March 8, 2013
#15 HOFSTRA (3-1)
vs.
#2 NOTRE DAME (3-0)
Saturday, March 9 – Noon (ET)
Arlotta Stadium – Notre Dame, Ind.
LIVE VIDEO BROADCAST:
UND.com (free)
LIVE STATS:
SCORE UPDATES:
Irish Alert!
SETTING THE STAGE
– No. 2 Notre Dame (3-0) will face its fourth straight ranked opponent on Saturday when the Fighting Irish play host to No. 15 Hofstra (3-1). Face-off is scheduled for noon (ET) at Arlotta Stadium.
– A free live video broadcast of the contest will be available on UND.com, which will also feature live stats via Gametracker.
– Notre Dame is off to a 3-0 start for the fifth time in the last six seasons
PLAYING THE PRIDE
– Notre Dame and Hofstra have split the 14 previous meetings between the two schools. The Fighting Irish posted a 6-5 overtime victory last season at Hofstra. That was the first meeting between the Irish and Pride since the 2006 campaign.
– This is Hofstra’s first visit to Notre Dame since 2004. The Irish won that tilt 19-11. The Fighting Irish boast a 4-2 home record against the Pride. The last Hofstra win at Notre Dame was a 15-5 decision in 2002.
– Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan is 7-7 against Hofstra.
A LOOK AT HOFSTRA
– Hofstra will bring a 3-1 record into Saturday’s showdown. The Pride have wins over Harvard (10-5), Fairfield (9-2) and Sacred Heart (14-9). Their lone loss was against Princeton (10-7).
– Junior attackman Torin Varn has a team-high 14 goals, while freshman Sam Llinares leads the squad in assists with six.
– Sophomore Chris Selva has all four decisions in goal. He has a 6.5 goals-against average and a .567 save percentage.
– Hofstra went 6-8 last season (2-4 CAA).
– Head coach Seth Tierney is in his seventh season at Hofstra.
THE LAST TIME
– Notre Dame bested Hofstra, 6-5 in overtime, last season in Hempstead, N.Y. Sean Rogers completed his hat trick with the game winner in overtime.
– The Irish trailed 4-3 late in regulation when Jim Marlatt evened the contest with 1:02 remaining. Marlatt tallied two goals and two assists in the game. Rogers gave the Irish a 5-4 lead with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Hofstra forced overtime when Torin Varn scored with four seconds left in regulation.
– Irish goalie John Kemp made eight saves in the win.
IRISH AGAINST THE CAA
– Notre Dame is 24-13 all-time against teams from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Hofstra is the second CAA opponent for the Irish this season. Notre Dame captured a 10-9 overtime victory at Penn State on Feb. 24.
– The Fighting Irish went 2-1 against CAA foes last season. Notre Dame defeated Drexel (6-5) and Hofstra (6-5 in OT) and fell to Penn State (4-3 in OT).
IRISH TOP TAR HEELS IN TRIPLE-OVERTIME
– Freshman attackman Matt Kavanagh scored 15 seconds into the third overtime period to give Notre Dame a 10-9 win over North Carolina on Saturday at Arlotta Stadium. The Irish scored the game’s last four goals. Kavanagh netted three goals and assisted on the other during that stretch.
– The Irish trailed by three (9-6) midway through the fourth quarter when Kavanagh picked off a pass at midfield and scored. Sean Rogers sliced the Tar Heel lead to one (9-8) with 57 seconds left in regulation on a man-up goal, which was assisted by Kavanagh. Kavanagh tied the game with 11 seconds left off a pass from Conor Doyle.
– The Tar Heels won the faceoff to begin the third overtime, but Jim Marlatt immediately forced a turnover, picked up a ground ball and dished to Kavanagh for the game winner.
– The victory was Notre Dame’s fourth straight win over an ACC opponent. Notre Dame is 7-3 against ACC competition since the beginning of the 2010 season.
TAKING DOWN TOP-10 TEAMS
– All three Notre Dame wins this season have been against a team ranked in the top 10 at the time of the contest (#4 Duke, #8 Penn State, #9 North Carolina). It’s the first time the Irish have defeated three straight top-10 teams since the 2010 NCAA tournament (#6 Princeton, #3 Maryland, #7 Cornell).
KAVANAGH IN THE CLUTCH
– Freshman attackman Matt Kavanagh has scored the overtime game winner in each of the last two games. He scored 15 seconds into the third overtime period in Saturday’s 10-9 victory over North Carolina. Kavanagh scored with 1:34 remaining in the first extra period in the 10-9 win at Penn State.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
– Notre Dame has won its last four overtime contests and the Irish are 6-1 in their last seven one-goal games.
ROOKIE ON A ROLL
– Freshman attackman Matt Kavanagh leads the Irish in goals (9) and points (12) this season. His three assists are tied for the team lead.
– He has two four-goal efforts this season (Duke & North Carolina).
– Kavanagh has scored two straight overtime game winners.
– He was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week for his four-goal, two-assist performance against North Carolina.
– Kavanagh had four goals and an assist in his collegiate debut versus Duke. He was named the Cascade Rookie of the Week for his performance against the Blue Devils.
HOME SWEET HOME
– Notre Dame is 41-4 (.911) at home since the beginning of the 2006 season.
– Last Saturday’s victory over North Carolina was Notre Dame’s 11th straight win in a home opener.
FACEOFF FIREPOWER
– Junior Liam O’Connor was 17-for-25 (.680) in faceoff attempts in Saturday’s 10-9 triple-overtime victory against North Carolina. O’Connor was 6-for-8 in the fourth quarter and overtime. He also had an assist and a career-high nine ground balls versus the Tar Heels.
– O’Connor has also contributed to Notre Dame’s offensive attack. He scored two goals immediately after faceoff wins in the victory at Penn State on Feb. 24. Both goals occurred in the fourth quarter after an Irish goal. The first tally evened the contest (7-7) with 9:28 remaining in regulation. The second score put the Irish up 9-8 with 18 seconds left in the period.
– The two goals were a career-high total for O’Connor, who has five goals and two assists during his Irish career.
MAKING IT HAPPEN IN MARCH
– Notre Dame has won 10 straight games in the month of March.
IRISH HAVE THREE ON TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
– John Kemp (Sr./G), Jim Marlatt (Jr./M) and Sean Rogers (Sr./A) all have been named to the 92-man Tewaaraton Award watch list. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top player.
– The 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.
Matt Miller A SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
– Defenseman Matt Miller has been named one of 20 candidates 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 candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot.
– 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.
A PERFORMER BETWEEN THE PIPES
– Senior goalie John Kemp boasts a 28-8 (.778) career record to go along with a 6.58 goals-against average and a .612 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 66-17 (.795) since the beginning of the 2008 season. That percentage is the third-best nationally.
– 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 finish in 2012.
– Since the beginning of the 2010 NCAA Championship, Notre Dame has gone 30-7 (.811), with three of those losses coming in overtime.
BROTHERLY BOND
– Senior defenseman Matt Miller is joined by his older brother David Miller on this season’s roster. David, a short-stick defensive midfielder, spent four seasons at Maryland and is using his final year of eligibility with the Irish. David played in 30 games with the Terrapins.
IRISH PICKED AS FAVORITE TO WIN BIG EAST
– With five first-place votes, Notre Dame was selected as the favorite to win the 2013 BIG EAST championship in a poll by the league’s seven head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own programs.
– Fighting Irish senior goalie John Kemp was tapped as the league’s preseason co-defensive player of the year.
– Kemp was one of five Notre Dame players selected to the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team. Joining Kemp as a unanimous choice were his teammates Jim Marlatt (Jr./M) and Matt Miller (Sr./D). Sean Rogers (Sr./A) and Westy Hopkins (Jr./A) also appeared on the 15-man squad. Notre Dame’s five selections were the most of any school.
NOTRE DAME TO PLAY IN TWO INSIDE LACROSSE EVENTS
– Notre Dame will face Denver March 16 in the second annual Whitman’s Samper Mile High Classic at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo. The event’s first game will feature Loyola versus Air Force followed by the Irish and Pioneers.
– The Fighting Irish will play BIG EAST rival Syracuse April 27 at the Konica Minolta Big City Classic at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Princeton and Cornell will meet in the day’s first game.
– Notre Dame topped St. John’s, 13-6, in last season’s Big City Classic.
ESPN EXPOSURE
– Notre Dame will appear on the ESPN family of networks four times during the 2013 regular season. The Fighting Irish will have three games broadcast on ESPNU/WatchESPN and one contest on ESPN3.
– The Notre Dame-Denver showdown on March 16 at the Whitman’s Sampler Mile High Classic can be seen on ESPN3.
– Notre Dame will appear on ESPNU three consecutive weekends in April. The first two games are home dates with BIG EAST opponents Georgetown (April 14) and Villanova (April 20). ESPNU also will air the Notre Dame-Syracuse clash at the Konica Minolta Big City Classic (April 27).
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 CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2013 CAMPAIGN
– Seniors Quinn Cully (M), Ryan Foley (M), Matt Miller (D) and Sean Rogers (A) have been named Notre Dame team captains for the 2013 season. All four student-athletes are first-time captains for the Fighting Irish.
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).
IRISH IN THE BIG EAST
– Notre Dame has a 13-5 (.722) 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.