April 16, 2008
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Ten saves from senior goalkeeper Brooke Shinaberry led the 13th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse team over eighth-ranked Notre Dame, 9-6, Wednesday at East Eck Field.
Five Commodores contributed two or more points to the victory, led by a hat-trick from sophomore Carter Foote. Senior Margie Curran and junior Cara Giordano each scored twice, while freshman Katherine Denkler contributed three assists for Vanderbilt (11-4, 3-1 American Lacrosse Conference).
The Irish (10-5, 3-1 BIG EAST) entered Wednesday’s game averaging over 13.5 goals per game, but the Commodore defense held Notre Dame to its second-lowest scoring output of the season. Shinaberry has stopped more than 50 percent of the shots she has faced in six of VU’s last seven games.
Vanderbilt never trailed in the game. The Commodores scored the game’s first two goals in the opening five minutes, with sophomore Sarah Downing and Foote both finding the back of the net.
Notre Dame would tie the game at 3-3 with six minutes left in the first half before a VU timeout. Giordano would tally twice to close the first half, with Curran scoring a pair of goals to open the second half and give Vanderbilt its largest lead of the game, 7-3.
UND’s Jillian Byers scored two of her team-high three goals over the next few minutes to pull Notre Dame within two goals. Foote’s third tally of the game stopped the Irish’s momentum and gave Vanderbilt a three-goal lead with 14 minutes to play.
Each team would manage only one more goal in the contest, as Vanderbilt slowed the game down with a patient, spread-out offense.
Vanderbilt has won two-thirds of the games in the 12-year series with Notre Dame, played each season since 1997. The road win was the first for Vanderbilt since defeating Notre Dame, 10-6, in 2000.
The Commodores return home to Nashville this weekend, playing host to No. 7 Duke on Sunday, April 20. Prior to the 1 p.m. CT contest, Vanderbilt will honor the seven members of its 2008 senior class — Curran, Shinaberry, Sasha Cielak, Leslie Koch, Heather Koutrakos, Ashley Paschall and Michele Slotke.
