The 12th-ranked Vanderbilt women's lacrosse team lost its NCAA First Round game at No. 6 Notre Dame, 19-13, Sunday at Alumni Field.
The Commodores finish the season with a record of 10-7, marking the third straight year with double-digit victories but also the third straight year for a first round exit from the NCAA Tournament.
Notre Dame advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals where the Irish will face No. 3 North Carolina on Saturday, May 10, in Chapel Hill. Vanderbilt defeated Notre Dame in their earlier regular season meeting on Commodore Senior Day, 18-11, on April 16, but the Irish won when it really counted.
In Sunday's game, Vanderbilt junior Sarah Downing broke Commodore records for goals and points in a season. Downing's hat trick gave her 55 goals to pass former Vanderbilt great Sue Napolitano's 1996 total of 53 goals and also helped her to 81 points, besting All-American Margie Curran's 80 points from a year ago.
Downing currently ranks seventh all-time in goals scored at Vanderbilt with 106. Downing is five tallies ahead of senior Cara Giordano, who ends her illustrious college career with 101 goals. Downing's 160 career points are sixth on Vanderbilt's all-time list.
The game started evenly with ties and lead changes over the first 17 minutes playing to a 4-4 deadlock. The Irish would score the game's next four goals to take a 7-4 advantage, and close the half with three straight to secure a 13-7 lead at the break.
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