April 12, 2013
GEORGETOWN (5-6, 2-1)
vs.
#4 NOTRE DAME (8-2, 2-1)
Sunday, April 14 – 11 a.m. (ET)
Arlotta Stadium
Notre Dame, Ind.
TV/INTERNET:
ESPNU (Live)
WatchESPN.com
LIVE STATS:
SCORE UPDATES:
Irish Alert! text messaging
SETTING THE STAGE
– No. 4 Notre Dame (8-2, 2-1) will play host to Georgetown (5-6, 2-1) Sunday at Arlotta Stadium. The BIG EAST showdown is slated for 11 a.m. (ET).
– The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU and WatchESPN.com. Mark Dixon (play-by-play) and Matt Ward (analyst) will be on the call. Live stats via Gametracker can be found on UND.com.
FIGHTING IRISH ITEMS
– The Notre Dame offense is averaging 10.9 goals per game and the Irish defense is surrendering 7.8 goals per contest. The Irish are averaging 13.3 goals per game over the last three contests.
– Matt Kavanagh (19), Sean Rogers (18), Jim Marlatt (17) and Conor Doyle (13) all have a double-digit goal total this season.
– Senior John Kemp has all 10 decisions in goal and boasts a 7.61 goals-against average and a .537 save percentage.
– The Fighting Irish are 9-of-27 (.333) in man-up opportunities this season, while holding opponents to a .214 mark (6-28).
– Notre Dame is 120-of-223 (.538) in faceoffs.
FACING THE HOYAS
– Sunday will be the 13th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Georgetown. The Hoyas have a 7-5 edge in the series, but the Irish have won the last two encounters. Notre Dame bested Georgetown, 9-7, last season in Washington, D.C.
– The Irish are 2-1 against the Hoyas in BIG EAST play.
– Notre Dame boasts a 2-1 home record versus Georgetown. The last meeting at Arlotta Stadium took place in 2011 and the Fighting Irish came away with a 7-6 victory.
A LOOK AT GEORGETOWN
– Georgetown is 5-6 overall and 2-1 in BIG EAST play. The Hoyas have defeated Providence (16-8) and St. John’s (14-13 OT) in league action, while the lone conference loss came against Villanova (8-6).
– The Hoya offense is averaging 9.91 goals per game, while the defense is allowing 11.18 per contest. Sophomore attackman Reilly O’Connor has team-high totals in goals (21) and assists (18). Sophomore goalie Jake Haley owns a 4-5 record with an 11.6 goals-against average and a .477 save percentage. Freshman Alex Joyce is 1-1 with a 9.3 goals-against average to go along with a .500 save percentage.
– The Hoyas went 7-6 last season (3-3 BIG EAST). Head coach Kevin Warne is in his first season at Georgetown.
THE LAST TIME
– Notre Dame defeated Georgetown, 9-7, last season in Washington, D.C. The Fighting Irish trailed 5-1 at halftime and outscored the Hoyas 8-2 in the second half. Notre Dame held Georgetown without a goal from the 6:47 mark of the second quarter until there was 8:13 left in regulation, a span of 28:34.
– The Irish used eight different goal scorers and goalie John Kemp made 13 saves in the victory.
IRISH IN THE RPI
– Notre Dame boasts the nation’s top RPI. The Fighting Irish are 5-0 against teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the RPI (#2 Denver, #5 North Carolina, #6 Duke, #8 Penn State, #9 Ohio State).
OFFENSIVE OUTBURSTS
– Notre Dame defeated Marquette, 17-5, last Tuesday at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill. and the Irish won at Providence, 13-8, on Sunday. The 30 goals are the most for the Irish in consecutive games since the 2009 season when they combined for 32 in wins over Penn State (13-8) and Dartmouth (19-7).
– Junior attackman John Scioscia tallied six goals and one assist against Marquette. The six goals were the most for a Notre Dame player since Ryan Hoff had six against Ohio State during the 2009 campaign.
– Senior attackman Sean Rogers matched a career-best output in goals (4) and points (5) in the win at Providence. Rogers had one goal and tied a career-high total of three assists in the win over Marquette.
FACEOFF FIREPOWER
– Notre Dame won 20-of-24 (.833) faceoff attempts versus Providence. Sophomore Nick Ossello was 17-of-21 and freshman Trevor Brosco was 3-of-3.
– As a team, Notre Dame is 120-of-223 (.538) in faceoffs this season. Junior Liam O’Connor is 80-of-150 (.533), while Ossello is 31-of-56 (.554) and Brosco is 9-of-16 (.563).
– 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
– Sean Rogers (Sr./A) and Nick Ossello (So./M/FO) were named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for their performances in two Irish wins last week.
– Rogers matched career-high totals in goals (4) and points (5) in the 13-8 win at Providence. He had one goal and tied a career-best mark of three assists in the 17-5 victory over Marquette.
– Ossello won 17-of-21 (.810) faceoff attempts and picked up a career-high 15 ground balls in the win over Providence. He also had an assist and caused two turnovers against the Friars.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Seventeen Notre Dame players have scored a goal this season. Matt Kavanagh (19), Sean Rogers (18), Jim Marlatt (17) and Conor Doyle (13) all have a double-digit goal total.
– Five Irish players (Doyle, Kavanagh, Marlatt, Rogers and John Scioscia) 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 nine already this season, including seven in the last two games. He notched six goals and one assist against Marquette and then scored once versus Providence.
FINISHING STRONG
– Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 39-24 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).
SCORELESS STREAKS
– The Fighting Irish defense has posted a scoreless streak of over 20 minutes in three of the last five games.
– Notre Dame held Ohio State scoreless from the 12:14 mark of the first quarter until there was 10:47 left in the game, a span of 46:27. – The Fighting Irish held Rutgers without a goal from the 11:07 mark of the second quarter until there was 13:45 left in the contest, a stretch of 27:32.
– Last Tuesday, the Irish held Marquette without a goal for a span of 21:45. The Golden Eagles scored with 40 seconds remaining in the first quarter and did not score again until the 8:55 mark of the third quarter.
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 15-6 (.714) 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 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.
– He has tallied four or more points in five games this season.
– 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 42-6 (.875) 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).
IRISH PLACE 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 33-10 (.767) career record to go along with a 6.75 goals-against average and a .599 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 71-19 (.789) 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 35-9 (.795), 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 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).