Notre Dame women's lacrosse: Duke downs Irish

Rachel Sexton recorded a hat trick for No. 8 seed Notre Dame in its attempt to even the score against Duke in an NCAA second round game Sunday afternoon at Arlotta Stadium, but the Irish couldn’t quite get over the hump as the Blue Devils won 10-8.

It was Notre Dame’s first loss all-time in six NCAA Tournament home games. Notre Dame finishes its season 10-9. Duke moves to 11-7 and will face a second straight ACC foe next weekend in a quarterfinal matchup with top-seeded Maryland.

Senior All-American candidate Margaret Smith made a defensive statement in her final collegiate appearance, causing five turnovers, gathering five ground balls and controlling four draws. Smith’s final ground ball was her 64th of the season, breaking Holly Manthei’s school record of 63 set back in 1998.

Smith also broke the Notre Dame career record for caused turnovers, passing Jackie Doherty (2008-11) and ending her career with 122.