May 28, 2014

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Barely 48 hours removed from playing for the 2014 national championship–the Irish fell to Duke 11-9 Monday in Baltimore in the title game of the NCAA Championships–they headed out Wednesday for a 10-day foreign tour featuring three games.

That NCAA achievement marked the third time in five years Notre Dame has qualified for NCAA Championship Weekend and the second time in five years the Irish played in the title game.

Most of the Irish players remained on the East Coast after the Monday title game in Baltimore–and then flew to Milan, Italy, out of New York’s JFK Airport. A small contingent of coaches, administrators and families flew out of Chicago Wednesday.

The Notre Dame squad will spend two nights in Como, three in San Marino, two in Montecatini Terme, Tuscany, and finally two in Rome. The Irish will tour Milan, Lake Como, the San Marino Republic, Riccione, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Florence and Rome.

The Irish will play three “friendly” lacrosse games in Riviera–Saturday (May 31) against a Great Britain/international squad, Sunday (June 1) versus Team Norway and Monday (June 2) against Team Italy.

The Irish lacrosse group returns to the United States June 7.

This marks the fifth foreign trip for the Irish men’s lacrosse program–following excursions to Japan in 2010, the Czech Republic in 2005, Ireland, England and Wales in 2001 and Ireland in1995. This marked the third time Notre Dame has embarked on its foreign trip just days after participating in the NCAA Final Four–also doing that in 2001 and 2010.

Check UND.com and WatchND for print and video updates from the Notre Dame journey to Italy. Stay connected to this trip on Twitter via @ndlacrosse & @ndlaxexperience. Use hashtag #NDLaxItaly.

–ND–