April 16, 2009
#3 Notre Dame at Quinnipiac
Saturday, April 18 • 11:00 a.m. (ET)
Lacrosse Field • Hamden, Conn.
#3 Notre Dame vs. St. John’s
Sunday, April 19 • 3:00 p.m. (ET)
Alumni Field • Notre Dame, Ind.
Live broadcast on und.com
Gametracker on und.com
SETTING THE STAGE … A busy weekend awaits the third-ranked Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team. Notre Dame will face Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) foe Quinnipiac on Saturday in Hamden, Conn. The contest is slated for an 11:00 a.m. (ET) start. The Fighting Irish will then return home to face St. John’s in a non-conference affair on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. (ET) at Alumni Field. That will mark the final regular-season home game for the Irish this season. At 10-0, Notre Dame is the only undefeated team in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse. The Irish also will put the nation’s longest home field win streak (24 games) on the line against the Red Storm.
HOW TO FOLLOW … Sunday’s clash between Notre Dame and St. John’s can be viewed via live broadcast and live stats on the official Notre Dame athletics web site, und.com … simply go to und.com and find the `Men’s Lacrosse’ page and click on `Schedule’ … once there, find the St. John’s game and there will be links to both `Gametracker’ for live stats and a `Watch’ link that will show the game for free … you can also sign up for `Irish Alert’, a text messaging service designed to give fans game updates for all 26 varsity sports at Notre Dame.
ABOUT THE IRISH … Notre Dame improved its record to 10-0 with a 10-8 win at Denver on April 11 … that is the best start to a season in program history … it also marks the program’s longest win streak … senior attackman Duncan Swezey led the way for the Irish with three goals, including one with 2:03 left in regulation that snapped an 8-8 tie … the Notre Dame defense ranks fifth nationally by surrendering just 6.90 goals per game … the Irish offense is 10th in the nation by scoring 11.40 goals per game … senior Scott Rodgers ranks second among all NCAA Division I goalies with a .649 save percentage in addition to being fourth nationally with a 6.91 goals-against average … Rodgers is one of 21 nominees for the Tewaaraton Trophy (national player of the year) … senior attackman Ryan Hoff and junior midfielder Grant Krebs both have a team-best 19 goals … junior attackman Neal Hicks leads the Irish with 27 points (17g, 10a) … senior midfielder Peter Christman boasts a team-high 13 assists … Kevin Corrigan is in his 21st season as the head coach of Notre Dame … he has a 191-95 (.668) record during his Fighting Irish tenure.
ND-QUINNIPIAC SERIES NOTES … Saturday will mark the fifth meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Quinnipiac … the Irish are 4-0 against the Bobcats … the two teams met twice last season … Notre Dame downed Quinnipiac, 16-6, at School Field in South Bend, Ind. during the regular season … the Fighting Irish topped the Bobcats, 10-6, in the semifinals of the GWLL tournament in Birmingham, Mich. … Notre Dame is 1-0 all-time at Quinnipiac … that was a 14-9 decision during the 2007 campaign.
THE LAST TIME … Notre Dame claimed a 10-6 victory over Quinnipiac during the semifinals of the inaugural GWLL tournament last season in Birmingham, Mich. … the Irish were ranked sixth at the time of the meeting, while the Bobcats were not ranked … Quinnipiac led 2-1 after the first quarter before Notre Dame grabbed a 4-3 advantage at halftime … the Irish upped the lead to three (7-4) by the end of three periods before claiming the four-goal win … Ryan Hoff led the way for the Irish with three goals, while Grant Krebs chipped in two goals and two assists.
SCOUTING QUINNIPIAC … The Bobcats are 3-7 on the season, including 1-2 in the GWLL … Quinnipiac is averaging 8.01 goals scored per game, while surrendering 9.01 per contest … Jack Oppenheimer has team-high numbers in goals (15) and points (20) … Gary Messina has a team-best 10 assists … Kevin Benzing has started nine games in goal and carries an 8.99 goals-against average and a .561 save percentage … the Bobcats opened the season with a win over Wagner (13-5) before suffering five straight losses to St. John’s (15-8), Lafayette (8-5), Brown (7-3), Air Force (14-8) and Providence (7-6) … Quinnipiac snapped the skid with a win over Detroit (15-4) before falling to Ohio State (8-2) … the Bobcats picked up a league win over Denver (11-10), yet are coming off a loss to Sacred Heart (12-9) on April 11 … Quinnipiac went 8-5 overall last season and posted a 2-3 mark in the GWLL … the Bobcats welcomed back seven starters and 30 letterwinners from that team … head coach Eric Fekete is in his eighth season at Quinnipiac.
GWLL DOMINANCE … Notre Dame is 58-10 (.853) all-time in Great Western Lacrosse League regular-season play … the Irish have won 16 of their last 17 games against GWLL opponents … this is the 16th season for the GWLL … Notre Dame has gone undefeated in GWLL play on seven occasions … the last unblemished league mark for the Irish came in 2007 when they went 5-0 … Notre Dame has won 11 GWLL regular-season titles … the Irish have won the title outright seven times, while earning a share of the crown four times … last season, Notre Dame captured the inaugural GWLL tournament.
FIRST OF MANY … Sunday will mark the first-ever meeting between Notre Dame and St. John’s … however, the two schools will start playing every season beginning next year when they are part of the BIG EAST Conference.
SCOUTING ST. JOHN’S … The Red Storm will carry a 5-5 record into their home tilt against Hobart on Friday … St. John’s opened the season with four straight victories against Holy Cross (10-5), Quinnipiac (15-8), Georgetown (10-9) and Drexel (8-6) before falling to Loyola (10-7) … the Red Storm also defeated Siena (8-7) … St. John’s has dropped four straight contests heading into the game against Hobart … those losses have come against Lehigh (10-9), Rutgers (14-10), Massachusetts (12-6) and Penn State (12-11) … the St. John’s offense is averaging 9.33 goals per game, while the defense is allowing 9.23 a contest … the Red Storm are 2-3 on the road this season … Drew Schanen has team-high totals in goals (22) and points (26) … Harry Kutner has a team-best nine assists … Gavin Buckley has played every minute in goal and has a .542 save percentage … St. John’s posted a 2-11 mark last season, including a 2-5 record in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) … the Red Storm returned 27 letterwinners and six starters from that squad … head coach Jason Miller is in his third season at St. John’s.
IRISH AGAINST THE ECAC … Notre Dame is 34-31 all-time against the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) … the Irish are 2-0 against ECAC teams this season and they will look to improve that mark against St. John’s on Sunday … Notre Dame defeated ECAC foes Loyola (10-9) and Penn State (13-8) earlier this season.
HOT START … Notre Dame’s 10-0 record marks the best start in program history … prior to this season, the best start occurred during the 1993 campaign when the Irish posted eight straight victories to start the year … the 10-game winning streak also is a program best … the Fighting Irish had nine-game win streaks in both 1992 and 2001.
LAST ONE STANDING … At 10-0, Notre Dame is the only undefeated team in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse … Virginia was 12-0 before falling to Duke, 15-10, last weekend.
REACHING DOUBLE DIGITS … With its current 10-0 mark, Notre Dame has reached the 10-win plateau for the fourth straight season.
IN THE POLLS … The Fighting Irish currently are ranked third in the USILA coaches poll … Notre Dame was ranked third in the Inside Lacrosse media poll for three straight weeks (March 16-30) … the No. 3 ranking is the second-highest in program history … the Fighting Irish were ranked second nationally in 2001 after starting the campaign 5-0 … the Irish advanced to the final four that season.
BACK-TO-BACK … With Notre Dame playing both Saturday and Sunday of this week, it will mark the first time the Irish have played on consecutive days since the 1998 campaign … that season, the Irish defeated Denver and Air Force on back-to-back days in Colorado.
SENIOR DAY … Sunday will mark the final regular-season home game for Notre Dame’s senior class … the class has a current four-year record of 45-12 … that is the most victories over a four-year span in the history of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse … during their time on campus, the Fighting Irish have gone to three straight NCAA Tournaments, including a quarterfinal berth last season.
SWEZEY DELIVERS … Senior attackman Duncan Swezey put home his third goal of the day to snap an 8-8 tie with 2:03 left in regulation in Notre Dame’s 10-8 win at Denver on April 11 … he also had two assists versus the Pioneers … the five points matched a single-game career-high total for Swezey.
HAT TRICKS … Notre Dame has had seven players notch a hat trick this season … Grant Krebs and Duncan Swezey have both notched at least three goals in a game on two occasions … Ryan Hoff, Neal Hicks, Peter Christman and David Earl have all accomplished the feat two times, while Zach Brenneman has done it once … included in those figures are two four-goal games from Swezey and one four-goal game from Hicks along with a five-goal effort from Hoff.
HOME SWEET HOME … Notre Dame upped its program-record home win streak to 24 games with the win over Air Force on April 4 … the streak currently is the longest in the nation … the Irish are 5-0 at home this season … the Fighting Irish went 6-0 at home last season … the Irish have gone three-plus seasons without losing a home contest … the current streak stems back to a 14-13 overtime win against 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 and followed it up with a 6-0 mark in 2007 … six of the games during the streak have been played in the Loftus Sports Center, while 12 have taken place outside at Moose Krause Stadium, the former home of Irish lacrosse … five have been played at Alumni Field, while one victory last season took place at School Field in South Bend … the Fighting Irish have taken down seven ranked opponents during the streak … Notre Dame owns an overall home record of 125-35 (.781) during the 28-plus years of varsity lacrosse at the University.
STREAKING … Junior midfielder Grant Krebs carries a team-best 26-game point streak into Saturday’s showdown at Quinnipiac … the streak ranks seventh nationally … he has notched 61 points on 45 goals and 16 assists during the streak … Krebs has tallied 26 points on 19 goals and seven assists this season … Krebs also owns the team’s longest goal-scoring streak … he has deposited a goal in 22 straight games.
CHRISTMAN IN THE CLUTCH … Peter Christman’s goal that snapped a 7-7 tie with 2:54 left in regulation in the win over Villanova on March 31 was not the first clutch tally of his career … last season, Christman netted the game winner in an 8-7 overtime triumph of Colgate in the first round of the NCAA Tournament … earlier that season, the midfielder scored the game winner with 23 seconds left in a 7-6 victory over Albany.
FAST STARTS … The Fighting Irish have out scored their opponents 30-14 in the first quarter of play this season.
THIRD QUARTER SHUTDOWN … Notre Dame has surrendered just 12 third-quarter goals this season … that is an average of 1.2 per game … the Fighting Irish own a 25-12 scoring advantage in the third quarter.
IRISH DEFENSE AMONG THE NATION’S BEST … Once again, the Fighting Irish boast one of the nation’s best defenses … Notre Dame currently ranks fifth nationally with a 6.90 goals-against average … the Fighting Irish have held opponents to seven goals or fewer in seven games this season and have yet to allow more than nine goals in a single contest … the Irish had the nation’s fifth-best scoring defense in 2008 by allowing 7.04 goals per game … in 2007, Notre Dame ranked fourth nationally by surrendering a program-record 6.66 goals per game.
HALTING THE HEELS … Notre Dame held North Carolina scoreless for a stretch of 29:57 from the second quarter to the fourth quarter in the Irish win on March 8 … the third-ranked Tar Heels entered the contest averaging nearly 15 goals per game, which ranked fifth nationally … North Carolina scored with 4:19 remaining in the first half to take a 4-3 lead … the Tar Heels did not notch another goal until the 4:22 mark of the fourth quarter … Notre Dame out scored North Carolina 4-0 during that stretch en route to the 9-7 victory … the win over the third-ranked Tar Heels marked the second time in program history that the Irish had defeated a team ranked in the top three of the national polls … the Fighting Irish took down third-ranked Johns Hopkins, 13-9, during the quarterfinals of the 2001 NCAA Championship.
GETTING OFFENSIVE … Notre Dame ranks 10th among all NCAA Division I teams by averaging 11.40 goals per game this season … the Irish have scored at least nine goals in every game this season and scored a season-high 19 times against Dartmouth (Feb. 28) … the Irish averaged 12.09 goals per game last season and that placed them fifth nationally … in 2007, Notre Dame averaged 11.65 goals per game, which ranked fourth in the nation.
PLAYING ON BOTH ENDS … Notre Dame is one of three teams to rank in the top 10 nationally in both scoring defense and scoring offense … the Irish rank fifth in defense (6.90) and 10th in offense (11.40) … Syracuse (3rd offense/t-8th defense) and Princeton (7th offense/t-8th defense) are the other two squads that rank in the top 10 in both categories.
SPREADING THE WEALTH … The Irish have had 15 different players score a goal this season … in the 19-7 win over Dartmouth, Notre Dame had a season-high 10 players notch a goal … Notre Dame boasts six double-figure scorers … senior attackman Ryan Hoff and junior midfielder Grant Krebs share the team lead in goals with 19 apiece … Neal Hicks (17), Duncan Swezey (17), Zach Brenneman (11) and David Earl (10) are the other double-figure goal scorers for the Irish.
HOFF MOVING UP THE CHARTS … Senior attackman Ryan Hoff ranks second all-time in program history with 121 career goals … as a rookie, he tallied 21 goals before becoming the second Fighting Irish player ever to register back-to-back 40-goal campaigns with 40 in 2007 and 41 in 2008 … Hoff shares the team lead with 19 goals this season … Randy Colley (1992-95) is the program record holder with 173 career goals.
SENIOR CLASS FINALIST … Notre Dame attackman Ryan Hoff is among a list of 10 NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse players who have been selected as finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award … to be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: Classroom, Character, Community, and Competition … Hoff has 19 goals this season, which tie him for team-high honors … the senior carries a 3.230 cumulative grade-point average as a marketing major in the Mendoza College of Business … Hoff was a dean’s list member in the fall of 2008 as he posted a 3.883 semester GPA.
LEAGUE HONORS … Notre Dame has produced three recipients of the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) player-of-the-week award this season … goalie Scott Rodgers earned the distinction on March 10, while midfielder Grant Krebs and attackman Neal Hicks received the honor on Feb. 17 and 24, respectively … Krebs garnered the award after notching a team-best four points on three goals and an assist in the 10-9 season-opening win over Loyola on Feb. 14 … Hicks produced career-best single-game numbers in goals (4), assists (4) and points (8) in Notre Dame’s 13-8 victory at Penn State on Feb. 22 … Rodgers made 16 saves in a 9-7 win over No. 3 North Carolina on March 8 … those were the first-ever GWLL player-of-the-week honors for all three student-athletes.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION … Notre Dame’s Sam Barnes, Grant Krebs and Scott Rodgers all have been named to the Inside Lacrosse team of the week this season … Barnes earned the honor after helping the Fighting Irish shut down Dartmouth in Notre Dame’s 19-7 victory in its home opener on Feb. 28 … Krebs was named to the first Inside Lacrosse team of the week (Feb. 17) after notching four points on three goals and an assist in the 10-9 season-opening win over Loyola … the junior midfielder was selected to the squad as the `EMO Sniper’ after he scored two man-up tallies in the second half against the Greyhounds … Rodgers, a senior goalie, was named to the IL team of the week on Feb. 24 after notching a career-high 20 saves in a 13-8 victory at Penn State.
HICKS HAVING CAREER SEASON … Junior attackman Neal Hicks is producing a career-best season … Hicks has a team-high 27 points … he is tied for third on the squad in goals (17) and is third in assists (10) … all of those offensive numbers are single-season career-high figures for the junior … entering this season, Hicks had totaled 13 goals and seven assists for his career … in the 2009 season opener, the Atlanta native returned to his home state and registered the first hat trick of his career in a 10-9 win over Loyola … Hicks followed that up with an eight-point performance on four goals and four assists in a 13-8 win at Penn State … all of those numbers were single-game career-high marks for the junior … the eight points were one off the program record of nine.
WORTH THE WAIT … Entering the 2009 season, senior goalie Scott Rodgers had only appeared in seven career games while backing up three-time All-American Joey Kemp … after not playing at all last season, Rodgers made his first collegiate start in the 10-9 win over Loyola on Feb. 14 … Rodgers came up with two huge saves in the final minute to preserve the win for the Fighting Irish and collect the first victory of his career … the senior followed that performance up with a career-high 20 saves in a 13-8 win over Penn State on Feb. 22 … that effort earned him a spot on the Inside Lacrosse team of the week … the Long Island native came up big in the 9-7 triumph of No. 3 North Carolina as he made 16 saves and was named the Great Western Lacrosse League player of the week for his effort … another clutch effort was needed in a 9-7 win over Villanova as he made two saves down the stretch, including one in the final 30 seconds … he currently ranks second among all NCAA Division I goalies with a .649 save percentage … he also boasts a 6.91 goals-against average, which ranks fourth nationally.
RODGERS A TEWAARATON TROPHY NOMINEE … Fighting Irish senior goalie Scott Rodgers has been selected as one of 21 nominees for the 2009 Tewaaraton Trophy … the award is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate lacrosse player … Rodgers, a team captain, ranks second nationally with a .649 save percentage in addition to being fourth with a 6.91 goals-against average … Rodgers has made 10 or more saves in seven games this season … Rodgers is the fifth player in Notre Dame history to be tabbed as a nominee for the Tewaaraton Trophy … he joins attackmen Tom Glatzel (2001), David Ulrich (2001), Pat Walsh (2004 & 2005) and goalie Joey Kemp (2008) with that honor … a list of five finalists for the award will be announced later this spring … the ninth annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 28, 2009, at the University Club of Washington, D.C.
COVERING THE NATION … The trip to the Patriot Cup on March 21 marked Notre Dame’s first-ever game in the state of Texas … over the past few seasons, the Irish have helped bring the sport to new locations … last season, the Fighting Irish took on Dartmouth in Atlanta, Ga. … that marked the first-ever NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse game in the state of Georgia … the Irish returned to Georgia for this season’s opener against Loyola … in 2006, Notre Dame faced Cornell in the first Division I men’s lacrosse game in the state of Illinois as the two schools met in Lisle … the Irish battled Denver in Bridgeview, Ill. last season.
WOUNDED WARRIOR … The Fighting Irish faced Vermont as part of the 2009 Patriot Cup on March 21 in Dallas, Texas … the Patriot Cup, which also featured Bucknell taking on Air Force, benefitted the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) … the WWP is a nonprofit organization that seeks to assist the men and women of our armed forces who have been severly injured during the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations around the world … the WWP provides unique programs and services, raises awareness and enlists public support and provides a means for veterans to help each other … for more information on the WWP, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
IRISH TABBED TO WIN GWLL … Notre Dame has been picked to win the 2009 Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) title according to a preseason poll done by the conference’s head coaches … the Irish won the GWLL last season by capturing the league’s inaugural postseason tournament … the poll, which was published in the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook, had Denver in the No. 2 slot followed by Ohio State … Air Force, Bellarmine and Quinnipiac round out the poll, respectively … the GWLL enjoyed unprecedented success last season as three teams qualified for the NCAA Championship for the first time ever … Notre Dame, Ohio State and Denver all were among the 16-team NCAA field … the Irish and Buckeyes both advanced to the quarterfinals, making it the first time the league ever had two teams among the final eight.
PRESEASON HONORS … Two Fighting Irish players were named to the 2009 All-Great Western Lacrosse League preseason team, which was selected by the league’s head coaches … seniors Ryan Hoff (A) and Regis McDermott (D) were selected to the 13-man squad.
IRISH NAME ’09 CAPTAINS … Seniors Peter Christman (M), Regis McDermott (D), Davey Melera (M) and Scott Rodgers (G) all are first-time captains for the Fighting Irish during the 2009 campaign.
GIVING BACK … While the support of the South Bend/Michiana community has been a key ingredient to the success of the Fighting Irish at home over the years, the Notre Dame players have routinely given back to the local community … last spring, the Fighting Irish men’s lacrosse team was recognized with The Trophy Award at Notre Dame’s seventh annual O.S.C.A.R.S (Outstanding Student-Athletes Celebrating Achievements and Recognition Showcase) … established by the Office of Student Welfare and Development at Notre Dame, The Trophy Award annually recognizes an athletic team that has demonstrated its commitment and dedication to the community through unparalleled community service to Notre Dame and South Bend.
RECAPPING ’08 … Notre Dame produced a 14-3 record during the 2008 season … the Fighting Irish won the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) title by capturing the inaugural GWLL tournament … that marked the 11th GWLL crown for the program … Notre Dame garnered the No. 6 seed for the NCAA Championship and topped Colgate, 8-7, in overtime before falling to eventual national champion Syracuse, 11-9, during the quarterfinals … that was the fourth time the Irish had advanced to the NCAA Championship quarterfinals … it was Notre Dame’s 13th trip to the NCAA Tournament and the second time the Irish had earned a seed … Notre Dame has been eliminated from the tournament by the eventual national champion in each of the past three seasons (Virginia, 14-10, in ’06 and Johns Hopkins, 11-10 in overtime, in ’07) … the Irish offense and defense both concluded the ’08 season ranked fifth nationally … the offense averaged 12.09 goals per game, while the defense surrendered just 7.04 per contest … the Irish finished the season ranked fifth in the final USILA poll and sixth according to Inside Lacrosse.
BIG EAST AWAITS … The 2009 season will be the last for Notre Dame in the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) … the Fighting Irish will begin play in the BIG EAST Conference in 2010 … the six other conference schools that will participate in the newly-formed league are Georgetown, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse and Villanova … the teams will play a six-game single round-robin regular season schedule … the BIG EAST will apply for an automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA Championship field … men’s lacrosse will be the BIG EAST’s 11th men’s sport while the Conference conducts 13 women’s sports … Notre Dame already is a member of the BIG EAST in 23 other sports … Notre Dame has been a member of the GWLL since 1994 … the Fighting Irish have captured 11 regular-season GWLL titles in addition to winning the inaugural GWLL Tournament in 2008.
ARLOTTA STADIUM … Arlotta Stadium will become the new home for the Notre Dame men’s and women’s lacrosse programs upon completion, which is scheduled for June of 2009 … construction of the facility began in August of 2008 … conceptual plans suggest a 2,000-seat, lighted stadium that would include an artificial-turf field, locker rooms, restrooms and concession areas … the state-of-the-art facility is named after Notre Dame graduate John Arlotta, president and chief executive officer of Denver-based Coram Inc. … he and his wife Bobbie pledged the lead gift toward the stadium to be built to the east of the Joyce Center as part of the University’s new athletics quadrangle … the Arlotta children – Mindy, Andy and Jon – also have pledged an additional gift from The Arlotta Family Foundation toward the project … in addition to their generous donation, alumni and friends of the lacrosse programs have donated over two million dollars.
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 game updates for all 26 varsity sports at Notre Dame … Irish men’s lacrosse fans can sign up to receive scores following each quarter.
KEEPING UP WITH ND MEN’S LACROSSE … Log onto und.com for the latest information on the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse program … und.com, the official athletics web site for the University of Notre Dame, features press releases, game stories, feature stories, video interviews, stats, rosters and more … fans also can call the Notre Dame Sports Hotline at (574) 631-3000 … the hotline provides schedules and result information for all 26 varsity sports … 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 or (574) 631-2664 … 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.