Tough draw for Irish women's lacrosse

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The Notre Dame women's lacrosse team received a tough draw for the NCAA tournament.

The Irish will take on No. 2 Northwestern, which has won five consecutive NCAA titles, in the first round at 2 p.m. Saturday at Northwestern's Lakeside Field.

The Wildcats (17-1) own a 15-5 win over the Irish (11-6) this season. Northwestern has won the last nine meetings and has a 9-2 record against Notre Dame.

"We are very excited to be in the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season, a first for our program," Irish coach Tracy Coyne said on the school's website. "It shows that our program is headed in the right direction and gives us the chance to have a special season. Playing Northwestern is a great challenge, but for anyone looking to win the tournament, the road goes through Evanston."

The Irish will be making their third tournament appearance in a row and sixth overall.