The No. 15 Georgetown women’s lacrosse team (8-5, 4-2 Big East) will try to rebound from last weekend’s loss to Syracuse when it plays host to No. 7 Notre Dame (11-2, 4-2) this Saturday. The Hoyas were crushed last Saturday in a road contest against the second-ranked Orange and now face another formidable foe in the Irish.

In preparation for that, Georgetown Head Coach Ricky Fried and his team are not dwelling on the Syracuse loss, but are instead excited for the competition that lies ahead.

“[The team] knows what we didn’t do last weekend, and we are focused on making the corrections,” Fried said. “We’re looking forward to taking on a Big East opponent that’s a huge rival.”

Playing tighter defense is certainly one correction the Blue and Gray will have to make in the aftermath of the Syracuse loss. The team allowed the Orange to score 22 goals on 69 percent shooting.

Notre Dame’s strong attack won’t look much different than Syracuse’s potent offense, since the Fighting Irish rank second in the conference in both goals and points per game with averages of 14.4 and 21.5, respectively.

Individually, Notre Dame relies heavily on senior attack Maggie Tamasitis, who leads the team with 66 points and an incredible 48 assists. Those tallies have made her the conference leader in both categories.

“Everything really revolves and goes through [Tamasitis]. If she gets on a roll, they are very hard to stop,” Fried said.

Sophomore attack Lindsay Powell leads the Irish with 37 goals, while junior attack Jaimie Morrison has added 31 tallies this year.

Defensively, Notre Dame is fourth in the Big East in goals all but we have such a tough schedule that we also have the ability to lose to anybody.”

Describing the Hoyas’ schedule this year as “tough” may be an understatement. Georgetown has already faced six ranked opponents this season, and Notre Dame will be its second contest against a top-10 team.

The Irish have also had a difficult slate this year, though they enter the match with the momentum of a three-game win streak.

And while Notre Dame and Georgetown already have an intense league rivalry, this matchup is crucial to the final Big East standings. Georgetown, Notre Dame and Rutgers are currently tied for third in the league at 4-2, behind Syracuse and Loyola, who are tied for first. The winner of Saturday’s contest will assume sole possession of second place.

“I think confidence-wise, [a win] would be [of] huge importance and a step in the right direction,” Fried said. “The players and the coaches know what’s at stake, so we’re ready for the challenge.”

The opening draw is slated for 2:30 p.m. this Saturday at MultiSport Facility.