Sept. 26, 2014
TUKWILA, Wash. – The national finalist University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team will square off against the world runner-up U.S. National Team Oct. 18 in the third annual NCAA Seatown Lacrosse Classic in Seattle, Wash.
The matchup will take place at 2 p.m. (PT) at Tukwila’s Starfire Sports Complex, which is just south of downtown Seattle. The NCAA Seatown Classic is presented by the Washington State Chapter of US Lacrosse.
“Fans can expect to see some of the best athletes (lacrosse) has to offer,” USA coach Kevin Cassese said. Cassese, the current Lehigh head men’s coach, and Penn State head coach Jeff Tambroni will lead Team USA at the 2014 NCAA Seatown Classic.
Both Cassese and Tambroni were assistants under Team USA head coach Richie Mead at this summer’s 2014 FIL World Championship in Denver where the U.S. finished in second place. The U.S. fell to Canada, 8-5, in the title game and the squad concluded the tournament with a 5-1 record. With a 58-4 all-time mark in World Championship competition, USA’s most recent world lacrosse title came in 2010.
“It’s great to bring this type of a showcase game out to the Great Northwest,” Cassese said. “The sport is booming out there, so hopefully this showcase can help add to the growth and give the local fans something to get incredibly excited about.”
This will mark the third time Notre Dame has faced the U.S. National Team. The Fighting Irish squared off with Team USA in 2011 and 2013 during the Champion Challenge in Orlando, Fla.
“The opportunity to go to Seattle is awesome,” Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan said. “The competition against the national team and facing players of that caliber is great. We’re interested in learning about our guys and how they can compete against top talent like that.”
Corrigan has made a point of visiting Washington state periodically over the past decade-and-a-half to evaluate high school lacrosse talent and this game is an opportunity to show off Notre Dame and its lacrosse program.
“(Washington state) is like a lot of these other outlying areas in that there is more depth of talent there than before,” Corrigan said. “All the things that need to be in place for an area to really start being a contributor to top college rosters are happening.”
For host city Tukwila, the NCAA Seatown Classic brings world-level competition to a community known for its international diversity and youth sports programs.
“The City of Tukwila is excited to welcome lacrosse back to the community,” Tukwila Mayor Jim Haggerton said. “In 2012 the City of Tukwila hosted the first NCAA Division I lacrosse match in the state of Washington, and it was an excellent event that brought high level lacrosse to the city. Tukwila’s Starfire Sports is a great facility to host the event and I hope that people from around the area will come and participate in this occasion.”
In the inaugural NCAA Seatown Classic in 2012, Denver’s men’s squad downed Maryland, 12-9, at Tukwila’s Starfire Sports Complex before a crowd of 3,589. In 2013, USC and Oregon’s women’s team squared off at Issaquah High School.
Tickets to the 2014 NCAA Seatown Classic are $23 and available in advance online at SeatownClassic.org.
The Fighting Irish concluded the 2014 campaign with a 12-6 record and they appeared in the NCAA Championship for the ninth straight season. Notre Dame advanced to Championship Weekend for the third time in the last five seasons and for the fourth time overall in program history. Notre Dame fell to Duke, 11-9, in the national title game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
———-
The University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team pursues excellence on and off the field through the three pillars in which the program is built: Character, Culture & Community. These three foundational values guide the promise of the program, which is to provide its student-athletes with the most compelling and enriching experience in all of college athletics. Through academics, competition, service and travel, the program aims to immerse its players in situations that enhance their student-athlete experience to help them become the people, students and teammates they aspire to be.
Follow the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team on social media and the Internet …
Click here to follow ND Lacrosse on Twitter
Click here to follow ND Lacrosse Coaching Tips on Twitter
Click here to learn more about the ND Lacrosse Experience on Twitter
Click here to like ND Lacrosse on Facebook
Click here to subscribe to NDLaxTV YouTube Channel
Click here to read the latest news on ND Lacrosse
Click here to learn more about ND Lacrosse Camps
Click here to learn about ND Lacrosse community service on Twitter
— ND —