 15, Central Connecticut State 9
Saint Joseph’s 19, Davidson 12
UMass 19, St. Bonaventure 8
Wagner 17, Saint Francis 5