March 24, 2013
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Three fourth-quarter goals from junior midfielder Jim Marlatt helped the third-ranked Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team hold on for a 7-6 win at Rutgers on Sunday afternoon at Yurcak Field. The contest was the BIG EAST opener for the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame (6-1, 1-0) fell behind 2-0 by the 11:07 mark of the second quarter, but responded with four straight tallies to claim a 4-2 lead by the end of the third quarter. The Fighting Irish defense held the Scarlet Knights scoreless from the 11:07 mark of the second quarter until there was 13:45 left in the game, a stretch of 27:32.
Nick DePaolera snapped the scoring drought for Rutgers and made it a one-goal affair (4-3) early in the fourth quarter. Marlatt then scored consecutive goals to give the Irish a three-goal lead, which was their largest of the game, by the midway point of the quarter. The first goal was on a man-up opportunity.
Back-to-back goals from Brian Goss, including a man-up tally, sliced the Irish lead back to one (6-5) with 3:26 left in the fourth quarter. Marlatt responded once again to give Notre Dame a two-goal advantage (7-5) with just under two minutes remaining.
Rutgers (2-7, 0-2) answered back with a score from Scott Bieda at the 47-second mark of the period. Notre Dame junior Liam O’Connor won the ensuing faceoff and the Fighting Irish were able to kill the rest of the clock. O’Connor was 11-of-17 in faceoff chances on the day.
“We did not play well at all today,” Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan said. “I was disappointed in nearly every aspect of the game today, but we still found a way to win.”
Notre Dame outshot Rutgers 38-25. Senior goalie John Kemp made six saves for the Irish, while Kris Alleyne had 14 stops for the Scarlet Knights.
Freshman attackman Matt Kavanagh, who had two goals in the contest, put Notre Dame on the board at the 5:35 mark of the second quarter. Tyler Kimball assisted on the score. A goal from senior midfielder Ryan Foley off a Will Corrigan pass tied the game with 1:02 left in the first half. The game was knotted 2-2 at the intermission.
The Fighting Irish run continued when junior attackman John Scioscia converted a man-up opportunity off a feed from Marlatt. A Kavanagh goal, which was assisted by Sean Rogers, put Notre Dame up 4-2 with 1:56 remaining in the third quarter.
The Irish were 2-of-5 in man-up opportunities, while holding the Scarlet Knights to just one conversion on five tries. Notre Dame was 17-of-17 in clearing chances.
Notre Dame is 4-1 this season in games decided by one goal.
The Fighting Irish return to action Saturday when they play host to St. John’s at Arlotta Stadium. The BIG EAST showdown is slated for 1 p.m. (ET).
March 24, 2013 – Yurcak Field – Piscataway, N.J.
#3 Notre Dame (6-1, 1-0) 0 2 2 3 – 7
Rutgers (2-7, 0-2) 1 1 0 4 – 6
Notre Dame Scoring (goals-assists):
Jim Marlatt 3-1, Matt Kavanagh 2-0, Ryan Foley 1-0, John Scioscia 1-0, Will Corrigan 0-1, Sean Rogers 0-1, Tyler Kimball 0-1
Goalie: John Kemp (W, 60:00, 6 saves, 6 GA)
Rutgers Scoring (goals-assists):
Brian Goss 2-0, Nick DePaolera 1-1, Anthony Terranova 1-1, Scott Klimchak 1-0, Scott Bieda 1-0, Rich Rambo 0-1, Zack Sikora 0-1, Steve Shemesh 0-1
Goalie: Kris Alleyne (L, 60:00, 14 saves, 7 GA)
— ND —