April 28, 2017
By Robby Hamman
DURHAM, N.C. – For the second time in just four seasons the University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team will play for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship title. The Irish defeated Duke by a final score of 7-6 in the semifinals to setup a showdown against North Carolina at noon on Sunday in Koskinen Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU
Freshman midfielder Bryan Costabile led the Irish with three goals, marking the first hat trick in his young career. Junior attackman Mikey Wynne added two goals, while Ryder Garnsey and Drew Schantz each scored to propel the Irish to victory. Senior goalkeeper Shane Doss made 10 saves on the evening.
How It Happened
The Irish defense put on a clinic in the first half, as Notre Dame shut out the Duke attack in the first 30 minutes of the game. The Irish built a two-goal lead in the first quarter, receiving goals from Wynne and Costabile.
Notre Dame added another goal to its lead in the second stanza, as Costabile scored his second of the game with just under a minute left in the half. Doss recorded six saves in the opening 30 minutes of play.
Duke managed to cut the Notre Dame lead to two goals at 4-2 in the third quarter. Notre Dame’s lone goal came from Costabile, as he scored his third of the game to complete his hat trick.
The offenses came to life in the fourth and final frame. Duke scored twice in just over the first five minutes of the quarter to tie the game at 4-4. Schantz answered for the Irish with a rocket from distance to beat the Blue Devil keeper and put Notre Dame back on top with the score 5-4.
After Duke managed to level the score at 5-5 with 6:36 left in the contest the Irish got two huge scores from Garnsey and Wynne to give Notre Dame a two-goal cushion at 7-5. The Blue Devils managed to trim the lead to one at 7-6 with 23 ticks left on the clock but the Irish saw the game out and secured the victory.
Notre Dame Player Of The Game
In his first taste of collegiate postseason action Costabile looked like an experienced veteran on Friday evening. The freshman notched the first hat trick of his Irish career, scoring a career-high three goals to lead the Irish to the win. Costabile is just the fourth Notre Dame player to record a hat trick in 2017, joining Sergio Perkovic, Garnsey and Wynne.
Notre Dame Stat Of The Game
Notre Dame’s defense put the clamps on the Duke attack, holding the Duke attack scoreless for the first 35:56 of the game, as the first Blue Devil goal came with 9:04 left in the third quarter. Friday marked the first time the Irish did not allow a goal in a half and it was also the first time Duke had been shut out in a first half in 2017. The six goals are the fewest the Blue Devils have scored this season.
Notre Dame Notes
- Notre Dame improves to 3-2 at the ACC Championships in its four seasons in the league.
- The Irish will be playing in their second ACC Championship final on Sunday, as Notre Dame defeated Syracuse in the 2014 final to claim the title.
- The win improves Notre Dame’s all-time record against Duke to 8-12. The Irish have now won five of the last six matchups between the two sides at Koskinen Stadium.
- Notre Dame is now 33-22 against teams ranked in the top 10 in the USILA Coaches Poll since the start of the 2008 season.
- Friday marked the third game this season that the Irish held an opponent scoreless in the first quarter.
- Notre Dame is now 8-0 when holding a lead at the half in 2017.
- Costabile has 14 goals in his freshman campaign.
- Wynne’s two goals give the junior 98 for his career and 25 in 2017.
- Garnsey finished Friday with a goal and two assists. The sophomore has 18 goals and a career-high 20 assists on the season.
- Garnsey has recorded seven games of three or more points in a game in 2017.
- Schantz scored his fifth goal of the season and eighth of his career.
- Doss recorded 10-plus saves for the seventh time this season.
Up Next
The Irish play North Carolina for the ACC Championship title at noon ET on Sunday, April 30 at Koskinen Stadium in Durham. Notre Dame will be playing for its second ACC tournament crown in four years. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
— ND —
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.
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Robby Hamman joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in September 2016, coordinating efforts for the volleyball and men’s lacrosse program. Hamman is a 2010 graduate of Bethel College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sport management and business administration, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Defiance College in 2013.