May 1, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – John Kemp and Ryan Foley, juniors on the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team, received honors from the BIG EAST Conference for their efforts in Saturday’s 8-6 win over Syracuse. Kemp, a goalie, was tabbed as the league’s defensive player of the week, while Foley, a midfielder, was named to the honor roll.
Kemp (Potomac, Md./Georgetown Prep) and the Irish defense kept Syracuse off the scoreboard for the first 37:53 of the contest. The junior goalie made eight saves during that stretch and finished with 11 stops in the victory that upped Notre Dame’s win streak to 10 games. It was the seventh time this season that he made 10 or more saves in a game. The Orange entered the contest averaging 10.3 goals scored per game.
This is the third time this season that Kemp has been named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week. He also garnered the accolade on Feb. 20 and April 16. He is the only player in the BIG EAST to earn three player-of-the-week accolades (either offense or defense) this season.
Kemp ranks first nationally in both goals-against average (5.70) and save percentage (.655). He is 12th in saves per game (10.92). Kemp is a nominee for the Tewaaraton Award.
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Foley (Glen Ridge, N.J./Delbarton) notched two goals and one assist in the win over Syracuse. The three points matched a career-high total. His first goal put the Irish up 3-0 in the first quarter, while his second tally also pushed the Notre Dame lead to three (6-3) as he scored with less than one second left in the third quarter. He assisted on the goal that put the Irish up 7-4 in the fourth quarter. This is the first BIG EAST weekly accolade for Foley this season. He was selected to the honor roll once last season.
The second-ranked Fighting Irish (11-1, 6-0) will face St. John’s at 4:30 p.m. (ET) Thursday in the semifinals of the inaugural BIG EAST Championship in Villanova, Pa. Notre Dame is the top seed for the tournament after winning the league’s regular-season title. Thursday’s game will be aired on ESPNU/ESPN3.
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