March 8, 2007
#14 Notre Dame at #15 North Carolina
Saturday, March 10 • 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Fetzer Field • Chapel Hill, N.C.
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The No. 14 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team will continue its five-game road trip with a showdown against No. 15 North Carolina on Saturday, March 10 in Chapel Hill, N.C. Game time is slated for 1:00 p.m. (ET). The Fighting Irish carry a 2-1 record into the contest, while the Tar Heels are 4-1. Notre Dame captured a 9-7 victory over North Carolina last season to even the all-time series at 3-3. This will mark the Irish’s third straight game away from home.
ND-UNC SERIES NOTES: Saturday will be the seventh meeting all-time between the Fighting Irish and the Tar Heels … the series is tied 3-3 … Notre Dame has won the past two meetings by identical 9-7 scores … Notre Dame is 1-1 all-time at North Carolina … the last meeting between the two schools in Chapel Hill was a 10-8 Irish victory during the 2003 campaign … the first meeting between the two schools took place during the 1995 season … the Tar Heels won that contest, 11-8.
ABOUT THE IRISH: Notre Dame (2-1) is coming off a 13-8 loss to No. 4 Cornell on Saturday, March 3 in Hewlett, N.Y. … the Irish are currently ranked 14th in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll and 15th in the USILA coaches poll … fifth-year senior attackman Brian Hubschmann leads the Irish with seven goals to go along with one assist … junior midfielder Michael Podgajny (6 G, 3 A) and freshman attackman Will Yeatman (5 G, 4 A) share the team lead in points with nine … Yeatman has a team-best four assists … junior goaltender Joey Kemp has all three decisions for the Irish and carries a 9.12 goals-against average and a .550 save percentage … Notre Dame downed No. 13 Loyola 9-7 in the season opener (Feb. 17) before topping Penn State 11-8 (Feb. 25) … the Fighting Irish return six starters and 16 letterwinners from last year’s team that posted a 10-5 record and earned a berth to the NCAA tournament … Kemp earned honorable mention All-America honors from the USILA last season … he ranked in the top-12 nationally in both save percentage and goals-against average … Kemp and Hubschmann are preseason honorable mention All-America selections according to Inside Lacrosse … Hubschmann led the team with 31 goals last season and tied for team-high honors in points with 50 … Kevin Corrigan is in his 19th season as the head coach of the Fighting Irish … Corrigan has an overall record of 158-89 (.640) at Notre Dame.
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA: The Tar Heels are 4-1 on the season, including a 10-6 win over Bellarmine on Wednesday (March 7) … North Carolina opened the season with wins over Ohio State (14-10), No. 12 Denver (11-8) and Dartmouth (12-6) before suffering a 19-8 setback against No. 8 Navy … freshman attackman Gavin Petracca leads the Tar Heels with 14 points on a team high-tying nine goals and five assists … sophomore midfielder Ben Hunt also has nine tallies … sophomore Grant Zimmerman has started all five games in goal, registering a 9.74 goals-against average and a .515 save percentage … the Tar Heels returned five starters and 26 letterwinners from a team that went 4-10 in 2006 … John Haus is in his seventh season at the helm of the North Carolina program … he has an overall record of 111-69 (.617) with the Tar Heels.
THE LAST TIME: Notre Dame defeated North Carolina 9-7 last season at Moose Krause Stadium on the Notre Dame campus … the Irish were ranked 12th at the time of the meeting, while the Tar Heels were unranked … Pat Walsh enjoyed a six-point day for the Irish on one goal and five assists … Brian Hubschmann registered two goals and two assists in the win … Matt Karweck and Matt Ryan each scored two goals, while Ryan Hoff and Bill Liva added tallies for Notre Dame … Bart Wagner was the high-point man for the Tar Heels with two goals and two assists … Sean Link also chipped in two scores for North Carolina … Irish goaltender Joey Kemp made seven saves, while North Carolina’s Grant Zimmerman made nine stops in the loss.
RECAPPING CORNELL: Notre Dame fell to No. 4 Cornell 13-8 on Saturday (March 3) at Hewlett High School in Hewlett, N.Y. David Mitchell led the way for the Big Red with three goals and one assist. Senior Brian Hubschmann and freshman Will Yeatman both netted two goals for the Fighting Irish. Cornell broke open a 2-2 game with five straight tallies in the second quarter. Eric Pittard started the surge with a man-up tally with 8:51 left in the period. Mitchell would then find the back of the net before his teammate Chris Finn notched back-to-back scores to make it 6-2 in favor of the Big Red. A Max Seibald goal with one second left in the half put Cornell on top 7-2 at the intermission. Fighting Irish sophomore Peter Christman connected on his first goal of the season with just 38 seconds gone by in the second half to make it a 7-3 contest. The Big Red responded with a 5-0 run to put the contest out of reach. Mitchell would score twice in less than two minutes to put Cornell up 9-3 with 10:19 left in the third quarter. John Glynn then netted a goal before two Henry Bartlett scores made it 12-3. Hubschmann halted the streak with his second goal of the afternoon on a feed from Yeatman, who led the Irish with three points on the day. Notre Dame would strike again as Lucius Polk registered his fourth goal of the season to make it 12-5 in favor of Cornell after three periods. Following a Big Red tally by Brian Clayton, the Fighting Irish ended the game on a 3-0 spurt. Michael Podgajny scored his sixth goal of the campaign and then Yeatman deposited his second goal of the afternoon and his fifth of the season. Ryan Hoff ended the scoring with a goal off a pass from Podgajny to make it a 13-8 final. Yeatman gave the Irish a 1-0 lead with 12:14 left in the first quarter. Pittard knotted the game 1-1 by the end of the first quarter before Clayton put Cornell on top 2-1 early in the second period. Notre Dame answered back as Hubschmann picked up a ground ball off a Cornell turnover and scored to make it 2-2 with 11:10 left in the first half. Irish goaltender Joey Kemp made 13 saves on the day, while his counterpart Matt McMonagle had 15 stops. Cornell held a 48-34 advantage in shots.
ON THE ROAD: Notre Dame is 1-1 after the first two games of its five-game road trip … the journey began with an 11-8 win over Penn State on Feb. 25 … the Irish then fell, 13-8, to Cornell in Hewlett, N.Y. on March 3 … this marks Notre Dame’s longest road trip since the 2001 campaign … that season, the Irish went 4-1 during a five-game stretch away from home.
RETURNING HOME: The Fighting Irish have one student-athlete on its roster from the state of North Carolina … freshman reserve goaltender Brendan Moore hails from Charlotte, N.C. and Providence High School.
HUBSCHMANN STAYING HOT: Brian Hubschmann has scored at least two goals in the past eight games dating back to last season … he began his senior season with his eighth-career hat trick in the 9-7 season-opening victory over No. 13 Loyola (Feb. 17) … he also scored twice against Penn State (W, 11-8) and Cornell (L, 13-8) … the fifth-year senior has 19 multiple-goal games during his Fighting Irish career.
INSTANT IMPACT: Freshman Will Yeatman has made his presence felt in the Irish lineup by tallying three points in each of the first three games this season … the attackman had a fine collegiate debut in a 9-7 win over Loyola as he put the Irish on the board with a goal just 28 seconds into the contest … he also added two assists in the winning effort … Yeatman collected three more points in an 11-8 triumph at Penn State on Feb. 25 … the rookie scored two goals and dished out an assist against the Nittany Lions … he tallied two goals and one assist in a 13-8 setback against Cornell … Yeatman is tied for first on the team with nine points … he has a team-high four assists and is third in goals with five.
MAN-UP: Notre Dame is 6-for-11 (.545) in man-up opportunities this season … the Irish have only surrendered four man-down goals in 13 chances (.308).
NOTRE DAME IN THE POLLS: Notre Dame is ranked 14th in the latest Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll … the Irish are currently 15th in the most recent USILA coaches poll … Notre Dame’s highest ranking this season was eighth in the USILA poll during the week of Feb. 26th … the Fighting Irish peaked at No. 8 in last season’s USILA poll the week of April 3rd.
QUALITY COMPETITION: The Fighting Irish have four teams on their 2007 regular-season schedule that appear in the latest Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll … Notre Dame defeated then-No. 13 Loyola 9-7 in the season opener … the Greyhounds are currently ranked 16th … the Irish are in the middle of back-to-back road tilts against ranked foes … the Irish fell to current No. 3 Cornell 13-8 and will face No. 15 North Carolina this Saturday … the Irish also will host No. 18 Denver in a GWLL showdown on April 15.
HOME SWEET HOME: Notre Dame has won its past eight home contests … the streak stems back to a 14-13 overtime win over Air Force on April 10, 2005 … Notre Dame’s last loss at home was a 9-6 setback to Denver on April 7, 2005 … the Irish went a perfect 6-0 at home during the 2006 campaign … the Irish are 1-0 at home so far this season … two of the games during the streak have been played in the Loftus Sports Center, while the other six have taken place outside at Moose Krause Stadium … Notre Dame owns an overall home record of 110-35 (.759) during the 26-plus years of varsity lacrosse at the University.
HUBSCHMANN AND KEMP NAMED TO TEWAARATON TROPHY WATCH LIST: Brian Hubschmann (Sr., A) and Joey Kemp (Jr., G) have been named to the 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy Preseason Watch List … the award is presented annually to the nation’s top player … the athletes on the list are considered early season indicators of who to watch as the 2007 lacrosse season begins … the list of 51 players will be voted upon by coaches and narrowed as the season progresses, ultimately reaching a final list of five who constitute the award’s finalists.
IRISH EARN PRESEASON HONORS: Senior attackman Brian Hubschmann and junior goaltender Joey Kemp were selected as preseason honorable mention All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse/Faceoff Yearbook … Hubschmann was the team’s co-leading scorer last season with 50 points on a team-high 31 goals and 19 assists … Kemp was a USILA honorable mention All-America selection in 2006 … he started all 15 games, posting a 7.54 goals-against average and a .596 save percentage … he ranked eighth nationally in save percentage and 12th in goals-against average … Kemp was joined on the Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-GWLL Team by his classmates Taylor Clagett (M/FO) and Ross Zimmerman (D).
HUBSCHMANN, LIVA AND KEMP NAMED `07 IRISH CAPTAINS: Seniors Brian Hubschmann and Bill Liva along with junior Joey Kemp have been named captains for the 2007 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team … Hubschmann, an attackman, is in his fifth season with the Irish after missing all of his junior campaign with a knee injury … he led the team in goals last season with 31 and tied for the team lead in points with 50 … Liva has been a fixture in the Irish lineup during his first three seasons … he has played in 32 games, totaling 20 points on 12 goals and eight assists … Kemp has emerged as one of the top goaltenders in the nation throughout his first two seasons, ranking in the top-10 nationally in save percentage both years … he also was an honorable mention All-American in 2006.
COACHING CHANGES: The freshmen are not the only new faces on the Irish this season … head coach Kevin Corrigan has brought in two new assistant coaches, Gerry Byrne and Brian Fisher, to replace Kevin Anderson and Dave Cornell … Anderson stepped away from coaching, while Cornell took the head coaching job at Connecticut College … Byrne will not be a new face to everyone at Notre Dame since he served as an assistant under Corrigan from 1989-91 … most recently he held the head coaching position at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. … Fisher comes to Notre Dame from Rutgers, where he had a stellar four-year career from 1998-2001 followed by a five-year coaching stint with the Scarlet Knights.
DOUBLE DUTY: Freshman attackman Will Yeatman spent this past fall playing tight end for the Fighting Irish football team … Yeatman played in 12 of Notre Dame’s 13 games on the gridiron … the San Diego native was a prep All-American in lacrosse at Rancho Bernardo High School. BACK TO THE DANCE: Notre Dame returned to the NCAA tournament in 2006 for the first time since the 2001 season … the Fighting Irish posted a 10-5 record last season, including a 3-2 mark in the GWLL, which placed them second behind conference champion Denver.
IRISH DEFENSE: Notre Dame boasted the nation’s 11th-best scoring defense in 2006 by allowing just 7.67 goals per game … several key components to the Irish defense are back this season, including goaltender Joey Kemp and defensemen Joey Rallo, Ross Zimmerman and Regis McDermott along with defensive midfielders Brannon Halvorsen and Sean Dougherty … the Irish also ranked third in man-down defense by allowing just seven goals in 33 chances (.788).
SAVING THE DAY: Notre Dame junior goaltender Joey Kemp has had a huge impact on the Irish during his first two campaigns … as a freshman, he started nine games, posting a 5-2 record and led the nation with a .652 save percentage en route to being tabbed the Great Western Lacrosse League Rookie of the Year … he followed that up with another stellar season in 2006 … he ranked eighth nationally with a .596 save percentage and 12th with a 7.54 goals-against average … he earned USILA Honorable Mention All-America honors along with being a first-team all-GWLL selection.
FACING OFF: Junior midfielder and faceoff specialist Taylor Clagett has been a valuable asset for the Irish during his first two -plus seasons in an Irish uniform … he won 126 of 205 faceoff attempts last season … his .615 winning percentage would have ranked him sixth nationally, however he missed four games due to injury and could not qualify among NCAA statistical leaders in that category … he has a .595 (286-481) career winning percentage.
FOLLOW ALL ND HOME GAMES ONLINE: All six of Notre Dame’s home games will feature livestats available through und.com, the official web site of all 26 varsity athletic programs at the University … simply go to the men’s lacrosse page and click on `Schedule’ at the top of the page, find the game that is being played that day and click on `Gametracker’ to follow the game for free.
SIGN UP FOR IRISH ALERT TEXT MESSAGE SERVICE: Go to und.com to sign up for Irish ALERT, a text messaging service designed to give fans up-to-the-minute game updates for all 26 varsity sports at Notre Dame.
KEEPING UP WITH ND MEN’S LACROSSE: For results of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse games, call the Notre Dame Sports Hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose #5 and #1 … the hotline provides schedules and result information for all 26 varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the match recaps and weekly releases provided on the official athletic website, www.und.com … in addition, media members and fans may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting assistant sports information director Sean Carroll at Carroll.64@nd.edu … all requests for story ideas, interview access, match credentials, and further information on Irish men’s lacrosse should similarly be directed to Carroll … credential and interview requests should be made at least 24 hours in advance.