March 29, 2007
#17 Notre Dame at Brown
Saturday, March 31 • 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Brown Stadium • Providence, R.I.
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The No. 17 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team will take on Brown in a non-conference showdown this Saturday (March 31) in Providence, R.I. Game time is set for 12:00 noon (ET) at Brown Stadium. The Fighting Irish carry a 4-3 record into the contest, while the Bears are 5-2. Notre Dame is coming off an 11-3 victory over Bellarmine in the Great Western Lacrosse League opener on March 20. Brown topped Vermont 13-4 in its last outing on Tuesday.
ND-BROWN SERIES NOTES: This will be the second meeting all-time between the Fighting Irish and Bears … Notre Dame prevailed last season, 11-5, at Moose Krause Stadium on the Notre Dame campus.
ABOUT THE IRISH: Notre Dame (4-3) is coming off an 11-3 win over Bellarmine on Tuesday, March 20 … the Irish are ranked 17th in this week’s Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll and 18th in the latest USILA coaches poll … freshman attackman Will Yeatman leads the Irish in points with 23 and assists with 11 … his 12 goals rank him third on the team … sophomore attackman Ryan Hoff leads the team with 16 goals, while senior Brian Hubschmann is second with 15 … junior goaltender Joey Kemp has all seven decisions for the Irish and carries a 7.64 goals-against average and a .584 save percentage … the Fighting Irish have six starters and 16 letterwinners back from last year’s team that posted a 10-5 record and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament … Kemp earned honorable mention All-America honors from the USILA last season … he ranked in the top-12 nationally in both save percentage and goals-against average … Kemp and Hubschmann are preseason honorable mention All-America selections according to Inside Lacrosse … Hubschmann led the team with 31 goals last season and tied for team-high honors in points with 50 … Kevin Corrigan is in his 19th season as the head coach of the Fighting Irish … Corrigan has an overall record of 160-91 (.637) at Notre Dame.
ABOUT BROWN: The Bears improved their record to 5-2 with a 13-4 victory over Vermont on Tuesday (March 27) … Brown is 2-0 at home this season … the Bears opened the 2007 campaign with a 12-11 overtime loss against UMBC before winning four straight contests against Hofstra (7-6), Providence (7-3), Bellarmine (9-8) and Massachusetts (7-4) before suffering a 9-8 loss to Dartmouth in quadruple-overtime … David Madeira has a team-high 20 points on a team-best 18 goals and two assists … Thomas Muldoon has 17 points on 11 goals and six assists … goaltender Jordan Burke has a 6.44 goals-against average and a .683 save percentage … the Bears returned five starters and 26 letterwinners from a team that went 2-11 last season … Lars Tiffany is in his first season at the helm of the Brown program.
COMMON OPPONENTS: Notre Dame and Brown have faced two common opponents so far this season … the Irish downed Bellarmine 11-3, while Brown defeated the Knights 9-8 … Notre Dame fell to Dartmouth 7-6, while Brown lost to the Big Green, 9-8, in quadruple-overtime.
IRISH VS. THE IVY LEAGUE: Notre Dame owns a 14-14 mark all-time versus the Ivy League … Brown will be the Irish’s third Ivy League opponent during the 2007 campaign … Notre Dame has dropped decisions to Ivy League members Cornell (13-8) and Dartmouth (7-6) so far this season.
THE LAST TIME: Notre Dame defeated Brown 11-5 last season at Moose Krause Stadium … that marked the first-ever meeting between the two schools … Ryan Hoff netted three goals for the Fighting Irish in the victory … Matt Karweck also chipped in two goals in the winning effort … Joey Kemp played 49:57 in goal for the Irish, making 10 saves and surrendering only three scores … Alex Buckley led Brown with two goals.
RECAPPING BELLARMINE: Hat tricks from sophomore Ryan Hoff and freshman Will Yeatman propelled the No. 19 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team to an 11-3 win over Bellarmine on Tuesday, March 20 at Moose Krause Stadium. The contest was the 2007 Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) opener for both squads and just the second meeting ever between the two schools. Notre Dame (4-3) trailed 1-0 after the first quarter, yet ran off six straight second-quarter goals to take a 6-1 lead into halftime. Yeatman started the barrage with back-to-back tallies. Sophomore Peter Christman collected the assist on the first score, while the second goal was unassisted. Duncan Swezey, who enjoyed a career-best four-point day on one goal and three assists, fed his classmate Hoff on three straight goals in a span of 1:57 to put the Irish up 5-1 with 8:14 remaining in the opening half. Senior midfielder Bill Liva capped the first half with a tally off a pass from John Greaney. The Fighting Irish would extend the run to eight consecutive scores with unassisted goals from Yeatman and junior Michael Podgajny in the third quarter. Yeatman leads the Irish with 23 points on 12 goals and a team-high 11 assists. Bellarmine (1-5) stopped the surge on a goal from John Kirk with 4:00 left in the third period. However, the Irish struck right back 42 seconds later with a man-up goal from senior Lucius Polk on an assist from freshman Brett Vecchio. The Irish, who out shot Bellarmine 37-22 for the game, kept attacking and Hoff would notch the assist on Swezey’s goal before Polk netted his second tally with just four seconds left in the quarter. Notre Dame led the Knights 11-2 heading into the final stanza. The only score in the fourth quarter came from Bellarmine’s Mike Rosenbergh off a pass from Andrew Wolford. Irish goaltender Joey Kemp, a junior, picked up the win as he made nine saves and allowed just two goals. Sophomore Scott Rodgers played the final nine minutes of the game and made three saves, while he surrendered one score. Bellarmine’s J.C. Hutchens picked up the loss as he played the first half and allowed six goals and made three saves. David Haas was scored on five times in the third period, while A.J. Smith held the Irish scoreless in the final quarter. Both Haas and Smith made three stops.
MAN-UP: Notre Dame boasts the nation’s second-best man-up offense … the Irish have converted on 13 of 23 man-up opportunities this season (.565) … Ryan Hoff leads the Irish with five man-up goals, while Michael Podgajny has four … Notre Dame has limited its opponents to just a .250 (6-24) man-up conversion percentage this season.
SAVING THE DAY: Notre Dame junior goaltender Joey Kemp has had a huge impact on the Irish during his first two campaigns … as a freshman, he started nine games, posting a 5-2 record and led the nation with a .652 save percentage en route to being tabbed the Great Western Lacrosse League Rookie of the Year … he followed that up with another stellar season in 2006 … he went 10-5 and ranked eighth nationally with a .596 save percentage and 12th with a 7.54 goals-against average … he earned USILA Honorable Mention All-America honors along with being a first-team all-GWLL selection … this season he carries a 7.64 goals-against average and a .584 save percentage … those marks rank him 14th and 16th, respectively, in the categories.
FACING OFF: Junior midfielder and faceoff specialist Taylor Clagett has won 74 of 137 (.540) faceoffs this season, which ranks him 22nd nationally … he won 126 of 205 faceoff attempts last season … his .615 winning percentage in 2006 would have ranked him sixth nationally, however he missed four games due to injury and could not qualify among NCAA statistical leaders in that category … his career winning percentage is .595 (331-556).
IRISH IN GWLL OPENERS: With the 11-3 victory over Bellarmine on March 20, Notre Dame improved its record to 13-1 all-time in Great Western Lacrosse League openers … the Irish’s only loss in a GWLL lid-lifter was a 9-8 decision against Ohio State during the 2004 campaign.
HUBSCHMANN STREAK SNAPPED: Brian Hubschmann had his streak of 11 straight games with a goal snapped in the 11-3 win over Bellarmine on March 20 … prior to the game against the Knights, he was last held without a goal in an 8-5 loss at Denver last season (4-14-06).
HAT TRICKS: The Irish have had four players notch at least three goals in a game this season … Brian Hubschmann leads the team with three games of three-plus goals … his four tallies against Drexel were a season-high total … Hubschmann netted three goals against Loyola and Dartmouth … the Irish’s top total came from Ryan Hoff, who notched seven goals against Drexel … Hoff also notched a hat trick against Bellarmine as did his teammate Will Yeatman … junior Michael Podgajny recorded four goals versus Penn State.
SEVENTH HEAVEN FOR HOFF: Sophomore attackman Ryan Hoff tied a Notre Dame record with seven goals in a 16-5 win over Drexel on March 13 … he equaled the school record originally set by Randy Colley in 1993 against New Hampshire … Hoff’s seven tallies also established a program record for the most goals scored in a road game … the previous high was six by eight different Irish players and most recently by Pat Walsh against Hofstra in 2005 … the seven goals scored by Hoff are the second most among all NCAA Division I men’s players this season for a single game … Matt Girsh from Siena netted eight goals against VMI.
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT: The 16 goals scored against Drexel on March 13 were the most for the Irish since tallying 19 versus Quinnipiac during the 2006 regular-season finale … the 16 goals also marked the most in a road game for Notre Dame since the 2005 season, when the Irish won a 16-5 decision at Ohio State.
SCORELESS STRETCH: Junior goaltender Joey Kemp held Drexel without a goal for 43:22 in the 16-5 Irish on March 13 … that marks his career-long scoreless stretch … it began at the 6:35 mark of the first quarter and ended with 10:03 left in the game … his previous best was 36:23, which occurred last season during the Bellarmine and Hofstra contests.
HOME SWEET HOME: Notre Dame has won its past nine home contests … the streak stems back to a 14-13 overtime win over 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 … the Irish are 2-0 at home so far this season … two of the games during the streak have been played in the Loftus Sports Center, while the other seven have taken place outside at Moose Krause Stadium … Notre Dame owns an overall home record of 111-35 (.760) during the 26-plus years of varsity lacrosse at the University.
INSTANT IMPACT: Freshman Will Yeatman leads the Irish in points with 23 and assists with 11 … his 12 goals rank him third on the team … the attackman has notched at least two points in every game this season … his biggest point output to date came in a 16-5 win over Drexel as he scored two goals and notched a season-high four assists.
DOUBLE DUTY: Will Yeatman spent this past fall playing tight end for the Fighting Irish football team … the freshman played in 12 of Notre Dame’s 13 games on the gridiron … the San Diego native was a prep All-American in lacrosse at Rancho Bernardo High School.
NOTRE DAME IN THE POLLS: Notre Dame is ranked 17th in this week’s Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll … the Irish are ranked 18th in the latest USILA coaches poll … Notre Dame’s highest ranking this season was eighth in the USILA poll during the week of Feb. 26th … the Fighting Irish peaked at No. 8 in last season’s USILA poll the week of April 3rd.
QUALITY COMPETITION: The Fighting Irish have three teams on their 2007 regular-season schedule that appear in the latest Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll … Notre Dame defeated then-No. 13 Loyola 9-7 in the season opener … the Greyhounds are currently ranked 10th … the Irish fell to current No. 1 Cornell 13-8 and then dropped an 11-8 decision to current No. 15 North Carolina on March 10 … Notre Dame downed Drexel, 16-5, on March 13 when the Dragons were ranked 19th in the USILA coaches poll.
HUBSCHMANN AND KEMP NAMED TO TEWAARATON TROPHY WATCH LIST: Brian Hubschmann (Sr., A) and Joey Kemp (Jr., G) have been named to the 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy Preseason Watch List … the award is presented annually to the nation’s top player … the athletes on the list are considered early season indicators of who to watch as the 2007 lacrosse season begins … the list of 51 players will be voted upon by coaches and narrowed as the season progresses, ultimately reaching a final list of five who constitute the award’s finalists.
IRISH EARN PRESEASON HONORS: Senior attackman Brian Hubschmann and junior goaltender Joey Kemp were selected as preseason honorable mention All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse/Faceoff Yearbook … Hubschmann was the team’s co-leading scorer last season with 50 points on a team-high 31 goals and 19 assists … Kemp was a USILA honorable mention All-America selection in 2006 … he started all 15 games, posting a 7.54 goals-against average and a .596 save percentage … he ranked eighth nationally in save percentage and 12th in goals-against average … Kemp was joined on the Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-GWLL Team by his classmates Taylor Clagett (M/FO) and Ross Zimmerman (D).
HUBSCHMANN, LIVA AND KEMP NAMED `07 IRISH CAPTAINS: Seniors Brian Hubschmann and Bill Liva along with junior Joey Kemp have been named captains for the 2007 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team … Hubschmann, an attackman, is in his fifth season with the Irish after missing all of his junior campaign with a knee injury … he led the team in goals last season with 31 and tied for the team lead in points with 50 … Liva has been a fixture in the Irish lineup during his first three seasons … he has played in 32 games, totaling 20 points on 12 goals and eight assists … Kemp has emerged as one of the top goaltenders in the nation throughout his first two seasons, ranking in the top-10 nationally in save percentage both years … he also was an honorable mention All-American in 2006.
COACHING CHANGES: The freshmen are not the only new faces on the Irish this season … head coach Kevin Corrigan has brought in two new assistant coaches, Gerry Byrne and Brian Fisher, to replace Kevin Anderson and Dave Cornell … Anderson stepped away from coaching, while Cornell took the head coaching job at Connecticut College … Byrne will not be a new face to everyone at Notre Dame since he served as an assistant under Corrigan from 1989-91 … most recently he held the head coaching position at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. … Fisher comes to Notre Dame from Rutgers, where he had a stellar four-year career from 1998-2001 followed by a five-year coaching stint with the Scarlet Knights.
BACK TO THE DANCE: Notre Dame returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 for the first time since the 2001 season … the Fighting Irish posted a 10-5 record last season, including a 3-2 mark in the GWLL, which placed them second behind conference champion Denver.
FOLLOW ALL ND HOME GAMES ONLINE: All six of Notre Dame’s home games will feature livestats available through und.com, the official web site of all 26 varsity athletic programs at the University … simply go to the men’s lacrosse page and click on `Schedule’ at the top of the page, find the game that is being played that day and click on `Gametracker’ to follow the game for free.
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 up-to-the-minute game updates for all 26 varsity sports at Notre Dame.
KEEPING UP WITH ND MEN’S LACROSSE: For results of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse games, call the Notre Dame Sports Hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose #5 and #1 … the hotline provides schedules and result information for all 26 varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the match recaps and weekly releases provided on the official athletic website, www.und.com … 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 … 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.