Jan. 3, 2006
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team is ranked 12th in the annual Inside Lacrosse and Face-Off Yearbook Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Four Fighting Irish players received preseason All-America honors by Inside Lacrosse and Face-Off Yearbook with senior Pat Walsh (A) leading the way as he was tabbed as a second-team selection. Fellow senior D.J. Driscoll (D) was selected to the third-team, while sophomores Taylor Clagett (M) and Joey Kemp (G) received honorable mention distinction.
Johns Hopkins is ranked No. 1, while defending NCAA champion Duke, Virginia, Maryland and Syracuse round out the top-five of the Inside Lacrosse and Face-Off Yearbook Poll. The No. 12 ranking is Notre Dame’s second appearance in a national poll so far this preseason as the Irish were ranked 10th in the Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Poll.
The Fighting Irish will face seven teams that appear in the Inside Lacrosse and Face-Off Yearbook preseason rankings. Notre Dame opens the season with three straight home games that are all against ranked foes. No. 13 Penn State comes to the Loftus Center for a season-opening showdown on Feb. 26, while eighth-ranked Cornell and 14th-ranked North Carolina will battle the Irish on March 4 and March 11, respectively. The Cornell contest will take place in Chicago, Ill. The Irish will also host No. 17 Dartmouth on Apr. 2 and No. 21 Ohio State on Apr. 29. Notre Dame will have road games at No. 19 Hofstra on March 25 and No. 22 Denver on Apr. 14.
Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) has garnered All-America honors during his first three seasons at Notre Dame. He was a STX/USILA third-team All-American as a sophomore in 2004 and earned honorable mention honors in 2003 and 2005. The senior was a Tewaaraton Trophy nominee in 2004 and 2005 and is a three-time All-Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) first-team selection. He totaled a team-high 43 points on 21 goals and 22 assists one year ago.
Driscoll (Downingtown, Pa./Malvern Prep) was a STX/USILA Honorable Mention All-American last season along with being tabbed the Great Western Lacrosse League’s Defensive Player of the Year. He is a two-time member of the All-GWLL first-team (2004, 2005) and was on the second-team as a freshman in 2003.
Clagett (Chesapeake Beach, Md./DeMatha Catholic) played in all 11 games during his rookie campaign in 2005. He collected a team-high 64 groundballs and notched three points on two goals and an assist. Kemp (Potomac, Md./Georgetown Prep) led the nation with a .652 save percentage last season. He saw action in all 11 contests, totaling 131 saves, while allowing 70 goals. Kemp posted a 5-2 record en route to being named to the All-GWLL second-team.
To stay updated on the Fighting Irish men’s lacrosse team and all of the varsity sports at Notre Dame, please log on to und.com or call the Notre Dame athletics hotline at (574) 631-3000.
Inside Lacrosse and Face-Off Yearbook 2006 Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Johns Hopkins
2. Duke
3. Virginia
4. Maryland
5. Syracuse
6. Georgetown
7. Navy
8. Cornell
9. Massachusetts
10. Princeton
11. Towson
12. NOTRE DAME
13. Penn State
14. North Carolina
15. Army
16. Delaware
17. Dartmouth
18. Albany
19. Hofstra
20. Fairfield
21. Ohio State
22. Denver
23. Loyola
24. Rutgers
25. Bucknell
2006 Notre Dame opponents in italics