April 21, 2011
Game 10 – Saturday, April 23 – Noon (ET)
Friar Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex
Providence, R.I.
#1 NOTRE DAME (9-0, 4-0 BIG EAST)
vs.
PROVIDENCE (3-9, 0-3 BIG EAST)
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SETTING THE STAGE
– No. 1 Notre Dame (9-0, 4-0) will head to Providence, R.I. for a BIG EAST showdown on Saturday against the Friars (3-9, 0-3). Opening faceoff is slated for noon (ET) at the Friar Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. – This will be the second meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Providence. The Fighting Irish claimed an 11-3 home victory last season over the Friars. – Notre Dame is off to a 9-0 start for the second time in program history (31 seasons). The other occurrence came in 2009 when the Irish began the season 15-0. The Fighting Irish are the only undefeated team in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse. – The Irish are coming off a 10-7 home victory over St. John’s on Saturday. – Notre Dame’s defense ranks second nationally with a 6.22 goals-against average. – The Irish will conclude the regular season with three straight road games beginning on Saturday at Providence. Notre Dame also will travel to Syracuse (Apr. 30) and North Carolina (May 6).
A LOOK AT PROVIDENCE
– Providence will bring a 3-9 record into Saturday’s contest after falling to Brown, 6-4, on Tuesday. The Friars are 0-3 in BIG EAST play. – Providence is averaging 6.50 goals per game on offense, while allowing 9.92 per game defensively. – The Friars have defeated Wagner (14-10), Presbyterian (6-5) and Lafayette (8-6). Their setbacks have come against Quinnipiac (9-3), Massachusetts (14-6), Georgetown (14-5), Bryant (13-6), Siena (9-8), Yale (11-9), St. John’s (9-6), Syracuse (13-3) and Brown (6-4). – Junior midfielder Jake Nolan has a team-high 12 goals. Nolan and freshman midfielder Andrew Barton both lead the Friars with 21 points. Barton has a team-best 14 assists. – Providence went 0-14 last season. Head coach Chris Burdick is in his 12th season at the helm of the Friar program.
THE LAST TIME
– Notre Dame bested Providence 11-3 last season at Arlotta Stadium. The Friars held a 1-0 lead after the first quarter, yet the Irish responded by scoring eight straight goals to claim an 8-1 advantage by the 6:06 mark of the third quarter en route to the win. Zach Brenneman tallied two goals and two assists for the Irish, while Nicholas Beattie and Sean Rogers both chipped in two goals apiece. John Kemp made five saves in goal for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish outshot the Friars 44-14. Notre Dame won 13 of the 16 faceoff attempts.
NOTRE DAME IS THE NEW #1
– Notre Dame is ranked No. 1 in this week’s Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll and United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) coaches’ poll. It marks the first time in program history that the Fighting Irish have been ranked No. 1 in either poll. – The Irish, who have spent the past three weeks ranked second in both polls, received 12 of the 16 first-place votes in the media poll, while they claimed 13 of the 14 first-place nods in the coaches’ rankings. Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Syracuse and Denver round out the top five, respectively, in both polls.
EARL AND KEMP EARN BIG EAST HONORS
– Senior midfielder David Earl on Monday was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, while sophomore goalie John Kemp garnered the league’s defensive player of the week honor. The duo was instrumental in Saturday’s 10-7 win over St. John’s. – Earl registered season-high totals in goals (3) and points (4) in the victory over the Red Storm. All four of his points came in the second half as the Irish held an 8-2 scoring advantage in the stanza. – Kemp made 11 saves in the win over the St. John’s to improve his record to 9-0 this season. The Fighting Irish defense kept the Red Storm off the scoreboard for the final 16:38 of the contest en route to the victory. Kemp made five saves during that stretch.
EARL STAYING HOT
– Senior midfielder David Earl has tallied seven points on five goals and two assists over the past two games. He’s had a hand in seven of Notre Dame’s 17 goals during those two contests.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES
– Notre Dame overturned a 5-2 halftime deficit by outscoring St. John’s 8-2 in the second half, including 3-0 in the fourth quarter, during Saturday’s 10-7 victory over the Red Storm. The Fighting Irish defense kept St. John’s off the scoreboard for the final 16:38 of the contest.
HONORS ALL AROUND
– Notre Dame has garnered six BIG EAST player-of-the-week honors this season. Senior midfielder Zach Brenneman (Feb. 21), junior attackman Sean Rogers (Mar. 28) and senior midfielder David Earl (Apr. 18) have been named the league’s offensive player of the week, while senior defenseman Kevin Ridgway (Feb. 28) and sophomore goalie John Kemp (Apr. 11 & Apr. 18) have been selected as the defensive player of the week. – The Fighting Irish have totaled six BIG EAST weekly honor roll citations. Kemp and Earl are two-time honorees, while Brenneman and sophomore attackman Ryan Foley have garnered the honor once each.
IRISH BOAST THREE TEWAARATON TROPHY NOMINEES
– Notre Dame seniors Zach Brenneman (M), David Earl (M) and Kevin Ridgway (D) are among a group of 25 nominees up for the 2011 Tewaaraton Trophy. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate lacrosse player.
SCORELESS STRETCHES
– Notre Dame has held an opponent scoreless for an entire quarter nine times this season. On Saturday versus St. John’s, the Fighting Irish defense kept St. John’s off the scoreboard during the fourth quarter. – The Irish defense has put together a scoreless stretch of 20 minutes or longer seven times this season. The longest such stretch was 32:30 against Drexel. The Dragons did not score from the 9:27 mark of the first quarter until the 6:57 mark of the third quarter. Notre Dame out scored Drexel 5-0 during that time en route to the 11-7 victory. – The Fighting Irish held both Penn State and Rutgers scoreless during two quarters. The Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knight both were held without a goal during the second on fourth quarters. – Rutgers, who entered the March 27 game against the Irish averaging 10.14 goals per game this season, scored just one goal in the final 45:02 of the contest. Notre Dame kept Rutgers off the scoreboard for the final 23:50 of the game.
STINGY DEFENSE
– Since the beginning of the 2007 season (a span of 74 games), Notre Dame has surrendered 10 goals or more in a game just nine times and the Irish defense has limited opponents to seven goals or fewer 51 times during that stretch. The Fighting Irish have not allowed a double-digit goal total in its last 13 games dating back to last season. – Notre Dame has limited foes to four goals or fewer 12 times since the beginning of the 2007 campaign.
IRISH DEFENSE ANNUALLY AMONG THE NATION’S BEST
– The Fighting Irish defense currently ranks second nationally by allowing just 6.22 goals per game. – Notre Dame had the nation’s second-best defense in 2010 by producing a 7.53 goals-against average. The Irish produced the nation’s sixth-best man-down defense (.750) in 2010. – Goalie Scott Rodgers in 2010 led all NCAA Division I goalies with a .605 save percentage and ranked third in goals-against with a 7.56 average. – Notre Dame had the nation’s top defense in 2009 by producing a school-record 6.19 goals-against average. – 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 with a then school record 6.66 mark.
PERFORMING BETWEEN THE PIPES
– Sophomore goalie John Kemp has played every minute in goal this season for the Irish. He ranks second nationally in both goals-against average (6.22) and save percentage (.624).
SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Notre Dame has had at least five different goal scorers in every game this season. The Irish used a season-high eight different goal scorers in the 11-7 win over Drexel (March 6). – The Fighting Irish have had 13 players tally a goal this season.
HAT TRICKS
– Six Notre Dame players have registered a hat trick this season. Zach Brenneman, David Earl, Ryan Foley, Westy Hopkins, Colin Igoe and Sean Rogers all have one hat trick this season.
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
– Notre Dame’s 12 goals against Villanova (Apr. 2) matched its largest offensive output of the season. The Fighting Irish also had 12 tallies against Duke in the season opener. The 10 goals on Saturday against St. John’s marked the third time this season the Irish have reached a double-figure goal total. – Notre Dame had eight assists on its eight goals in the victory at Rutgers (March 27). The eight assists matched a season-high total that the Irish also achieved in an 11-7 win over Drexel (March 6).
ATTACKING THE COMPETITION
– Irish attackmen have accounted for 46 of Notre Dame’s 84 goals (54.8%) this season. Junior attackman Sean Rogers has a team-high 14 goals, while freshman attackman Westy Hopkins is tied for second with 10. Senior Colin Igoe has nine tallies, while sophomore Ryan Foley has seven. Junior attackman Nicholas Beattie has four goals and senior Edison Parzanese has two. – Last season, Notre Dame’s attacking unit accounted for 36.1% of the team’s goal production. Irish attackmen scored 56 of the team’s 155 goals in 2010.
ROGERS RACKING UP THE POINTS
– Junior attackman Sean Rogers leads the Fighting Irish in goals (14) and points (20) this season. His six assists rank second on the team. Rogers’ 14 goals tie a career-high mark from last season. The six assists are a career-best total. – Rogers matched a career-high total with three goals against Ohio State (March 23) and followed that performance up with a career-high three assists versus Rutgers (March 27). – Rogers has a team-best 11-game point streak dating back to last season. Rogers also owns a team-best seven-game goal streak.
IRVING IGNITES IRISH
– Senior long-stick midfielder Andrew Irving returned to the field on Saturday against St. John’s after missing three games due to injury. Irving made his presence felt early as he gave the Irish a 1-0 lead five minutes into the contest. That was his third goal of the season. That figure matches a single-season career-high total that he also achieved last season. – Irving scored a single-game career-high two goals in the season opener against Duke. Irving gave the Irish their first lead of the contest (3-2) with 5:17 left in the first half. Notre Dame would never relinquish that lead. Irving deposited the final goal of the game to make it a 12-7 victory. – Irving dished out a career-high two assists in the 8-7 win over Ohio State (March 23). He also picked up a game-high four ground balls against the Buckeyes.
ROOKIE ON A ROLL
– Freshman attackman Westy Hopkins’ 10 goals rank in a tie for second among all Fighting Irish players. – Hopkins earned his first career start on Saturday against St. John’s. – Hopkins notched the first hat trick of his career in the 12-8 win over Villanova on April 2. – Hopkins netted two goals in his collegiate debut, a 12-7 season-opening win over Duke. He also scored twice in his home debut versus Drexel, an 11-7 victory.
BARNES IS BACK
– Senior defenseman Sam Barnes is back for a fifth season after missing all of the 2010 campaign due to injury. Barnes has started all nine games this season.
HOLDING OFF THE HOYAS
– In Notre Dame’s 7-6 win over Georgetown on Apr. 10 neither team led by more than one goal during the entire game. The contest was tied at the end of the first three quarters. – The Fighting Irish defense stymied the Hoya offense, which entered the afternoon averaging nearly 12 goals per game. Two-goal efforts from junior attackman Sean Rogers and senior midfielder David Earl, who also chipped in an assist, spearheaded the Irish offense. Sophomore goalie John Kemp made 12 saves for the Fighting Irish.
BEATING THE BEST
– Five of Notre Dame’s nine wins have come against opponents that were ranked at the time of the meetings. The Irish bested #5 Duke 12-7 in the season opener. Notre Dame also topped #16 Drexel (11-7), #14 Denver (10-9), #20 Ohio State (8-7) and #8 Villanova (12-8).
IT’S NOT HOW YOU START, IT’S HOW YOU FINISH
– Notre Dame has surrendered the first goal in five of its nine games this season yet the Irish have gone on to win each contest. – The Irish have led at halftime during seven of their nine games this season. The only time Notre Dame has trailed at the intermission was against St. John’s. The Irish trailed the Red Storm 5-2 at halftime, yet went on to win 10-7.
QUALITY QUARTERS
– Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 21-11 in the second quarter and 26-10 in the fourth quarter.
RUNNING AWAY TO VICTORY
– Notre Dame has used key runs to secure four of its victories this season. – On Saturday, Notre Dame and St. John’s were tied 7-7 after three quarters and the Irish outscored the Red Storm 3-0 in the fourth quarter en route to the 10-7 victory. – Versus Villanova on April 2, the Wildcats sliced the Irish lead to one (9-8) with five seconds left in the third quarter and Notre Dame went on to outscore the Wildcats 3-0 in the fourth quarter to produce the 12-8 victory. – Against Denver on March 12, Notre Dame broke open a 7-7 tie with three straight goals to claim a 10-7 lead by the end of the third quarter. The Irish held on to win 10-9. – In the win over Drexel on March 6, Notre Dame trailed 6-5 after three quarters, but finished the game on a 6-1 run to capture the 11-7 victory.
FACING OFF
– The Fighting Irish have a 53.5% (91-170) faceoff winning percentage this season. That mark ranks 21st nationally. Senior Jake Marmul is 38-71 (.535), while freshman Liam O’Connor is 53-99 (.535) in the faceoff circle. – Against Ohio State on March 23, O’Connor and Marmul combined to go 16-19 (.842). – Notre Dame has produced one of the nation’s top faceoff units over the past few seasons. The Irish won 54.3% (185-341) of their attempts last season to rank 17th nationally. – The Irish produced the nation’s ninth-best faceoff winning percentage (.556) in 2009. Notre Dame ranked second nationally in 2008 (.628) and 15th (.546) in 2007.
SHOOTING DOWN THE COMPETITION
– The Irish have a .276 shooting percentage, while their opponents have a .210 mark. Junior attackman Sean Rogers ranks first nationally with a .500 shot percentage.
QUITE THE CROWDS
– The Notre Dame-Drexel game on March 6 drew 1,626 fans to the Loftus Sports Center. That is a men’s lacrosse record crowd for the Loftus Center. The previous mark was 1,437 from the 2009 showdown against North Carolina. – The Irish are averaging 3,171 fans over their last three games outside at Arlotta Stadium (Villanova, Georgetown & St. John’s).
SIX SUPER SEASONS
– Notre Dame has compiled a 69-20 (.775) record over the past six seasons, including this year. The Fighting Irish have earned five straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame was the national finalist in 2010 and also made a quarterfinal trek in 2008.
PLAYING FOR PEACE
– The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team used the Georgetown game on April 10 as a platform to further their Playing for Peace initiative. This past December the Irish organized a 3v3 basketball tournament and Stand with Sudan peace rally to encourage students to play, pray and advocate for peace in Sudan. – Later in December, a delegation from the University of Notre Dame, including representatives of the men’s lacrosse program travelled to Washington, D.C. to lobby both elected and appointed government officials to support peacekeeping efforts in Sudan during the lead up and eventual expiration of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. – In January, a referendum took place and there was a unique opportunity for the people of South Sudan to exercise the power of self-determination. The south voted for independence and now are in the process of becoming the world’s newest nation. – Sudan continues to face many challenges; as a new nation, South Sudan is very vulnerable to internal and external conflicts, violence and injustice continue to cause suffering in Darfur. – Following the Georgetown game there was a 7v7 inter-hall Playing for Peace lacrosse tournament on the men’s lacrosse practice field. At halftime of the Notre Dame-Georgetown game the Irish men’s lacrosse team recognized all those that have supported the Playing for Peace initiative.
HOME SWEET HOME
– Notre Dame boasts an all-time home record of 136-38 (.782).
BIG START FOR BRENNEMAN
– Senior midfielder Zach Brenneman opened the season with a career-high five-point effort (3 goals, 2 assists) against Duke. That was the ninth hat trick of his career.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
– The Fighting Irish will appear on the ESPN family of networks five times during the 2011 campaign. Notre Dame’s Champion Challenge contest versus the U.S. National Team (Jan. 30) was aired on ESPNU, while the season opener versus Duke (Feb. 20) was on ESPN. ESPNU broadcasted Notre Dame’s home BIG EAST tilt versus Georgetown on April 10. ESPNU also will cover road games against Syracuse (April 30) and North Carolina (May 6).
QUALITY COMPETITION
– The Fighting Irish have five teams on their 2011 slate that appear in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) coaches’ poll. Notre Dame opened the season with a 12-7 win over current #6 Duke. The Irish won at current #5 Denver 10-9 and claimed 12-8 home victory over #11 Villanova. The Fighting Irish also will face #4 Syracuse (April 30) and #9 North Carolina (May 6).
IRISH COME FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY
– Notre Dame’s 49-man roster hails from 15 different states. The states most represented are Maryland with 12 and New York with eight.
CHALLENGING THE CHAMPS
– Notre Dame’s 12-7 win over Duke in the season opener marked the first time the Fighting Irish have ever defeated the defending national champion. The Irish had been 0-3 against defending national champs. Notre Dame’s first crack at defeating the defending national champion came in 1994 as Princeton topped the Irish 6-4. The other two occurrences came against Syracuse. The Orange bested the Irish 12-5 during the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Last season, the defending NCAA Champion Orange defeated Notre Dame 12-6.
ANOTHER KEMP IN CAGE
– Fighting Irish sophomore goalie John Kemp is the younger brother of former Notre Dame All-America goalie Joey Kemp. The older Kemp starred in goal for the Irish from 2005-08 and earned All-America honors three times. He notched a 40-14 record to establish the Irish record for wins in goal. In 2008, he became just the second student-athlete, and the first goalie, in program history to earn first team All-America honors. He also received the 2008 Kelly Award for Outstanding Goalie in NCAA Division I. – John and Joey’s older brother C.J. was an All-America goalie at Fairfield from 2000-03.
BLOOD BROTHERS
– The 2011 Notre Dame roster features two sets of brothers. Twins Billy and Patrick Maloney are senior midfielders. Freshman midfielder Tyler Brenneman joins his older brother Zach, a senior midfielder, on the Irish roster.
CHAMPION CHALLENGE
– Notre Dame fell to the United States National Team, 12-7, on Jan. 30 during the Champion Challenge in Orlando, Fla. Team USA scored the game’s first seven goals, yet the Fighting Irish responded with four straight tallies to slice the deficit to three (7-4) by the end of the third quarter. The U.S. National Team out scored the Irish 5-3 in the final quarter. – Irish senior attackman Colin Igoe had a team-high two goals in the game. Sophomore goalie John Kemp played the entire contest and made 10 saves. – Former Notre Dame All-American Scott Rodgers (2006-10) played the entire second half in goal for Team USA and made nine saves.
IRISH CAPTAINS
– Seniors Zach Brenneman (M), David Earl (M), Andrew Irving (LSM) and Kevin Ridgway (D) are first-time captains for the Fighting Irish.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS
– Notre Dame has earned five straight trips to the NCAA Championship and the Irish have made 15 tournament appearances since 1990. – The Fighting Irish were national finalists in 2010 and national semifinalists in 2001. Notre Dame has three other NCAA quarterfinal appearances (1995, 2000, 2008). – Notre Dame is competing in its 31st season of varsity lacrosse. The Fighting Irish have an all-time record of 279-145 (.658). Kevin Corrigan is in his 23rd season as the head coach of the Fighting Irish. He has a record of 215-103 (.676) during his Notre Dame tenure.
FIVE IRISH PLAYERS EARN PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA HONORS
– Five Fighting Irish seniors garnered preseason All-America honors from Inside Lacrosse. Zach Brenneman (M) and Kevin Ridgway (D) were named to the first team, while Sam Barnes (D) was a second-team pick. David Earl (M) was selected to the third team and Andrew Irving (LSM) was an honorable mention selection.
PROGRAM-RECORD FIVE IRISH PLAYERS SELECTED IN MLL DRAFT
– A program-record five Notre Dame players were selected in January’s Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft. Midfielder Zach Brenneman became the highest pick in program history as he went fifth overall to the Long Island Lizards. – Syracuse led all schools with seven players selected while Notre Dame and Maryland were next with five players drafted. – The Hamilton Nationals selected Fighting Irish midfielder David Earl in the third round (13th overall selection), while defenseman Kevin Ridgway also went to Hamilton five picks later. Long Island tabbed defenseman Sam Barnes in the fifth round (29th overall) and the Denver Outlaws picked long-stick midfielder Andrew Irving in the sixth round (33rd overall).
IRISH PICKED SECOND IN BIG EAST PRESEASON POLL
– Notre Dame was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST according to the league’s 2011 preseason coaches poll. – Syracuse was selected to win the league with six first-place votes, while Notre Dame received one first-place nod. Rounding out the order of finish was Georgetown, Villanova, St. John’s, Rutgers and Providence. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams. – Fighting Irish senior midfielder Zach Brenneman was tabbed as the BIG EAST Preseason Attack Player of the Year. – Four Notre Dame student-athletes were named to the 2011 All-BIG EAST Preseason Team. Joining Brenneman were fellow seniors David Earl (M), a unanimous selection, Sam Barnes (D) and Kevin Ridgway (D).
BIG EAST BOYS
– The 2011 campaign marks the second season of BIG EAST men’s lacrosse. The seven conference schools that participate in the league are Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse and Villanova. The teams play a six-game single round-robin regular-season schedule. – Syracuse won the conference title last year with a 6-0 league record. – In 2012, Marquette will be the eighth program to join the BIG EAST in men’s lacrosse. – Men’s lacrosse is 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 was a member of the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) from 1994-2009. The Fighting Irish captured 12 GWLL regular-season titles in addition to winning the only two GWLL Tournaments (2008 & 2009).
FALL BALL IN SAN FRANCISCO
– More than 6,000 Northern California lacrosse fans were treated to a 10-7 Notre Dame victory over Johns Hopkins on Oct 16. The exhibition contest, which was part of the second annual San Francisco Fall Lacrosse Classic, was played at Kezar Stadium. All the proceeds from the game benefitted the BAYS Foundation.
LOOKING BACK
– Notre Dame went 10-7 overall and 2-4 in BIG EAST play one season ago. – The Fighting Irish became just the fifth unseeded team to reach the title game of the NCAA Championship and the first since Massachusetts in 2006. The others were Cornell (1988), Towson (1991) and Maryland (1997). – Notre Dame’s 5.75 goals-against average during the 2010 NCAA Championship ranked second all-time behind only North Carolina in 1982 for an entire NCAA Tournament. That Tar Heel squad allowed 15 goals (5.0 per game) during their three games of the tournament en route to winning the title. The 2010 Irish surrendered 23 goals in their four games of the tournament.
KEEPING UP WITH FIGHTING IRISH MEN’S LACROSSE
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