SOUTH BEND, Ind. – No. 2 Notre Dame welcomes No. 1 Duke to Arlotta Stadium for a highly anticipated top-ranked ACC showdown at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 8. Admission is free. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
GAME DETAILS
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Arlotta Stadium
Schedule: April 8 — 4 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
Live Stats: UND.com
Twitter Updates: @NDlacrosse
For a more in-depth look at the matchup – Game Notes: Notre Dame
Gameday Info: Click Here
THE DUKE SERIES
• Saturday will be the 30th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Duke.
• The Irish trail in the series with the Blue Devils, as Notre Dame has a 13-16 record in the matchup.
• Notre Dame has a record of 4-2 against Duke when playing in South Bend.
• The two sides met twice last season, with the Irish sweeping the series by winning both games by two-goals.
• In the most recent matchup the Irish trailed Duke 14-10 late in the third quarter before scoring the final six goals of the game, three from Jake Taylor and three from Eric Dobson, to give Notre Dame the comeback win in the top 10 matchup at Arlotta.
THE BROTHERS KAVANAGH
• Pat Kavanagh became the fourth Tewaaraton Finalist in program history in 2021 and his brother Chris joined the 2022 squad as an attackman.
• The two brothers have combined for 78 points this season, Pat totaling 43 (14G, 29A) and Chris recording 35 (26G, 9A).
• Chris and Pat became the first set of ND teammates to each record eight or more points in the same game in program history, each posting eight, in the win over Cleveland State.
• The brothers have linked up on 21 goals during their career, with one assisting the other’s goal.
• Pat led the team during the 2022 season in points (64) and assists (39). He was second in goals (24), caused turnovers (12) and ground balls (39) while Chris was second in points (33) and assists (11) while tied for third in goals (22).
• In just 12 games in the 2022 season, Pat became the all-time single-season ND assist record holder with 39, breaking his own record from the 2021 season.
• Pat owns the single-game points record at ND, recording 10 points in a game three times in his career, twice against Syracuse and this season again against Michigan.
• The brothers also excel in the ground ball aspect of the game, combining for 40 on the season.
#1 vs. #2
• Saturday’s matchup will mark the fourth time in program history that Notre Dame has been involved in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup based on the USILA poll.
• The Irish are 2-1 over the three games, with all three taking place at Arlotta Stadium and two coming in ACC matchups.
• The Irish fell in overtime to No. 2 Denver in the most recent top-ranked matchup during the 2016 season by a score of 9-8.
• No. 1 Notre Dame defeated No. 2 UNC in April of the 2015 season in a 15-14 comeback thriller.
• The first top-ranked matchup that featured the Irish came in a March matchup in 2015 against No. 1 Syracuse, as the Irish pulled out a 13-12 win in double overtime.
STRONG STARTS
• The Irish have wasted no time jumping on opponents early in games this season, outscoring the opposition by a combined score of 39-20 in first quarters.
• Notre Dame has scored on its first possession in seven of its eight games this season, with Eric Dobson firing in the first goal in four games.
• Chris Kavanagh and Eric Dobson have thrived in first quarters, as Kavanagh and Dobson have eight goals apiece on the season in the opening 15 minutes of play.
FITTING RIGHT IN
• Notre Dame welcomed four transfers to the 2023 roster and each player made has made significant contributions through two games.
• Chris Fake and Chris Conlin have each earned starts as defensemen in every game this season, combining for 16 caused turnovers and 32 ground balls.
• Brian Tevlin and Jack Simmons have played major minutes in the midfield, as Simmons has eight goals and three assists while Tevlin has six goals and three assists while adding 22 ground balls.
• Tevlin has also traded his short stick in for a long stick on the Irish man-down unit at times this season.
DOMINATING DEFENSE
• The Irish enter the weekend allowing just 9.5 goals per game, ranking seventh in the country.
• Notre Dame ranks ninth in the country in caused turnovers per game this season, averaging 10.12.
• The Irish have recorded at least 10 caused turnovers in six of eight games this season.
• Notre Dame has posted a shutout quarter in five games this season against Marquette (3rd), Georgetown (2nd), Maryland (2nd), Ohio State (3rd) and Michigan (2nd).
• ND recorded a season-high 14 caused turnovers in the win over No. 10/9 Ohio State.
ENTENMANN IS ELITE
• Senior Liam Entenmann has cemented his status as one of the top goalies in the country with his play in 2023.
• Entenmann ranks seventh the country in goals against average, allowing just 9.05 goals per game.
• The senior has a save percentage of .560 (89 saves, 70 goals allowed), ranking eighth in the country.
• Entnemann has made double-digit saves in each of the last six games.
• He was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks following his performances in wins over No. 4 Maryland and No. 10/9 Ohio State.
SHARING IS CARING
• Notre Dame’s ball movement has been dizzying at times this season, as the Irish have dished out 61 assists this season.
• ND ranks fifth in the country in assists per game, averaging 8.88.
• Pat Kavanagh leads the Irish in assists per game (3.62) and ranks second in the nation.
• Fourteen different players have recorded at least one assist this season.
• Pat Kavanagh is the program’s all-time career assist leader, tallying 112 in his career.
ATTACKING MIDFIELD DEPTH
• Despite the Kavanagh brothers earning much of the national headlines, the Irish midfield units have been very productive in 2023.
• The starting midfield trio of Eric Dobson, Quinn McCahon and Reilly Gray have combined for 40 goals in 2023.
• Dobson leads the group with 18 goals, while McCahon and Gray have each added 11.
• The second midfield has combined for 20 goals, as Jack Simmons has eight while Brian Tevlin and Bryce Walker have each scored six.
CASHING IN ON THE EMO
• Notre Dame had one of the greatest man-up units in recent memory during the 2022 season, leading the country in efficiency.
• The Irish enter the weekend 13-for-21 (.619) on the EMO through this season, ranking third in the country.
• Chris Kavanagh is tenth in the nation in EMO goals with five.
• The Irish EMO unit cashed in on 21-of-31 chances (.677) during the 2022 season.
CHALLENGING SLATE AHEAD
• Notre Dame has never shied away from putting together a challenging schedule and the 2023 slate is no different.
• Of Notre Dame’s 12 regular-season opponents, nine are currently ranked in the top 20 in the USILA poll and/or the Inside Lacrosse Top 20 polls.
• Seven games on Notre Dame’s schedule feature teams currently ranked in the top 10 in the country in both polls.
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 338-173 in his 37 seasons of coaching.