April 11, 2018
By: Robby Hamman
Box Score (PDF)
MILWAUKEE – Trailing 6-5 with less than a minute left in the game, No. 14 Notre Dame (6-4) came up with two huge goals from Bryan Costabile and Ryder Garnsey to escape Marquette (5-5) with a 7-6 victory. The Irish remain unbeaten against the Golden Eagles, improving to 7-0 in the series.
All seven goals came from different players on Wednesday at Valley Fields. Joining Costabile and Garnsey in the goal column was Brian Willetts, John Sexton, Mikey Drake, Jordan Walter and Thomas McNamara.
The Irish defense continued its fine form, holding Marquette to just two goals in the final 30 minutes of play.
How It Happened
The Irish scored the game’s opening goal, as Garnsey fed Willetts, who finished past the Marquette goalie on an extra-man opportunity to give Notre Dame a 1-0 lead with 6:22 left in the frame. However, the hosts responded with three unanswered scores, including the final one with two ticks left on the clock to take a 3-1 lead into the second quarter.
With just over five minutes gone by in the second stanza, the Irish cut the Marquette lead to one at 3-2. Walter raced by the Golden Eagle defense and unleashed a shot to score the first goal of his career with 9:55 left in the half. Less than four minutes later the Irish leveled the score at 3-3, as Wheaton Jackoboice found McNamara who fired into the net for the first time at the collegiate level.
Marquette responded, scoring 16 seconds later to retake the lead at 4-3, an advantage it took into the halftime break.
The Irish could not have asked for a better start to the third quarter, scoring twice in the opening 3:06 to take a 5-4 lead. Garnsey found Drake on the doorstep, who faked and finished past the keeper to level the score. Just minutes later Sexton struck from distance to put the Irish back on top for the first time since the opening stages at 5-4.
Notre Dame’s defense was masterful in the third period, locking down the Golden Eagles’ attack and holding them scoreless to take a 5-4 lead into the fourth frame.
Marquette regrouped and drew even at the 9:40 mark of the fourth to make the score 5-5. The Golden Eagles then went back in front off a goal from John Wagner with 7:24 left to lead 6-5. Marquette looked to be in position to put the game away but the Irish defense came up big, forcing a turnover with just over a minute to play to set up the aforementioned dramatic finish.
Notre Dame Player Of The Game
Garnsey thrived in the playmaker role against Marquette, pacing the Irish in points with three. The junior dished out a team-high two assists to go along with his game-winning goal.
Notre Dame Stat Of The Game
The Irish finished with just nine turnovers on the evening, the team’s second-lowest total of the season. Marquette turned the ball over 11 times, including the key one in the game’s final minutes to give Notre Dame the win.
Tweet Of The Game
Congrats to Jordan Walter on scoring the 1st goal of his career! #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/0yoyGTpUwX
– Notre Dame Lacrosse (@NDlacrosse) April 11, 2018
Notre Dame Notes
- Notre Dame remains perfect in the series with Marquette, improving to 7-0 against the Golden Eagles after Wednesday’s victory.
- The Irish have held seven of 10 opponents to under 10 goals on the season.
- Notre Dame is now 2-0 against teams from the Big East this season, also defeating now-No. 2 Denver.
- All seven goals came from different players on Wednesday.
- Goalkeeper Matt Schmidt made eight saves in the win, finishing just one shy of his career high.
- Arden Cohen led the Irish with three ground balls.
- Both Walter and McNamara recorded the first goals of their career on Wednesday.
Up Next
The Irish have the upcoming weekend off before wrapping up the regular-season slate of ACC play in Durham, North Carolina. Notre Dame faces the Tar Heels at Noon ET on Saturday, April 21. The game will air 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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