April 12, 2012
#6 NOTRE DAME
vs.
GEORGETOWN
Sunday, April 15 – 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Multi-Sport Field – Washington, D.C.
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IRISH VISIT GEORGETOWN ON SUNDAY
– No. 6 Notre Dame (8-1, 3-0) will face BIG EAST foe Georgetown (5-5, 1-2) at 1 p.m. (ET) Sunday at the Multi-Sport Field in Washington, D.C.
– The Fighting Irish will bring a seven-game win streak into Sunday’s contest. Notre Dame is coming off a 9-1 win over Providence. The Irish are tied with Villanova for first place in the BIG EAST.
NOTRE DAME-GEORGETOWN SERIES HISTORY
– Sunday will be the 12th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Georgetown. The Hoyas lead the series 7-4. The Irish and Hoyas have split their two meetings in BIG EAST play.
– Notre Dame captured a 7-6 home victory over Georgetown last season. The Hoyas topped the Irish, 11-8, in Washington, D.C. in 2010. That was the first meeting between the two schools since the 1999 season.
A LOOK AT THE HOYAS
– Georgetown has a 5-5 record this season, including a 1-2 mark in BIG EAST play. The Hoyas are coming off a 13-12 overtime setback to St. John’s. Georgetown has also faced Providence (W, 7-6) and Villanova (L, 15-7) in BIG EAST play. The Hoyas are 3-3 at home this season.
– The Hoya offense is averaging 9.4 goals per game, while Georgetown is allowing 10.4 goals per game. Senior midfielder Zack Angel has a team-best 15 goals, while junior Brian Casey has a team-high 27 points on 14 goals and 13 assists. Senior Matt Winter has eight starts in goal. He has a 4-4 record with a 10.21 goals-against average and a .512 save percentage.
– Last season, the Hoyas posted a 7-7 record, including a 4-2 mark in BIG EAST play.
– Head coach Dave Urick is in his 23rd season at Georgetown.
THE LAST TIME
– The Fighting Irish edged Georgetown, 7-6, last season at Arlotta Stadium. The game was tied after the first quarter (2-2), at halftime (4-4) and after the third quarter (5-5). A man-up goal from Max Pfeifer with 2:33 left in regulation proved to be the game winner. Current senior attackman Sean Rogers tallied two goals in the win.
HOMECOMING
– Notre Dame’s roster features five players that competed at Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda, Md. Those student-athletes are Jake Brems (Sr./D), Pat Cotter (Jr./M), John Kemp (Jr./G), Matthew Collins (So./D) and Henry Williams (Fr./LSM).
LUCKY NO. 7
– Notre Dame has had a winning streak of at least seven games in length in five of the last six seasons.
FRUSTRATING THE FRIARS
– The one goal allowed in the 9-1 victory over Providence was the fewest for the Irish since a 14-1 victory over Lake Forest during the 1989 season. The eight-goal margin of victory was a season-best for the Irish and their largest since an 11-goal victory (14-3) at Providence last season.
A DOMINATING DEFENSE
– Notre Dame’s defense ranks first nationally by surrendering just 5.44 goals per game this season. That mark is on pace to eclipse the program-record 6.19 goals-against average from the 2009 season.
– The Irish have allowed just three goals in the past six quarters. Notre Dame held St. John’s to just two second-half goals on April 1, while Providence netted just one tally on Saturday.
– Notre Dame has held five opponents this season to five goals or fewer for the entire game. The Irish held their 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.
KEEPING THEM DOWN
– Notre Dame’s man-down defense ranks first nationally. That unit has given up just two goals in 22 chances (0.91).
SCORELESS STREAKS
– The Notre Dame defense has posted a scoreless streak totaling 20 minutes or longer seven times this season, including two streaks over 40 minutes in length.
– The Irish had a season-best scoreless streak of 41:57 in Saturday’s 9-1 win over Providence. After scoring their lone goal with 11:57 left in the second quarter, the Friars did not score for the remainder of the contest.
– The Fighting Irish posted a 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.
HOPKINS ON BIG EAST HONOR ROLL
– Westy Hopkins (So./A) was selected to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for his performance in Saturday’s 9-1 league win over Providence.
– Hopkins tallied a career-high four points on three goals and one assist against the Friars. He had a hand in Notre Dame’s first three goals. Hopkins assisted on the team’s first tally, while scoring the next two goals to give the Irish a 3-0 lead by the early stages of the second quarter. Hopkins completed his hat trick in the third quarter to give Notre Dame a 5-1 advantage. It was his third career hat trick.
MARLATT MAKING AN IMPACT
– Sophomore midfielder Jim Marlatt leads the Irish in goals (13) and points (19), while his six assists are tied for the team lead. Marlatt did not play last season due to injury.
– Marlatt has a team-best five multiple-goal games this season.
– 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.
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 the 13-6 win over St. John’s (April 1).
– The Irish had eight different goal scorers in wins over Denver (10-9 in 3OT) and Rutgers (12-9).
IRISH GET OFFENSIVE
– Notre Dame is averaging 11.3 goals per game in its last three contests.
– The Irish netted a season-high 13 goals in the win over St. John’s on April 1. Notre Dame had 10 second-half goals against the Red Storm. 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 versus St. John’s were a season-high total for a single quarter for Notre Dame.
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 goals-against average (5.37) and save percentage (.664). He also ranks 12th in saves per game (10.8).
– 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 20-6 (.769) 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 a 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 a 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 88 games), the Irish defense has limited opponents to seven goals or fewer 61 times. Notre Dame has held foes to four goals or fewer 16 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 27 games.
HOME SWEET HOME
– Notre Dame is 38-4 (.905) at home since the beginning of the 2006 season.
CALL HIM CLUTCH
– Senior attackman Sean Rogers scored three consecutive game-winning goals earlier 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).
– Rogers scored a career-high four goals in the 12-9 win over Rutgers (March 25).
IRISH IN THE BIG EAST
– Notre Dame has a 10-5 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 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 Nike/Inside Lacrosse 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 58-15 (.795) 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 before falling to Syracuse, 11-9, in the quarterfinals. The Irish concluded the season with a 14-3 record.
– 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 NCAA tournament to finish with a 15-1 mark.
– 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, and ended the campaign with a 10-7 record.
– Last season, the Irish reached No. 1 in the national polls on April 18 for the first time in program history. Notre Dame suffered a 7-5 setback to Duke in the NCAA quarterfinals and finished with a 11-3 record.