April 5, 2012
PROVIDENCE
vs.
#6 NOTRE DAME
Saturday, April 7 – 1:30 p.m. (ET)
Arlotta Stadium – Notre Dame, Ind.
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IRISH PLAY HOST TO PROVIDENCE ON SATURDAY
– No. 6 Notre Dame (7-1, 2-0) will play host to Providence (1-8, 0-3) in BIG EAST action at 1:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday at Arlotta Stadium. The Fighting Irish will bring a six-game win streak into the showdown with the Friars.
– Notre Dame is coming off a 13-6 win over St. John’s on Sunday at the Konica Minolta Big City Classic.
– Saturday’s game will be streamed live on UND.com. The broadcast is free of charge. Live stats also will be available via GameTracker on UND.com.
– Prior to the men’s game, the Fighting Irish women will face Villanova at 11:00 a.m. at Arlotta Stadium. Fans only need one ticket to attend both games.
NOTRE DAME-PROVIDENCE SERIES HISTORY
– Notre Dame is 2-0 all-time against Providence. The Irish bested the Friars 14-3 last season in Providence. The first-ever meeting was an 11-3 home win for Notre Dame in 2010.
A LOOK AT THE FRIARS
– Providence is 1-8 overall this season and 0-3 in BIG EAST play. The Friars fell to Yale, 9-6, on Wednesday. Providence has faced Georgetown (L, 7-6), Syracuse (L, 10-6) and Rutgers (L, 8-7 OT) in league play.
– The Friars are averaging 7.7 goals scored per game and the defense is surrendering 9.4 goals per contest.
– Sophomore midfielder Andrew Barton has team-high totals in goals (12) and points (18). Sophomore attackman Sean Wright has a team-best seven assists. Senior Christian Dzwilewski has eight starts in goal and carries a 10.0 goals-against average and a .522 save percentage.
– Providence went 3-12 last season, including a 0-6 mark in BIG EAST play.
– Head coach Chris Burdick is in his 14th season at the helm of the Friar program. Burdick was an assistant coach for the Fighting Irish from 1992-93.
THE LAST TIME
– Notre Dame captured a 14-3 win at Providence last season. The Irish trailed 1-0 after the first quarter, but then rattled off seven straight second-quarter goals en route to a 7-2 lead at halftime. After Providence made it 7-3 early in the third quarter, Notre Dame scored the game’s final seven goals.
– Max Pfeifer tallied a game-high three goals for the Irish. Notre Dame had eight different goal scorers in the contest. Goalie John Kemp made eight saves in 54:45 of action.
SECOND HALF SUCCESS
– After trailing St. John’s 4-3 at halftime of Sunday’s contest, the Fighting Irish outscored the Red Storm 10-2 in the second half.
MARLATT NAMED MVP
– Sophomore midfielder Jim Marlatt was named the MVP of the Notre Dame-St. John’s game at the Big City Classic. Marlatt scored a game-high and career-high three goals in the Irish victory. All three goals came within a span of 1:19 to increase Notre Dame’s lead to five (10-5) by the 11:15 mark of the fourth quarter.
– Marlatt, who did not play last season due to injury, has a team-high 16 points this season on 12 goals and four assists.
– Marlatt has a team-best five multiple-goal games this season.
MARLATT AND SMITH EARN BIG EAST HONORS
– Jim Marlatt (So./M) and Bobby Smith (Sr./LSM/D) were selected to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for their efforts in Sunday’s 13-6 victory over St. John’s in the Konica Minolta Big City Classic.
– Marlatt scored a game-high and career-high three goals in the win over St. John’s and was named the game’s MVP.
– Smith helped the Irish defense limit the Red Storm to six goals overall and just two scores in the second half. St. John’s entered the day averaging 10 goals scored per game. Smith, who had to switch from his regular long-stick midfield position to close defense during portions of the contest, matched a career-high total with four ground balls.
RANDALL A LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST
– Notre Dame defenseman Kevin Randall is one of 10 finalists up for the 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in the men’s lacrosse division. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Eighteen different Notre Dame players have scored a goal this season.
– The Fighting Irish used a season-high nine goal scorers in Sunday’s 13-6 win over St. John’s.
– The Irish had eight different goal scorers in wins over Denver (10-9) and Rutgers (12-9).
IRISH GET OFFENSIVE
– Notre Dame has scored 25 goals over the past two games. That is the most goals in consecutive games for the Irish since netting 26 combined tallies during the 2009 season in wins over St. John’s (12-2) and Ohio State (14-8).
– The Irish netted a season-high 13 goals in Sunday’s win over St. John’s. Notre Dame had 10 second-half goals. It was the first time the Irish had 10 goals in a half since depositing 10 in the second half in a 14-8 win over Ohio State in 2009.
– The six fourth-quarter tallies were a season-high total for a single quarter for Notre Dame.
A DOMINATING DEFENSE
– Notre Dame’s defense ranks second nationally by surrendering just 6.0 goals per game this season.
– Notre Dame held its first four opponents this season to five goals or fewer. That was the first time the Irish limited opponents to five goals or fewer in four consecutive games since the 2007 campaign.
– Notre Dame’s man-down defense ranks first nationally (.895). That unit has given up just two goals in 19 chances.
– Senior Kevin Randall has made 39 straight starts in the Irish close defense, while junior Matt Miller and sophomore Stephen O’Hara are first-time starters this season.
SCORELESS STREAKS
– The Notre Dame defense has posted a scoreless streak totaling 20 minutes or longer six times this season.
– The Fighting Irish posted a season-best scoreless streak of 40:24 in the 7-3 season-opening win over Duke. That streak began at the 10:42 mark of the second quarter and ended with 18 seconds left in the contest.
– The Irish defense held Penn State scoreless for the first 20:59 of the contest on Feb. 26. Notre Dame also produced a 24:50 scoreless stretch later in the game.
– At Drexel, Notre Dame held the Dragons scoreless for 33:27 from midway through the first quarter to the 3:33 mark of the third quarter.
– At Hofstra, the Irish posted a scoreless stretch that reached 24:19. It began with 3:28 left in the first quarter and ended with 9:09 remaining in the third period.
– At Ohio State, Notre Dame held the Buckeyes without a goal from the 1:03 mark of the first quarter until the 7:32 mark of the third quarter, a span of 23:35.
CAPTURING THE CLOSE ONES
– Notre Dame has played five one-goal games this season. All five of those contests were in succession. The Irish went 4-1 in those games, including two overtime victories. Notre Dame’s lone loss this season was a 4-3 overtime setback to Penn State.
– It was the first time in program history that Notre Dame played five straight one-goal games. It also was the first time the Fighting Irish had ever captured four straight one-goal decisions.
– The 10-9 win over Denver was the first triple-overtime game in Fighting Irish history.
A PERFORMER BETWEEN THE PIPES
– Junior goalie John Kemp ranks first nationally in save percentage (.652) and second in goals-against average (5.83). He also ranks eighth in saves per game (11.3).
– Kemp made a career-high 18 saves in the 4-3 overtime setback to Penn State (Feb. 26). In the 7-3 season-opening win over Duke, he tied a then career-high total with 14 saves. He was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Blue Devils.
– He finished the 2011 campaign ranked second nationally in goals-against average (6.61) and fourth in save percentage (.602).
– Kemp boasts a 19-6 (.760) career record at Notre Dame.
– Kemp is one of 82 student-athletes up for the Tewaaraton Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate lacrosse player.
CONSISTENCY IN THE CAGE
– Junior John Kemp is the third straight Notre Dame goalie to receive All-America honors. Kemp was an honorable mention All-America selection by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) last season.
– 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 DEPENDABLE DEFENSE
– Over the last five seasons, the Notre Dame defense has been one of the best in the nation. The Irish are the only team in NCAA Division I to finish in the top five nationally in scoring defense in each of those five campaigns. Notre Dame produced the nation’s top defense in 2009 by allowing a program-record 6.19 goals per game. The Irish were second in 2010 (7.53) and 2011 (6.57), fourth in 2007 (6.66) and fifth in 2008 (7.04).
– Since the beginning of the 2007 season (a span of 87 games), the Irish defense has limited opponents to seven goals or fewer 60 times. Notre Dame has held foes to four goals or fewer 15 times during that stretch.
– Notre Dame has surrendered 10 goals or more in a game just 10 times since the beginning of the `07 season. The Irish have allowed more than 10 goals just once in the last 26 games.
HOME SWEET HOME
– Notre Dame is 37-4 (.902) at home since the beginning of the 2006 season.
ROGERS ON A ROLL
– Senior attackman Sean Rogers scored a career-high four goals in the 12-9 win over Rutgers on March 25. It was the first four-goal effort for a Notre Dame player since Neal Hicks netted four in a 12-7 win over Cornell in the semifinals of the 2010 NCAA Championship.
– After being held without a goal in the first two games of the season, Rogers has scored 12 times in the last six games. The 12 goals are tied for the team lead this season.
CALL HIM CLUTCH
– Senior attackman Sean Rogers has scored three game-winning goals this season, including two overtime tallies.
– He deposited the game winner in the 10-9 triple-overtime triumph against Denver (March 18).
– Rogers also produced the overtime game winner at Hofstra (March 10) in Notre Dame’s 6-5 victory.
– He deposited the deciding goal with 4:42 left in regulation in the 6-5 win at Drexel (March 3).
IRISH IN THE BIG EAST
– Notre Dame has a 9-5 record all-time in BIG EAST 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 last season with a 5-1 mark.
PLAYING ON THE BIG STAGE
– Playing in MetLife Stadium for the Big City Classic on Sunday against St. John’s was Notre Dame’s latest chance to compete in a major venue.
– The Irish opened the 2011 campaign against Duke at Everbank Field, which is home to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Notre Dame faced Duke in the 2011 NCAA quarterfinals at the home venue of the New England Patriots, Gillette Stadium.
– Not only did the Irish compete at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore during the 2010 final four, they also played Loyola in the facility during that season’s Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic.
– In 2009, Notre Dame played Ohio State at Ohio Stadium (The Horseshoe) in Columbus, Ohio. Two weeks prior, the Irish faced Denver at Invesco Field, which is home to the Denver Broncos.
– In 2008, Notre Dame and Denver met at Toyota Park, home to the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer (MLS) and former residence of Major League Lacrosse’s Chicago Machine, in Bridgeview, Ill.
– Notre Dame and North Carolina met at the Home Depot Center, which houses the MLS’s Los Angeles Galaxy, during the 2005 First Four Invitational in Carson, Calif.
FORMIDABLE FOES
– Notre Dame’s first five opponents this season all were ranked at the time of the game. The Irish went 4-1 against those teams. There currently are six squads on Notre Dame’s 2012 schedule that appear in this week’s USILA poll.
FOUR IRISH PLAYERS EARN PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADES
– Four members of the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team garnered preseason All-America honors from Inside Lacrosse. Junior goalie John Kemp was named to the preseason All-America third team, while seniors Kevin Randall (D) and Sean Rogers (A) along with sophomore Liam O’Connor (M/FO) were honorable mention selections.
SENIOR TRIO TO CAPTAIN IRISH DURING 2012 CAMPAIGN
– Seniors Nicholas Beattie (A), Max Pfeifer (M) and Kevin Randall (D) will serve as team captains for the Fighting Irish during the 2012 campaign. All three are first-time captains for Notre Dame.
RANDALL SELECTED IN MLL DRAFT
– Notre Dame senior defenseman Kevin Randall was selected by the Charlotte Hounds in January’s Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft. Randall was the first pick in the seventh round (49th overall selection).
A SUCCESSFUL STRETCH
– The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse program has achieved unprecedented success over the past few seasons. The Fighting Irish are 57-15 (.792) since the beginning of the 2008 season. That is the third-best winning percentage nationally during that time.
– In 2008, the Fighting Irish hosted an NCAA tournament game for the first time in program history. Notre Dame defeated Colgate 8-7 in overtime.
– The 2009 campaign featured the Irish posting the first undefeated regular season (13-0) in program history before extending their record to a school-best 15-0 in the Great Western Lacrosse League tournament. Notre Dame fell to Maryland, 7-3, in the first round of the 2009 NCAA tournament.
– In 2010, Notre Dame reached the title game of the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. The Fighting Irish fell to Duke 6-5 in overtime.
– Last season, the Irish reached No. 1 in the national polls for the first time in program history.
BYRNE HONORED
– Notre Dame’s Gerry Byrne was named the 2011 Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) National Assistant Coach of the Year for NCAA Division I.
– Byrne instructed a Fighting Irish defense that finished the 2011 season ranked second nationally by allowing just 6.57 goals per game. The Irish held their opponents to seven goals or fewer 10 times during the 2011 campaign.