EVANSTON, Ill. (JMU Athletics) – #22 James Madison overcame a five-goal deficit and used a pair of goals late in the fourth to outlast #16 Notre Dame in a 13-12 thriller on Friday in the opening round of the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship from the Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
The Dukes (14-6) registered their eighth straight victory to advance to the NCAA Second Round on Sunday, May 10, where they’ll face #2 ranked and top-seeded Northwestern (15-3). That game is set for a 2 p.m. ET start.
JMU has advanced through to the tournament’s second round for the fourth time in five years and also won for the third time in seven all-time meetings against the Irish (12-6).
The Dukes found itself in a 9-4 hole late in the first half but bounced back with seven consecutive tallies to gain an 11-9 lead in the fourth. With the game knotted at 11, goals from Kaitlyn Carney and Payton Root, as well as a key ground ball in the final minute, would prove to be enough for JMU in the win.
Lauren Savage scored a game-high tying four goals with an assist, while Carney provided a hat trick. Root tied for the game high in total points, finishing with seven off a pair of goals and a game-best five assists. Seven total players recorded goals while six had at least one assist, including Jordan Peterson, who tacked on a goal and two helpers.
Abigail Beattie was stellar in cage, finishing with 10 saves on 22 total shots faced to finish with a .455 save percentage.
For Notre Dame, Charley Bacigalupo registered seven points from four goals and three assists while Madison Rassas added three goals and an assist. Both players recorded three goals each during UND’s second-quarter spurt to grow a five-goal advantage. In goal, Ceci Patterson made six saves with a .316 save percentage.
How it Happened
First Quarter – JMU 3, Notre Dame 1
• The game remained scoreless until nearly seven minutes in when Root kicked of the scoring with the game’s opening goal. That sparked a 3-0 run, as Carney and Savage gave JMU a 3-0 advantage with 2:29 left.
• The Irish found the scoring column in the final minute, trimming JMU’s lead to 3-1 after one.
Second Quarter – Notre Dame 9, JMU 7
• UND used its first goal to spark a hot second quarter, scoring eight of the period’s first nine goals over a nine-minute span to build a 9-4 lead on JMU. Bacigalupo and Rassas each netted a hat trick during the stretch.
• JMU responded over the last four-plus minutes of the half, as a Peterson goal led to a 3-0 JMU run. Carney and Olivia Matthews added late tallies to make it a 9-7 game at the break.
Third Quarter – JMU 10, Notre Dame 9
• JMU’s defense shined in the third, holding the Irish scoreless in the quarter while facing six shots, including four saves from Beattie.
• The Dukes outscored UND 3-0 in the stanza with a pair of goals from Savage with Jolie Schiavo providing a goal in between. That put JMU ahead 10-9 entering the final 15.
Fourth Quarter – JMU 13, Notre Dame 12
• JMU extended its lead to 11-9 in the opening seconds of the fourth on a goal from Brianna Mennella of a Chloe Bleckley pass.
• Notre Dame wasn’t done, tying the game with 9:27 to play off back-to-back tallies from Bacigalupo and Grace Maroney.
• JMU recaptured the lead with 6:31 to play, as Savage found Carney for the go-ahead goal. The Dukes added insurance with just under four to play, as Peterson dished to Root, who scored on a no-look, backhand shot, making it 13-11.
• After UND trimmed JMU’s lead to 13-12, the Dukes capped off the win with a pivotal Beattie save with 2:23 remaining and a ground ball from a missed shot off the post with just under a minute to play, which allowed for JMU to run the clock to all zeroes.
Game Notes
• The game featured four ties and two lead changes, as Notre Dame dominated for much of the second (8-4), while JMU took control back in the third (3-0).
• Notre Dame out-shot JMU by a 32-23 margin, though shots on goal were much closer, at 22-19.
• The Irish led narrowly on the draw (14-13) and also held advantages in both caused turnovers (9-6) and ground balls (14-8). UND also had three fewer turnovers (13-16).
• This was Notre Dame’s first loss in 2026 after scoring 12 goals in a game.
• JMU improved to 18-20 all-time in the NCAA Championship and 7-5 in neutral-site bouts.
• It was JMU’s first victory in the tournament over an ACC opponent since the 2018 national championship game, in which the Dukes beat Boston College, 16-15, in Stony Brook, N.Y.
— JMU Athletics —
