CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina women's lacrosse team (14-5, 5-1 ASUN) is set to travel to South Bend, Ind. to take on the No. 7 overall seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish (15-3, 7-2 ACC) tomorrow afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
History vs. Notre Dame
In their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, the Chants will also face off against an unfamiliar foe in Notre Dame. In the program's 11-year history, this will mark CCU's first ever meeting with the Fighting Irish, with both teams entering the 29-team field as two of the hottest teams in the country.
About Coastal
The Chants enter postseason play as winners of 11 of their last 12 games, dating back to Mar. 14, and fresh off an ASUN Conference Championship, the first conference title in the program's 11-year history.
After advancing past Lindenwood in the conference semifinals on Thursday, CCU defeated the ASUN's No. 1 seed Jacksonville 10-9 in the ASUN Championship at Rock Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Coastal avenged their 9-7 loss on Apr. 18 to the Dolphins, their lone loss in conference play this season, behind Monica Manley's seventh hat-trick of the season and a brace from both Avery McIlwaine and Alyson Mascolo.
With the win over Jacksonville in the ASUN title game, Head Coach Rachel Shuck Whitten, who was recently named ASUN Coach of the Year, earned the 100th win of her 10-year coaching career. Coach Whitten has also led the Chants to their winningest season in program history this year with 14 wins entering tournament play.
Coastal features eight players in double-figures in the scoring department, including four with 30+ goals this season in First Team All-Conference members Sydney McClure and McIlwaine, former ASUN Player of the Week Maddie Bates and Manley.
On the defensive end, in her first year as a full-time starter, goalkeeper Charlotte Sadler led the ASUN Conference with 158 saves this season and is 33rd in Division I in saves per game at 8.32. The starting backline of First Team All-Conference selection Jordan Gertz, Claudia Kelly and Lily Wallace, along with midfielders Evelyn Kitchin, Avery Snyder and Sydney Tornetta, have played a major role in the Chants success down the stretch of the season, holding two of their last three opponents to single-digits in the scoring department.
About Notre Dame
Similarly to the Chants, Notre Dame enters the NCAA Tournament as one of the hottest teams in this year's 29-team field.
Dating back to Mar. 13, the Fighting Irish have won 10 of their previous 11 outings, with their lone loss coming to the No. 2 overall seed Boston College in the ACC Championship on Apr. 26.
The Fighting Irish are led by graduate attackers Jackie Wolak and Madison Ahern, each with 50+ goals thus far this season, with Wolak just three shy of her career-high 57. In similar fashion, Notre Dame also features eight players with double-digit goals this season, resulting in the nation's fourth highest scoring offense, averaging 16.6 goals per contest.
Notre Dame also boasts the 14th-ranked scoring defense, allowing just under nine goals per game. Goalkeeper Lilly Callahan has accounted for all 15 of the Fighting Irish's 15 wins this season, recording 117 saves on 286 total attempts on frame.
CCU's first round matchup with Notre Dame will start tomorrow at 1 P.M. ET at Arlotta Stadium in South Bend, Ind, with the winner advancing to the second round to face the winner of Michigan and Mercer on Sunday.
For complete coverage of CCU women's lacrosse, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalWLAX (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com
