April 12, 2016
Complete Game Notes 
| Season Stats
— #17/#19/#16 MARQUETTE (8-1, 3-0 BIG EAST) at #1/#2/#1 NOTRE DAME (8-1, 3-0 ACC)
— Wednesday, April 13, 2016 – 4 p.m. EDT
— Arlotta Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
Rankings are Inside Lacrosse (media)/USILA (coaches)/Lacrosse magazine
THE STORYLINE
This is a matchup of the best two defenses in the country from a numbers standpoint–with Marquette ranking first nationally in scoring defense (6.33 goals per game allowed) and Notre Dame second (6.56). Irish goalie Shane Doss ranks number one nationally in goals-against average (6.39), while Marquette’s Jimmy Danaher is second (6.54).
TV
Streamed live on ESPN3 (Jack Nolan, Brian Benedict)
LIVE STATS
(Gametracker)
2016 RANKINGS
Notre Dame began the 2016 season rated first in both the Nike/Lacrosse magazine and Cascade/Maverik/Inside Lacrosse media preseason polls, while the Irish were second (behind 2015 NCAA champion Denver) in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association preseason poll of coaches.
— Notre Dame moved to the top spot in the Feb. 15 USILA poll, then went back to second in the Feb. 22 and 29 and March 7 USILA listings.
— The Irish regained the top spot in Lacrosse magazine in its March 28 rankings and then ranked number one in the Inside Lacrosse and Lacrosse magazine polls issued April 4.
NOTRE DAME AND THE NUMBER-ONE SPOT
Since the program’s inception in 1981, Notre Dame has been ranked #1 in both the USILA (coaches) and Inside Lacrosse (media) polls for nine weeks.
— Here are Notre Dame’s appearances at #1:
* April 18/May 2, 2011 (USILA and media polls — 2 weeks)
* March 25/April 1, 2013 (USILA and media polls — 1 week)
* April 22/April 29, 2013 (USILA and media polls — 1 week)
* March 30/April 20, 2015 (USILA and media polls — 4 weeks)
* February 15, 2016 (USILA and media polls — 1 week)
THE MARQUETTE SERIES
Notre Dame leads it 3-0
CHECK OUT THAT IRISH DEFENSE
Can Notre Dame keep up the defensive prowess it has shown through the first nine games of the season?
— Notre Dame held Denver to a season low in goals, despite the Pioneers having their second most offensive possessions of the season.
— The Irish held Denver off the scoreboard for a 28:54 period, including the entire third quarter – and then held Virginia without a goal for the first 22:20 of the game.
— Notre Dame shut out Ohio State in the third period (while scoring four goals), holding the Buckeyes off the scoreboard for 20:32 overall.
— The Irish shut out Syracuse in the fourth period at the Carrier Dome, holding the Orange off the scoreboard for the final 19:55 of the contest and limiting Syracuse to its lowest offensive output (seven goals) of 2016.
— Notre Dame held #12 Duke to six goals (three fewer than its previous low in 2016) against a Blue Devil offense that ranked second nationally in scoring at 14.5 goals per game.
— Meanwhile, junior goalie Shane Doss has continued his glossy play – he ranks first in the country in goals-against average (6.39) and third in save percentage (.603). The Irish as a team rate second in the nation in defense at 6.56 goals allowed per contest.
THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED
An unbeaten 2016 Notre Dame team lost a March 13 overtime game to Denver and then defeated Virginia, Ohio State and Syracuse the next three weekends. A year ago, it was a 3-0 Notre Dame team that lost an overtime game to Denver. From there the Irish played at seventh-rated Virginia the next weekend, defeated the Cavaliers 11-9 and went on a six-game winning streak. That six-game streak also included victories over 15th-rated Ohio State, #1 Syracuse, #7 Duke, #15 Marquette and #2 North Carolina.
IRISH BOAST ACTIVE NCAA CAREER LEADERS
Notre Dame senior attack Matt Kavanagh heads into play this week with 202 career points to rank third nationally among active players (Duke’s Myles Jones has 212, Syracuse’s Dylan Donahue is at 203).
— Kavanagh also is sixth in career assists among active players with 91 (Harvard’s Devin Dwyer leads with 115), 11th in points per game (3.54), 11th in assists per game (1.60) and 12th in career goals with 111.
— Sophomore attack Mikey Wynne is 11th in goals per game at 2.42.
IRISH IN 2016 NCAA STATS
Here’s where Notre Dame appears in the current NCAA statistics (through games of April 10):
Team
— 2nd in scoring defense (6.56), 5th in caused turnovers per game (9.11), 9th in clearing percentage (.895), 10th in scoring margin (+4.11), 13th in man-up offense (.450), 19th in ground balls per game (30.11)
Individual
— Shane Doss 1st in goals-against average (6.39) and 3rd in save percentage (.603), Mikey Wynne 3rd in shot percentage (.532) and 11th in goals per game (2.78), Matt Kavanagh 13th in assists per game (2.13) and Ryder Garnsey 19th in shot percentage (.448)
IRISH IN 2016 ACC STATS (through games of April 10)
Notre Dame currently leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring margin (+4.1), caused turnovers per game (9.11), goals-against average (6.53), save percentage (.601) and fewest penalties per game (2.44). On an individual basis, Mikey Wynne is second in goals per game at 2.78, Matt Kavanagh is second in assists per game (2.12) and Sergio Perkovic is third in shots per game (7.56). Shane Doss is number one in saves per game (9.44), save percentage (.603) and goals-against average (6.39).
MIDSEASON HONORS
Inside Lacrosse selected a Midseason All-America squad and placed Irish senior defender Matt Landis on the first team and junior goalie Shane Doss on the second team. Lacrosse magazine did the same thing, putting both Landis and junior midfielder Sergio Perkovic on the first team – and also naming Landis the top defensive player in the country (an award he won in 2015).
For more information, see the Complete Game Notes .