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Men's Lacrosse Looks to End Two-Game Slide against OSU

April 13, 1999

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 14th-ranked Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team (5-4, 3-0) looks to end a two-game slide this week as the Irish travel to Ohio State on Wednesday, April 14 for a 3:30 p.m. contest in their final Great Western Lacrosse League test of the 1999 campaign. Notre Dame also will play host to Army on Saturday, April 17 at 1:00 p.m. in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Head Coach Kevin Corrigan’s squad has dropped back-to-back contests to Hofstra (10-9 in overtime) and to Georgetown (12-8). The loss to the Hoyas was the first home loss of the ’99 season. Heading into the game, the Irish had won five straight home games dating back to last season.

The Irish remained 14th in this week’s United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Poll. Two weeks ago, Notre Dame had climbed to 13th, its highest ranking of the season.

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW – Georgetown: Notre Dame saw its first-quarter 4-0 lead erased as the Irish lost for the first time at home in dropping a 12-8 decision to the eighth-ranked Hoyas.

Notre Dame jumped out to the early four-goal lead when Brad Owen (Amherst, N.H.) scored 58 seconds into the contest. Tom Glatzel (Ellicott City, Md.) scored both of his two goals in the first 15-minute stanza, while Stedman Oakey (Charlottesville, Va.) also added the other Irish score.

Georgetown was able to get on the scoreboard with 19 seconds left in the first period. The Hoyas added three more in the second quarter and held the Irish scoreless as the two teams were deadlocked 4-4 at the half.

David Ulrich (Baltimore, Md.) put the Irish up 5-4 (its last lead of the contest) with 11:59 remaining in the third quarter, but Georgetown jumped out to a 7-5 advantage with three unanswered goals in just under four minutes.

Steve Bishko (West Islip, N.Y.) and Chris Dusseau (Columbus, Ohio) tied the score (7-7) for the third time in the contest with 4:57 remaining in the third quarter, but Georgetown took the lead for good 43 seconds later. The goal scored by Dusseau marked the 100th of his career.

Notre Dame was outshot 52-24 by the Hoyas in the game. Irish goalkeeper Kirk Howell (Nashville, Tenn.) tied his career best with 17 saves in the game.

HEAD COACH KEVIN CORRIGAN – Kevin Corrigan is in his 11th season at the Notre Dame helm and his 13th in the collegiate ranks. The three-time Great Western Lacrosse League coach of the year earned his 100th career win in Notre Dame’s 10-8 victory over Hobart on March 27. He owns a 101-68 (.598) overall ledger and an 91-53 (.632) mark with the Irish. Corrigan has guided Notre Dame to seven NCAA tournament appearances and conference titles. Prior to 1998, he had led the Irish to six straight tournament berths from 1992-97. Under Corrigan in 1995, Notre Dame won its first-ever NCAA tournament which propelled the Irish into the quarterfinals for the first time in school history. Previous to his tenure at Notre Dame, he served as head coach at Randolph-Macon during the 1985 and 1986 campaign where his teams compiled a 10-15 mark.

SERIES RECORD VS. OHIO STATE – This will be the 22nd time the two teams have faced each other as Notre Dame leads the all-time series 15-6. The Irish have won nine straight against the Buckeyes, and have not lost to Ohio State since dropping a 7-5 decision in 1989. Notre Dame is 7-4 in road contests against the Buckeyes.

SERIES RECORD VS. ARMY – This will be the first-ever meeting in men’s lacrosse between the two schools. Army is the only first-time opponent on the Irish schedule this season.

DUSSEAU NOTCHES 100TH CAREER GOAL – Chris Dusseau, who ranks third all-time on the Notre Dame career goals scoring list, scored the 100th goal of his career on Saturday against Georgetown. Dusseau became the third Irish player to score 100 or more career goals. The other two players to reach the milestone were Randy Colley (173 goals from 1992-94) and Joe Franklin (113 goals from 1983-86). Dusseau led the Irish in goals scored the last three seasons.

TABLES TURNED – Notre Dame suffered seven losses during the 1998 campaign. Five of those teams the Irish lost to a year ago are on the schedule this season. Corrigan’s squad has already played against four of those teams and has posted a 2-2 record against those opponents. Notre Dame’s two wins over teams they lost to a year ago have come against Hobart and Butler.

DUSSEAU REACHES THE CENTURY MARK – Notre Dame senior attack Chris Dusseau became the 12th Irish player to reach the 100-point mark in his career this season. Currently third in the scoring column this season with 18 goals and two assists (20 points), Dusseau is tied for 11th on the all-time Irish scoring list with 100 goals and 11 assists for 111 points. He need just five points to pass Will Sutton (1991-95) who is 10th on the all-time scoring list with 115 points. Dusseau, a co-captain this season, has started all 46 games throughout his career.

SUPER SOPHS – Notre Dame’s sophomore class is represented well in the Irish scoring column this season as four of the team’s five scorers are second-year players. David Ulrich leads the team in scoring with 13 goals and a team-high 23 assists (36 points), while teammate Tom Glatzel leads the team 19 goals and eight assists (27 points). David’s twin brother, Todd, is fourth in scoring with nine goals and nine assists (19 points), while Steve Bishko rounds out the top five scorers with 11 goals and five assists (16 points).

HOWELL COMING UP BIG IN GOAL – Junior Kirk Howell, who spent two seasons as the backup to four-year starter Alex Cade, has been impressive in Notre Dame’s nine games this season. He tied his career-high on Saturday with 17 saves against the Hoyas. Howell, who also had 17 saves in Notre Dame’s 10-8 loss to top-ranked Loyola on March 20, has had 10 or more saves in the team’s last five contests, and in six games overall. Howell made 12 saves against Hofstra on Saturday, 14 against Hobart on March 27, 13 against Butler on March 30, and 15 in the season-opening loss at Penn State on February 28. He has played 525:54 of the possible 542:11. He has allowed 77 goals and made 109 saves for a .586 save percentage and 8.79 goals against average.

IRISH LINEUP REMAINS CONSISTENT – The Notre Dame starting lienup has remained consistent throughout the ’99 campaign. Eight players have started all 10 games. The only change has come on defense where senior Ray Cross (McAllen, Tex.) has started six games and Mike Adams (Wilton, Conn.) earned three starting assignments.

TOUGH DEFENSE – The 12 goals scored by Georgetown on Saturday where the second most given up by the Irish this season. Notre Dame has allowed 10 or more goals in five contests, and held four of its opponents to under 10 goals this season. The Irish defense has allowed 81 goals (9.00 per game) in nine contests. The Irish have been most effective in the fourth quarter as opponents are averaging just 1.78 goals per game (16 goals scored) in the final 15-minute stanza. Notre Dame has held two teams – Air Force and Butler – scoreless in the fourth quarter this season.

FRESHMEN OF INFLUENCE – Two freshmen on this year’s Irish roster have played in all nine contests – John Flandina (West Islip, N.Y.) and Chad DeBolt (Waterloom, N.Y.). Flandina, who plays on Notre Dame’s attack unit, has scored four goals and dished off three assists for seven points. DeBolt has scored two goals this season and also handles some of the team’s face-off duties. A midfielder, he has won 22 of 31 face-offs for a .710 winning percentage.

IRISH STRONG AT HOME – In three (1994, 1995 and 1997) of the last five years, Notre Dame finished the home portion of its season undefeated. The Irish posted 5-0 marks in both ’94 and ’95 and were 6-0 in ’97. Corrigan’s squad is 4-1 at home this season, having lost for the first time in six games dating back to the 1998 campaign. Since 1984, Notre Dame has a 78-25 (.757) record at home and is 38-8 (.826) over the last seven-plus seasons.

IRISH IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICS

David Ulrich -   6th in assists per game (2.56)                17th in points per game (4.00)
Kevin Higgins - 12th in ground balls per game (6.44)Kirk Howell - 15th in goals against average (8.78) 20th in save percentage (.586)
Team - t14th in scoring defense (9.00) 16th in face-off winning percentage (.543) 17th in scoring margin (+1.89)

UNITED STATES INTERCOLLEGIATE LACROSSE ASSOCIATION POLL
(Week of April 12)

                         Pts. 1. Loyola (7-0)         200 2. Duke (9-0)           189 3. John Hopkins (6-1)   181 4. Virginia (6-2)       164 5. Syracuse (5-2)       163 6. Delaware (8-0)       148 7. Maryland (7-2)       141  8. Georgetown (6-2)     128 9. Penn State (6-2)     11310. Navy (5-4)           11011. Princeton (4-3)       9912. Hofstra (7-2)         9013. UMBC (6-3)            8014. NOTRE DAME (5-4)      6715. North Carolina (5-5)  6116. Cornell (4-3)         4117. Towson (3-4)          3718. Butler (5-5)          3519. Pennsylvania (6-4)    2020. Rutgers (4-5)         10

FACE-OFF LACROSSE POLL
(Week of April 12)

                          Pts. 1. Loyola                260 2. Duke                  247 3. Johns Hopkins         233 4. Syracuse              215 5. Virginia              213 6. Delaware              191 7. Maryland              178 8. Georgetown            171 9. Princeton             14910. Navy                  13311. Penn State            11512. Towson                11413. Hofstra               10714  UMBC                  10415. North Carolina         7916. NOTRE DAME             6217. Cornell                4918. Butler                 4119. Army                   2120. Hobart                 12