March 11, 2010
FAIRFIELD (1-2) vs. #3 NOTRE DAME (3-1)
Saturday, March 13 – 1:00 p.m. (CT)
The Kinkaid School – Houston, Texas
Gametracker on und.com
SETTING THE STAGE … The third-ranked Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team will conclude its three-game spring break trip on Saturday with a date against Fairfield in Houston, Texas. The contest is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. (CT) start at The Kinkaid School. Notre Dame leads the all-time series against Fairfield, 4-2. The Fighting Irish will carry a 3-1 record into Saturday’s game, while the Stags are 1-2.
A GOOD CAUSE … The Notre Dame-Fairfield contest will be part of the inaugural `Beating Cancer With a Stick Lacrosse Classic’ … the event, which is presented by Lacrosse 4 All, will help raise money for The Children’s Cancer Hospital at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center … this will be the first NCAA Division I lacrosse game in Houston since 1970, when Johns Hopkins played Navy … also participating in the event will be four high school programs: Kinkaid, Houston Episcopal, Gulliver Prep (Fla.) and Palo Verde (Nev.)
ABOUT THE IRISH … Notre Dame saw its 20-game regular-season win streak come to an end with a 7-6 overtime setback at No. 20 Drexel on Tuesday … sophomore midfielder Max Pfeifer scored a career-high four goals against the Dragons … the Fighting Irish are averaging 10 goals per game, while surrendering 7.75 per contest … junior midfielder Zach Brenneman and senior attackman Neal Hicks both have team-high totals in goals (7), assists (4) and points (11) … Notre Dame has had nine different players score a goal this season … senior goalie Scott Rodgers has played every minute between the pipes and has a 7.63 goals-against average and a .613 save percentage … he boasts an 18-2 career record … Notre Dame is competing in its 30th season of varsity lacrosse … the Fighting Irish have an all-time record of 263-139 (.654) … Notre Dame has made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including four straight trips … Notre Dame returned six starters and 16 letterwinners from last year’s team that posted a 15-1 record … Kevin Corrigan is in his 22nd season as the head coach of the Fighting Irish … he has a record of 199-97 (.672) during his Notre Dame tenure.
ND-FAIRFIELD SERIES NOTES … Saturday will be the seventh meeting between Notre Dame and Fairfield … the Irish lead the series, 4-2 … Fairfield won the last meeting, 12-11, during the 2005 season in Fairfield, Conn. … the two schools met every season from 2000-05 when they were members of the Great Western Lacrosse League.
ABOUT FAIRFIELD … The Stags are 1-2 on the season … Fairfield is coming off an 8-6 setback at Villanova on Saturday … the Stags opened the campaign with a 15-10 loss to Lafayette, yet followed that up with a 5-3 win over Bryant … Fairfield posted a 7-6 record last season … the Stags returned seven starters and 28 letterwinners from that squad … head coach Andrew Copelan is in his second season at Fairfield … the Stags are a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) in men’s lacrosse.
RETURNING TO TEXAS … This marks the second straight season that Notre Dame has played a game in the state of Texas … last year, the Fighting Irish topped Vermont, 13-7, in Dallas … that contest was part of the Patriot Cup.
WORKING OVERTIME … The 7-6 overtime setback at Drexel on Tuesday marked Notre Dame’s first overtime contest since an 8-7 win over Colgate in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
FOUR FOR PFEIFER … Sophomore midfielder Max Pfeifer scored a career-high four goals against Drexel on Tuesday … that is the most goals from an Irish player since Ryan Hoff netted six against Ohio State in the title game of last season’s Great Western Lacrosse League Tournament.
SCORELESS QUARTERS … When the Notre Dame defense held Drexel scoreless in the third quarter of Tuesday’s contest it marked the third time this season that the Irish have held an opponent without a goal for an entire quarter … in the season opener, Notre Dame did not allow a fourth-quarter goal against Duke … the Fighting Irish held Loyola scoreless during the second quarter of the game on March 6.
LOCKING DOWN … The Fighting Irish defense has not surrendered more than nine goals in the past 20 contests (regular season and postseason).
HAT TRICKS … Five Notre Dame players have registered hat tricks this season … junior midfielder Zach Brenneman has a team-best two hat tricks … he scored three goals against both Duke and Loyola … fellow junior midfielder David Earl also recorded a hat trick against Loyola … seniors Grant Krebs, a midfielder, and Neal Hicks, an attackman, both had three-goal efforts against Penn State … sophomore midfielder Max Pfeifer netted a career-high four goals against Drexel on March 9 … that is the most goals from an Irish player this season.
SPREADING THE WEALTH … The Fighting Irish already have had nine players score a goal this season … Neal Hicks (Sr./A) and Zach Brenneman (Jr./M) both have a team-best seven goals … Max Pfeifer (So./M) has six tallies, while David Earl (Jr./M) has five.
STREAKING … Senior attackman Neal Hicks boasts a team-best 22-game point streak … his point streak ranks in a tie for ninth nationally … Hicks has tallied 56 points on 33 goals and 23 assists during the current stretch.
QUITE A RUN … Notre Dame saw its 20-game regular-season win streak come to an end against Drexel on Tuesday … prior to that, the last loss for the Irish in a regular-season tilt was a 9-8 setback to Denver on April 5, 2008 in Bridgeview, Ill. … the Fighting Irish have won 25 of their past 28 games (regular season and postseason).
BEATING THE BEST … Notre Dame has defeated two top-10 teams this season … the Irish knocked off No. 2 Duke, 11-7, in the season opener … Notre Dame took down No. 10 Loyola, 11-9, on March 6 … the last time the Fighting Irish beat two top-10 teams in the same season was during the 2008 campaign … that season, Notre Dame topped No. 9 Ohio State, 17-12, during the regular season and then downed the 10th-ranked Buckeyes, 9-2, during the GWLL tournament … Notre Dame also beat No. 10 Colgate, 8-7 in overtime, in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Championship.
BIG STAGE … Notre Dame has played in some big venues over the past few seasons … on March 6, the Irish defeated Loyola, 11-9, in front of 19,742 fans at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. during the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic … last season, Notre Dame topped Ohio State, 14-8, in front of an NCAA regular-season record crowd of 30,192 fans at Ohio Stadium … the game was played prior to Ohio State’s spring football game … the Fighting Irish bested Denver, 10-8, at Invesco Field at Mile High one season ago … in 2008, Notre Dame faced Denver at Toyota Park, which is home to the Chicago Machine (MLL) and Chicago Fire (MLS).
A FANTASTIC 400 … The Penn State contest on Feb. 28 marked the 400th game in the history of men’s varsity lacrosse at Notre Dame … the Fighting Irish carry an all-time record of 263-139 (.656).
GRAND OPENING … Notre Dame’s 11-7 season-opening win over No. 2 Duke on Feb. 20 marked the program’s first victory over a team ranked in the top-two of the national polls … Notre Dame is 23-7 all-time in season-openers, including a 17-5 record in the Kevin Corrigan era … the Irish have won a program-record eight straight season-openers … the Fighting Irish have opened their slate against a ranked opponent for 17 consecutive seasons.
DELIGHTFUL DEBUT … Notre Dame freshman midfielder Steve Murphy netted two goals in his collegiate debut against Duke on Feb. 20 … the last time a Fighting Irish freshman scored at least two goals in their Notre Dame debut was when Ryan Hoff and Peter Christman deposited two goals each in an 8-4 win over Penn State in 2006.
BACK IN THE ATTACK … Senior attackman Colin Igoe netted two goals in the season-opening win over Duke … that marked Igoe’s first game since March 4, 2008 … he was injured in the fourth game of the 2008 campaign (Villanova) and missed the remainder of that season … Igoe missed all of last season … Igoe has four goals and two assists this season.
WEEKLY HONORS … Fighting Irish junior midfielders Zach Brenneman and David Earl were honored for their roles in an 11-9 win over No. 10 Loyola on March 6 in the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic … both players netted hat tricks in the victory … Brenneman was selected to the Inside Lacrosse national team of the week, while Earl, who also had an assist in the match, was named to the BIG EAST weekly honor roll.
THREE NAMED TO TEWAARATON WATCH LIST … Notre Dame seniors Sam Barnes (D), Grant Krebs (M) and Scott Rodgers (GK) have been named to the 64-man watch list for the 2010 Tewaaraton Trophy … The Tewaaraton Award was formally established in August of 2000 and is the pre-eminent lacrosse award, which is given annually to the NCAA men’s and women’s lacrosse player of the year … the award will be presented on June 3rd, 2010 at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
DEFENDING THE CAGE … Notre Dame boasted the nation’s top defense in 2009 by producing a school-record 6.19 goals-against average, which shattered the program standard of 6.66 from the 2007 season … Notre Dame did not surrender more than nine goals in a game all season long, while limiting foes to six goals or fewer six times … in his first season as a starter, Scott Rodgers led all NCAA Division I goalies with a 6.14 goals-against average and a .663 save percentage en route to earning third-team All-America honors … his 15 victories also established a Fighting Irish record … 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 the 6.66 mark.
ARLOTTA STADIUM … Arlotta Stadium is the new home for the Notre Dame men’s and women’s lacrosse programs … construction of the facility began in August of 2008 and it held its first event on October 16, 2009 as the Notre Dame men’s team played the Iroquois National Team in an exhibition contest … the official stadium dedication was held on October 17, 2009 … Arlotta Stadium is slated to host its first regular-season game when the Irish face Denver on March 16 … the stadium features over 2,000 seats, lights, an artificial-turf field, locker rooms, player lounges, restrooms and concession areas … the state-of-the-art facility is named after Notre Dame graduate John Arlotta, president and chief executive officer of Denver-based Coram Inc. … he and his wife Bobbie pledged the lead gift toward the stadium, which was built to the east of the Joyce Center as part of the University’s new athletics quadrangle … the Arlotta children – Mindy, Andy and Jon – pledged an additional gift from The Arlotta Family Foundation toward the project … in addition to their generous donation, alumni and friends of the lacrosse programs donated over two million dollars.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS … Five Notre Dame players have garnered preseason All-America honors from Inside Lacrosse … Scott Rodgers (Sr., G) was named to the first team, while Grant Krebs (Sr., M) and Sam Barnes (Sr., D) were second-team selections … Trever Sipperly (Sr., M/FO) and Andrew Irving (Jr., LSM) were honorable mention picks.
BIG EAST DEBUT … The 2010 campaign marks the first season of BIG EAST men’s lacrosse … the seven conference schools that will participate in the newly-formed league are Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse and Villanova … the teams will play a six-game single round-robin regular-season schedule … 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).
IRISH TABBED TO FINISH SECOND IN BIG EAST … Notre Dame was picked to finish second in the inaugural season of the BIG EAST men’s lacrosse league … the conference’s head coaches casted the votes and were not permitted to vote for their own teams … Syracuse was tabbed 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, Rutgers, St. John’s and Providence.
IRISH EARN PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE HONORS … Four Notre Dame student-athletes were named to the 2010 All-BIG EAST Preseason Team … senior Scott Rodgers was the lone goalie selected to the 15-man squad … fellow seniors Sam Barnes (D), Neal Hicks (A) and Grant Krebs (M) also were chosen for the all-conference team.
RODGERS NAMED A LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE … Notre Dame goalie Scott Rodgers has been named one of 20 candidates for the 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in the men’s lacrosse division … to be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – classroom, character, community and competition … an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities … Rodgers, a third-team All-American last season, carries a 3.077 cumulative grade-point average as a sociology major in Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters.
QUALITY COMPETITION … The Fighting Irish have five teams on their 2010 slate that appear in the latest USILA coaches poll … Notre Dame currently is ranked third in the poll … Notre Dame opened the campaign with an 11-7 victory over current No. 9 Duke … the Blue Devils were ranked second at the time of the contest … Notre Dame took down current No. 9 Loyola, 11-9, on March 6 … the Irish fell at No. 20 Drexel, 7-6 in overtime, on March 9 … Notre Dame will face No. 2 Syracuse on May 1 and No. 12 Georgetown on April 11.
IRISH NAME CAPTAINS … Seniors Mike Creighton (D), Neal Hicks (A) and Kelly McKenna (M) are first-time captains for the Fighting Irish, while Scott Rodgers (G), a fifth-year senior, will be serving as a team captain for the second straight season.
GETTING OFFENSIVE … The Notre Dame offense has been one of the best in the nation over the past few seasons … last season, the Irish tied for 10th nationally by averaging 11.00 goals per-game … in 2008, the Irish averaged 12.04 goals per game and that placed them fifth among all NCAA Division I teams … Notre Dame ranked fourth in 2007 with an 11.65 goals per-game average … the Irish are averaging 10.00 goals per game after the first four games of the 2010 season.
FACING OFF … Notre Dame ranked ninth nationally in faceoff winning percentage one season ago … the Irish went 184-147 (.556) in the faceoff X … Trever Sipperly ranked 13th nationally with a .559 percentage (85-67), while Jake Marmul went 97-78 for a .554 winning percentage to rank 19th in the country … Sipperly boasts a 60.8 winning percentage (48-31) this season … he matched a career-best single-game winning percentage against Drexel on March 9 by winning 13-of-17 (.765) faceoff attempts … Marmul will not be able to play this season due to a knee injury.
A QUICK LOOK BACK … In 2009, Notre Dame posted the first undefeated regular season in program history … the Fighting Irish went 13-0 overall in the regular season, including a 5-0 mark in Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) play … Notre Dame notched two more wins to take its second straight GWLL Tournament title … the Irish concluded the season with a 15-1 record after falling to Maryland, 7-3, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament … Notre Dame garnered the No. 7 seed for the NCAAs … the win total and winning percentage (.938) established program records … the Fighting Irish defense led the nation in 2009 with a 6.19 goals-against average, while the offense was tied for 10th by scoring 11.0 goals per game … five Notre Dame players garnered All-America honors in 2009 … Scott Rodgers (G), Ryan Hoff (A) and Regis McDermott (D) were third-team selections, while Sam Barnes (D) and Grant Krebs (M) were honorable-mention picks … Rodgers, Barnes and Krebs are back for the Irish in 2010 … Rodgers was named the 2009 GWLL Player of the Year, while Kevin Corrigan was named the league’s coach of the year for the fifth time … Rodgers led the nation in goals-against average (6.14) and save percentage (.663) … attackman Neal Hicks led the Irish with 43 points on 25 goals and 18 assists … Hoff scored a team-best 32 goals.
WINNING WAYS … In 2009, Notre Dame’s 15-1 mark established program records for wins and winning percentage in a single season … the Fighting Irish compiled the first undefeated regular season in program history and it marked the fourth straight season that the Irish have reached double figures in wins … Notre Dame’s 15-game win streak was a program best.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS … Notre Dame has earned four straight appearances to the NCAA Championship … over the past two seasons, the Irish have garnered one of the tournament’s eight national seeds and have posted a first-round contest … last season, the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish fell to Maryland, 7-3, in the tournament’s first round … Notre Dame has made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances since 1990.
KEEPING UP WITH ND MEN’S LACROSSE … Log onto und.com for the latest information on the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse program … und.com, the official athletics web site for the University of Notre Dame, features press releases, game stories, feature stories, video interviews, stats, rosters and more … fans also can sign up for Irish ALERT, a text messaging service designed to give fans game updates for all 26 varsity sports at Notre Dame … Irish men’s lacrosse fans can sign up to receive scores following each quarter … 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 or (574) 631-2664 … 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.