SOUTH BEND, Ind. – No. 9 Notre Dame rides a three-game winning streak into an important ACC showdown against No. 15/16 UNC at Arlotta Stadium at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 21. Admission is free and the game will be broadcast on ACCN.
GAME DETAILS
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Arlotta Stadium
Schedule: Thursday, April 21 — 6 p.m. ET
Admission: Free
TV: ACCN
Live Stats: UND.com
Twitter Updates: @NDlacrosse
For a more in-depth look at the matchup – Game Notes: Notre Dame
THE UNC SERIES
• Thursday will be the 21st meeting all-time between Notre Dame and UNC.
• The Irish trail in the series with the Tar Heels by a close margin, as Notre Dame has a 9-11 record in the matchup.
• The matchup has been extremely competitive, as 15 of the 20 games in the series have been decided by two goals or less.
• Notre Dame won the most recent matchup at Arlotta Stadium, earning a 12-10 victory in the 2019 regular season finale.
LAST TIME OUT
• The Irish went on the road and dismantled Marquette in an 18-8 victory on April 12 at Valley Fields.
• Jake Taylor paced the Irish scoring efforts with five goals while Pat Kavanagh turned in a five-point effort off 2G & 3A.
• Wheaton Jackoboice added four goals while Chris Kavanagh and Quinn McCahon each posted 2G & 2A.
• Liam Entenmann was strong in cage, making 15 saves while allowing just seven goals in nearly 55 minutes of play.
• The 18 goals were the most the Irish have ever scored against Marquette in the 10-game series.
THE JAKE TAYLOR EFFECT
• Ever since Jake Taylor was inserted into the starting lineup against Syracuse, the Irish offense has taken off, scoring 56 goals over its last three games (18.67 per game) with a .434 shooting percentage.
• The Irish man-up unit is 5-of-6 over the last three games.
• Taylor broke the Notre Dame single-game record for goals in a game in his first career start against No. 18 Syracuse, scoring eight goals.
• Taylor surpassed the previous mark of seven goals which occurred three times prior for Notre Dame. Randy Colley (3/13/93 vs. New Hampshire), Ryan Hoff (3/13/07 vs. Drexel) and Matt Kavanagh (3/25/14 vs. Ohio State) previously held the record.
• Taylor now has 18 goals in his Fighting Irish career and 17 on the season.
• Pat Kavanagh has 21 points over the last three games, coming on 8 goals and 13 assists while Wheaton Jackoboice has scored 9 of his 16 goals of the season in the last three outings.
THE KAVANAGH BROTHERS
• Pat Kavanagh became the fourth Tewaaraton Finalist in program history in 2021 and his brother Chris joined the 2022 squad as an attackman.
• Pat currently leads the team in points (45), goals (19), assists (26). He is second in caused turnovers (10) and ground balls (31) while Chris is tied for second in goals (17) and second in points (24).
• The brothers have linked up on 11 goals this season, with one assisting the other’s goal.
• In the 2022 season opener, Pat and Chris combined for 14 points off eight goals and six assists, despite each playing less than a half.
• The Kavanagh’s combined for 13 points in the blowout win over Syracuse. Pat had nine points (3G, 6A) and Chris added four (2G, 2A).
• In just 12 games in the 2021 season, Pat became the all-time single-season ND assist record holder, passing older brother Matt (33) for the record. Matt’s 33-assist season came in an 18-game 2014 season.
• Of the five Tewaaraton Finalists, Pat led the group in assists per game (3.17), ground balls (35) and caused turnovers (9).
• In the final game of the 2021 regular season Pat broke the program record for points in a game with a 10-point showing off five goals and five assists in the blowout win over No. 9 Syracuse.
CAUSING HAVOC
• The Irish lead the ACC in caused turnovers per game, averaging 9.89 per game.
• The Irish defense has caused double-digit turnovers in six of its nine outings.
• Notre Dame recorded a season-high 14 caused turnovers against Georgetown on Feb. 26.
• Jason Reynolds leads the Irish with 12 caused turnovers, Pat Kavanagh has caused 10.
CASHING IN ON THE EMO
• Notre Dame enters Thursday’s game ranked first in the country in man-up offense this season in EMO efficiency.
• The Irish EMO unit has cashed in on 15-of-23 chances (.652) this season.
• Seven players have combined to score the 15 goals, with Jeffery Ricciardelli leading the team with four goals and Eric Dobson adding three. Pat Kavanagh, Wheaton Jackoboice and Chris Kavanagh have each scored two man-up goals.
CHALLENGING SLATE
• Notre Dame has never shied away from putting together a challenging schedule and the 2022 slate is no different.
• Of Notre Dame’s 12 regular-season opponents, seven are currently ranked in the top 20 in either the USILA or Inside Lacrosse polls.
• Seven of Notre Dame’s first nine games have come against teams ranked in the USILA and Inside Lacrosse rankings at the time of the game, including three ranked in the top three.
• Three of Notre Dame’s losses have come against teams ranked in the top five in this week’s polls.
ALL CLEAR
• The Irish have been exceptional at clearing the ball this season, ranking fourth in the country with a 90.3 percentage.
• Notre Dame went 16-for-16 against Duke, 24-for-27 in the win over Syracuse, 23-for-25 against Michigan, 25-for-25 against Maryland, 19-for-21 against Georgetown and 24-for-25 in the win over Detroit Mercy.
CORRIGAN ALL-TIME DI PROGRAM WINS LEADER
• With the win over No. 1 Duke on April 10, 2021, Baumer Family Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach Kevin Corrigan broke the NCAA record for most wins at a DI program with 311, passing Bob Shillinglaw (Delaware).
• Corrigan became just the third coach in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse history to reach the 300-win mark at a single school with the win over Marquette on April 10, 2019.
• Corrigan is one of just four active Division I coaches to reach the 300-win mark in his career.
• Corrigan has an overall record of 327-172 in his 36 seasons of coaching.
• The head coach is 318-157 in his 34 seasons at Notre Dame.
• Corrigan is the longest tenured men’s lacrosse coach at the DI level.