April 18, 2013
#19 VILLANOVA (5-6, 4-0)
vs.
#2 NOTRE DAME (9-2, 3-1)
Saturday, April 20 – 2 p.m. (ET)
Arlotta Stadium
Notre Dame, Ind.
TV/INTERNET:
ESPNU/WatchESPN.com
Eamon McAnaney (play-by-play)
Paul Carcaterra (analyst)
LIVE STATS:
SCORE UPDATES:
Irish Alert! text messaging
SETTING THE STAGE
– No. 2 Notre Dame (9-2, 3-1) will play host to No. 19 Villanova (5-6, 4-0) Saturday in a key BIG EAST clash. Faceoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. (ET) at Arlotta Stadium.
– Villanova currently is in first place in the BIG EAST, while Notre Dame is tied with Syracuse for second place. Both the Fighting Irish and Wildcats will bring a three-game win streak into Saturday’s showdown.
– The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU and WatchESPN.com. Eamon McAnaney (play-by-play) and Paul Carcaterra (analyst) will be on the call. Live stats via Gametracker can be found on UND.com.
FACING THE WILDCATS
– Saturday will be the 17th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Villanova. The Fighting Irish lead the series 11-5, including wins in 11 of the last 12 meetings. Notre Dame won at Villanova, 10-7, last season.
– Notre Dame is 2-1 against Villanova in BIG EAST play.
– The Irish are 5-1 at home against the Wildcats. Notre Dame topped Villanova, 12-8, at Arlotta Stadium during the 2011 campaign.
A LOOK AT VILLANOVA
– Villanova is 5-6 overall and 4-0 in BIG EAST play. The Wildcats have won their last three games. Their league wins have come against Syracuse (11-10), Georgetown (8-6), Rutgers (11-9) and St. John’s (13-11).
– The Wildcats are averaging 9.9 goals per game, while surrendering 10.2 per contest. Jack Rice (Sr./A) has a team-high 22 goals and John Kluh (Fr./M) leads in points with 24 on 16 goals and eight assists. Sophomore Reed Carlson is 4-2 in goal with an 8.83 goals-against average and a .485 save percentage. Freshman Greg Stamatov is 1-3 and has a 12.73 goals-against average and a .424 save percentage.
– Villanova went 8-7 last season (4-2 BIG EAST).
– Head coach Michael Corrado is in his seventh season at Villanova.
THE LAST TIME
– Notre Dame won at Villanova, 10-7, last season. The Wildcats opened the game on a 4-0 run before the Irish responded with eight straight goals. Notre Dame held Villanova without a goal during the second and third quarters. Sean Rogers had three goals and one assist for the Fighting Irish, while John Kemp made 10 saves to notch the victory.
IRISH IN THE RPI
– Notre Dame is No. 2 in the latest RPI. The Fighting Irish are 4-0 against teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the RPI (#1 Denver, #3 North Carolina, #4 Penn State, #7 Duke).
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
– The Irish have scored 10 or more goals in four straight games for the first time since the 2009 season when they produced double-digits in five consecutive contests.
– Notre Dame is averaging 12.5 goals per game in the last four contests.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
– Notre Dame ranks sixth nationally in scoring defense. The Irish are allowing just 7.82 goals per game.
– Senior goalie John Kemp has the nation’s sixth-best goals-against average (.7.65).
– Notre Dame’s man-down defense ranks seventh nationally. The Irish have allowed just seven goals in 29 man-down opportunities (.241). Irish opponents are just 1-of-6 in man-up chances in the last three games.
– After allowing five first-quarter goals to Georgetown on Sunday, the Fighting Irish surrendered just three goals in the final 45 minutes of the contest.
FACEOFF FIREPOWER
– The Irish rank 16th nationally in faceoff winning percentage (.543).
– All three of Notre Dame’s faceoff specialists have won at least 53 percent of their attempts. Freshman Trevor Brosco is 22-38 (.579), while sophomore Nick Ossello is 31-56 (.554) and junior Liam O’Connor is 80-150 (.533).
– On Sunday versus Georgetown, Brosco took all 22 attempts for the Irish, winning 13. He was 10-of-19 against Georgetown’s Tyler Knarr, who entered the game ranked fourth nationally in faceoff winning percentage (.647).
– Notre Dame won 20-of-24 (.833) attempts versus Providence (April 7). Ossello was 17-of-21 and Brosco was 3-of-3.
– That group has also combined for six goals and five assists. Ossello has three goals and four assists, while O’Connor has tallied three goals and one assist.
HONOR ROLL HONOREES
– Defenseman Matt Miller and attackman Sean Rogers were named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for their efforts in Sunday’s 10-8 win over Georgetown.
– Rogers notched a game-high four points on two goals and two assists in the victory over the Hoyas. His first goal halted Georgetown’s game-opening 4-0 run, while his second tally tied the game, 5-5, 15 seconds into the second half. Both of his assists pushed the Irish lead to two (8-6, 9-7). It was the second straight honor roll citation for Rogers.
– Miller and the Notre Dame defense held Georgetown to just three goals in the final three quarters of Sunday’s win. The Fighting Irish limited the Hoyas to 22 shots, including just 12 on goal. Miller was key in limiting Georgetown’s Reilly O’Connor, who entered the game with 21 goals and 18 assists, to just one goal and two assists. Miller also picked up three ground balls in the contest.
ROGERS REACHES 100-POINT PLATEAU
– Senior attackman Sean Rogers recently reached the 100-point mark. The fifth-year senior has 74 goals and 30 assists during his Irish career. The goal total is tied for 14th in Irish history, while the point mark is tied for 19th.
– Rogers has recorded four or more points in each of the last three games.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Five Notre Dame players have a double-digit goal total this season (Matt Kavanagh 21, Sean Rogers 20, Jim Marlatt 17, Conor Doyle 15, John Scioscia 10). All five have scored three or more goals in a game this season.
SCIOSCIA STEPPING UP
– Junior attackman John Scioscia entered this season with no career goals, but has tallied 10 already this season, including eight in the last three games.
– He notched six goals and one assist against Marquette (April 2). The six goals were the most for a Notre Dame player since Ryan Hoff had six against Ohio State during the 2009 campaign.
FINISHING STRONG
– Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 40-25 in the fourth quarter and overtime this season.
TAKING DOWN TOP-10 TEAMS
– Notre Dame has defeated five teams this season that were ranked in the top 10 of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) poll at the time of the contest.
– The Irish have defeated (in chronological order) #6 Duke (13-5), #8 Penn State (10-9 OT), #9 North Carolina (10-9 3OT), #5 Denver (13-12 OT) and #8 Ohio State (9-4).
– This is the first time ever the Irish have five wins over top-10 teams during the same regular season. Notre Dame downed five top-10 opponents during the 2010 campaign (including postseason).
Matt Miller A SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST
– Defenseman Matt Miller has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award in the men’s lacrosse division.
– An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
– The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 20 candidates announced in February. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website or on the Senior CLASS Award Facebook fan page through May 13. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches’ votes to determine the winner.
– The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2013 NCAA Lacrosse Championships in Philadelphia May 25-27.
– Miller has started every contest over the past two seasons on Notre Dame’s stellar defensive unit. He earned honorable mention All-America honors last season in addition to being named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
BIG EAST BEASTS
– Notre Dame has a 16-6 (.727) record all-time in BIG EAST regular-season play. The 2010 campaign marked the first season of BIG EAST men’s lacrosse and the Irish posted a 2-4 record. Notre Dame finished second in the league in 2011 with a 5-1 mark. The Fighting Irish won the league’s 2012 regular-season title with a perfect 6-0 record.
CAPTURING THE CLOSE ONES
– Notre Dame has played five one-goal games, including three overtime affairs, this season. The Irish are 4-1 in those contests and have won all three overtime games.
– Over the last two seasons, the Fighting Irish have played in 11 games that have been decided by a single goal. The Irish are 8-3 in those games.
– Notre Dame has won its last five overtime contests.
KAVANAGH IN THE CLUTCH
– Freshman attackman Matt Kavanagh leads the Irish in goals (21) and assists (11). He has tallied four or more points in five games this season.
– Kavanagh has netted an overtime game winner twice this season. He scored 15 seconds into the third overtime period in a 10-9 victory over North Carolina (March 2). Kavanagh scored with 1:34 remaining in the first extra period in the 10-9 win at Penn State (Feb. 24).
– Kavanagh assisted on Sean Rogers’ goal that tied the Denver game (12-12) with 47 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
– The rookie notched four goals and one assist in his debut at Duke. He had four goals, including the overtime game winner, and two assists versus North Carolina.
HOME SWEET HOME
– Notre Dame is 43-6 (.878) at home since the beginning of the 2006 season.
PLAYING ON THE BIG STAGE
– The game at Denver on March 16 was Notre Dame’s ninth game in an NFL stadium in the last five seasons. The Irish are 6-3 all-time in NFL venues.
– Notre Dame is 2-0 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High (Broncos). The Irish have posted a 2-1 record at Baltimore (Ravens), while going 1-0 at both Jacksonville (Jaguars) and East Rutherford, N.J. (Giants & Jets). Notre Dame is 0-2 in Foxborough, Mass. (Patriots).
FOUR ON TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
– John Kemp (Sr./G), Jim Marlatt (Jr./M) and Sean Rogers (Sr./A) were named to the initial 92-man Tewaaraton Award watch list. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top player. Freshman attackman Matt Kavanagh recently was added to the list.
– The watch list will be narrowed to 25 nominees in late April. Five finalists will be announced in mid-May. Kemp was a Tewaaraton Award nominee last season.
A PERFORMER BETWEEN THE PIPES
– Senior goalie John Kemp boasts a 34-10 (.773) career record to go along with a 6.80 goals-against average and a .594 save percentage.
– Last season, Kemp led the nation in goals-against average (6.27) and save percentage (.637) and was named to the USILA All-America First Team.
– He finished the 2011 campaign ranked second nationally in goals-against average (6.61) and fourth in save percentage (.602) and received honorable mention All-America accolades.
CONSISTENCY IN THE CAGE
– John Kemp is the third straight Notre Dame goalie to receive All-America honors. Kemp was named to the USILA All-America First Team last season after earning an honorable mention citation in 2011.
– Scott Rodgers earned third-team All-America honors in 2009 and was an honorable mention pick in 2010. He also was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2010 NCAA Championship.
– Joey Kemp, John’s older brother, was a three-time All-America honoree at Notre Dame. He copped first-team honors in 2008 in addition to honorable mention accolades in 2006 and 2007.
A SUCCESSFUL STRETCH
– Notre Dame is 72-19 (.791) since the beginning of the 2008 season. That percentage is the second-best nationally during that time.
– The Fighting Irish have been to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship four times in the last five seasons. Notre Dame made the program’s first-ever NCAA title game appearance in 2010 and the Irish were a semifinalist in 2012.
– Since the beginning of the 2010 NCAA Championship, Notre Dame has gone 36-9 (.800), with three of those losses coming in overtime.
THREE IRISH PLAYERS EARN PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADES
– Notre Dame’s John Kemp (Sr./G), Jim Marlatt (Jr./M) and Matt Miller (Sr./D) were selected as preseason All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse. Kemp was named to the first team, while Marlatt and Miller were selected to the second and third teams, respectively.
FOUR PLAYERS PICKED IN MLL DRAFT
– Four Fighting Irish players were selected in the 2013 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft. Seniors John Kemp (G), Matt Miller (D), Steve Murphy (M) and Quinn Cully (M) were picked in the draft, which was held Jan. 11 in Philadelphia.
– The Rochester Rattlers picked Kemp with the first selection of the fourth round (25th overall). Kemp was the first goalie nabbed in the draft. Rochester later selected Miller in the sixth round (44th overall). The New York Lizards picked Murphy in the seventh round (53rd overall), while Cully went to the Boston Cannons in the eighth round (62nd overall).