April 28, 2005
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#nr/16 Notre Dame (6-4, 2-2 GWLL) vs. Ohio State (5-6, 2-1 GWLL)
Friday, April 29, 7 p.m. (EDT) • Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
– Live Video Webcast: www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com (also linked on www.und.com)
– Live Audio: www.underground.fm/sports
NOTRE DAME HEADS TO OHIO STATE FOR FINAL REGULAR-SEASON GAME: The #nr/16 University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team (6-4, 2-2 GWLL) will wind up its regular season on Friday, traveling to defending Great Western Lacrosse League champion Ohio State (5-6, 2-1 GWLL) for a 7 p.m. (EDT) game in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Irish, still in the hunt for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, will try to snap a two-game losing streak against the Buckeyes.
THE LIVE VIDEO WEBCAST PLANS: The official website of Ohio State athletics, www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com, will provide a live video webcast of Friday’s game, available to subscribers of College Sports Pass. Fans who have signed up for College Sports Pass through Notre Dame — which provides live audio and video content for various sports — also are entitled to free access to all of Ohio State’s College Sports Pass content (as well as that of the various other schools that are partners with College Sports Online — for full list, see www.collegesports.com). Memberships are $6.95 per month or $49.95 per year.
THE LIVE AUDIO PLANS: Friday’s game will be broadcast by Ohio State’s student-run radio station, The Underground, with the feed available free at www.underground.fm/sports.
LAST TIME ON THE FIELD: Sophomore midfielder Greg Downing scored with 2.9 seconds remaining to hand 20th-ranked Fairfield a 12-11 victory over #14 Notre Dame on April 17 in front of a crowd of 1,376 at Lessing Field in Fairfield. The Irish led by as many as four goals (8-4 and 9-5), but allowed seven scores in the final 16 minutes. Notre Dame junior M Matt Karweck (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan Academy) tied the score at 11-11 with 2:17 remaining, and freshman M Taylor Clagett (Chesapeake Beach, Md./DeMatha Catholic H.S.) won the ensuing faceoff, when another rookie, A Alex Wharton (Baltimore, Md./Gilman School), picked up the loose ball. The Irish took a timeout and made a change in goal, bringing in fifth-year senior Stewart Crosland (Bethesda, Md./Landon School). Notre Dame maintained possession for nearly the rest of the game, getting three shots, including one on goal by senior co-captain M Brian Giordano (Princeton, N.J./Hun School) with 40 seconds remaining that was saved by Fairfield sophomore G Michael Kruger. The Stags then got the ball with just one-half minute remaining after an Irish shot by junior All-American A Pat Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh H.S.) sailed wide. Fairfield was successful in its clear attempt, and it then took a timeout with eight seconds remaining in regulation. Coming out of the break, Downing had the ball on his stick and he beat his defender and fired a shot past Crosland for his fifth goal of the game. Clagett won the final faceoff, but could not get off a shot before time expired. Offensively, Notre Dame was led by Karweck, who had three goals and an assist, while senior co-captain A Jim Morrison (Fulton, Md./Mount St. Joseph H.S.) added a pair of goals and two assists. Junior M Matt Ryan (Ridley Park, Pa./Ridley H.S.) notched a goal and two assists, while freshman M Michael Podgajny (Ridley Park, Pa./Ridley H.S.) scored a pair of goals, and Walsh and Wharton both had a goal and an assist. Giordano also scored a goal. Notre Dame held a 4-3 edge at halftime, but Fairfield tied the game just 30 seconds into the third quarter. But the Irish responded with four consecutive goals to make the score 8-4 with 4:30 left in the period. Freshman A Matt Castele stopped the string with a goal of his own, but Morrison regained the four-goal cushion (9-5) with 1:21 remaining the third. Downing began the comeback with his second goal. Sophomore A Mike Bocklet then scored 1:03 into the final period, and that was followed by another Downing tally and one by Travis Nelson to tie the score 9-9 with 8:47 left. Irish senior co-captain LSM Chris Richez (Freeport, N.Y./Freeport H.S.) was then called for a pushing penalty – for the second time in the final quarter – and that allowed Downing to score another goal, making it 10-9 Fairfield with 8:17 remaining. Podgajny took a feed from Morrison at 6:14 to tie the game, but Downing found Bocklet for an 11-10 edge with 4:59 left. Fairfield finished with a 44-35 advantage in shots, as well as a 49-36 edge in ground balls. Notre Dame won 14 of the 27 faceoffs, but had troubling clearing the ball, succeeding on just 13 of 23 attempts (.565). Freshman G Joey Kemp (Potomac, Md./Georgetown Prep School) started for Notre Dame and played the first 57:51, allowing 11 goals and making 19 saves (eight in the fourth quarter) for a .633 percentage. Crosland played the final 2:09 and allowed a goal on the only shot he faced, taking the loss and dropping to 2-2 this season. Clagett won 13 of the 23 draws he took and led the team in ground balls with eight.
HEAD COACH Kevin Corrigan: Irish head coach Kevin Corrigan is in his 17th season at the helm of the Notre Dame program. He has led the Irish to a 145-83 (.636) mark, while holding a 155-98 (.613) overall record in 18+ seasons. Corrigan’s Notre Dame teams have earned 10 NCAA tournament berths since 1990, highlighted by quarterfinal appearances in 1995 and 2000 and a Final Four trip in 2001. Only six other Division I schools have as many postseason appearances in that span, while Corrigan and Princeton’s Bill Tierney are the only two mentors in the country to have led their current teams to 10 NCAA tournaments since `90. Corrigan’s teams have had 13 winning seasons, including 10 with nine or more victories. He has had at least one player earn All-America honors in each of the last 12 seasons for a total of 23 honorees since 1994. In addition, 85 players have garnered all-conference mention under Corrigan. The Irish also have claimed at least a share of 12 league titles (9 Great Western Lacrosse League, 3 Midwest Lacrosse Association Great Lakes Conference). In a three-year playing career as a midfielder at Virginia, Corrigan helped the Cavaliers to the NCAA final in 1979. He previously was an assistant at Notre Dame in 1983 and served as head coach of Randolph-Macon College for two years (1985-86).
IRISH DROP TO 16th IN INSIDE LACROSSE MEDIA POLL, DROP OUT OF USILA LISTING: After being idle last week, Notre Dame dropped one spot to 16th in the Inside Lacrosse media poll, while falling out of the Geico/STX Coaches Poll, presented by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) after being 20th the week before. The Irish are listed 24th in that poll this week. Notre Dame has been as high as ninth in the USILA rankings and sixth in the Inside Lacrosse poll.
NOTRE DAME 14th IN RPI: Despite being ranked 16th in the Inside Lacrosse media poll and 20th in the USILA listing, Notre Dame remains 14th in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), according to LaxPower.com. The Irish and North Carolin (12th) are the only teams in the top 15 of the RPI, but not in the USILA top 20.
IRISH LOOK FOR HISTORIC AT-LARGE BID TO NCAAs: Standing 14th in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) with one game remaining, Notre Dame is squarely in the hunt for one of the 10 at-large bids to the NCAA Championship, which begins on May 14-15 at campus sites. In 2004, the lowest-RPI team to get an at-large berth was Army, which was 14th at the end of the regular season. It would be the first-ever at-large bid for the Irish, whose 10 previous NCAA trips came from automatic bids most recently for being the champion of the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) and previously for being the top team in the West Region. At-large bids for non-east coast teams have been extremely rare in the 34-year history of the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship. Only once has a team west of Chapel Hill, N.C. (University of North Carolina) garnered an at-large berth. That was in 1971 — when Irish veteran head coach Kevin Corrigan was just 11 years old — when undefeated Air Force earned an invitation, but lost 10-1 to Maryland in the opening round.
GWLL UPDATE: Ten of the 15 games between Great Western Lacrosse League teams have been played thus far this season, with four more on tap for this weekend. At this point, Denver is 3-0, Fairfield is 2-0, Ohio State is 2-1, Notre Dame is 2-2, Air Force is 1-3, and Butler is 0-4. On Friday, ND will be at OSU and Fairfield will be at Butler. Saturday will have Air Force at Denver, and Fairfield will be at Ohio State on Sunday. The lone game remaining after this weekend is Denver at Fairfield — the battle of the unbeatens — on May 7. The GWLL champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The Buckeyes have garnered that invitation in each of the last two years, though they were tri-champions with both Notre Dame and Denver in 2003.
IRISH-BUCKEYES SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame and Ohio State will play for the 28th time, and the Irish lead the series 18-9. In games in Columbus, the Irish hold a slim 7-6 advange, and the teams have split the last four games. The Buckeyes are the most-common opponent in the 25-year history of Notre Dame’s varsity program, as the schools have faced off at least once in every year since the Irish gained varsity status in 1981. OSU swept the two meetings in that initial season, with Notre Dame getting its first victory in a 14-10 decision in Baltimore in 1982. The Buckeyes have won each of the two most-recent affairs, 11-5 in Columbus in 2003 and 9-8 at Notre Dame last season. Both of those victories propelled Ohio State to NCAA tournament bids. Prior to that, the Irish had won 12 of the previous 13 games (including nine straight from 1990-98). The most-recent ND victory was a 7-3 upset of #19 OSU at home in 2002. This will be the first time since 1992 that neither schools are ranked in the USILA poll at the time of the game.
LAST YEAR’S ND-OSU GAME: After Irish sophomore M Brian Hubschmann (Short Hills, N.J./Delbarton H.S.) scored with 28 seconds remaining to tie the score 8-8, Buckeye sophomore A Ben Wolff responded with the game winner with just 12 seconds to go in the contest to send 17th-ranked Ohio State over #13 Notre Dame 9-8 on March 31, 2004, at Moose Krause Stadium. The Irish were up 3-0 early and held a 7-3 advantage with one minute left in the third period before the Buckeyes scored five straight goals. The game was the Great Western Lacrosse League opener for both teams, two of the conference’s tri-champions in 2003. After Hubschmann’s goal, OSU senior M Josh Lesko and Irish junior M Craig Bishko (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip H.S.) faced off. The ball squirted towards the Buckeyes’ box and both teams were battling for it when Notre Dame was called for a loose-ball push, thus awarding possession to Ohio State. The Buckeyes brought the ball down the right side and senior M Ryan Laffey deked away from a defender and found Wolff open in front of the goal. The sophomore then beat Notre Dame senior G Stewart Crosland (Bethesda, Md./Landon School) from a yard away for his 12th goal of the season, extending OSU’s winning streak to five games. A game of momentum, the final two goals marked the only time a team did not put together at least three scores in a row. After holding the Buckeyes to just four goals through the first 45 minutes of play, Notre Dame would surrender five goals (while finding the net just once) in the final period. OSU senior M Shaun Lyons scored an unassisted goal to tie the game 7-7 with 7:30 left in the contest. Lesko won the ensuing faceoff and the Buckeyes held possession for the next three minutes, taking three off-target shots before Laffey connected on a solo effort from the far right wing for his fourth goal of the year to put OSU ahead 8-7 with 4:27 to go. Irish junior M Frank Matarazzo (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Bergen Catholic H.S.) was victorious on the ensuing faceoff, setting up a four-minute offensive barrage by Notre Dame in which the ball never left the Buckeyes’ side of the field. In that span, the Irish took 11 shots, picked up six ground balls, denied two Ohio State clearing attempts, and forced the Buckeyes into calling a pair of timeouts. The Ohio State defense was effective until an illegal body check by senior D Matt Cafarelli gave Notre Dame a man-up chance with 39 seconds left. On the right wing, Hubschmann moved left toward the center of the field then suddenly reversed his motion, pivoted and dove toward the goal, firing a shot past Russo into the lower-left corner of the goal for Notre Dame’s fourth man-up tally of the game. The Irish were led offensively by a trio of players with three points each. Hubschmann and senior A Dan Berger both had two goals and an assist, while sophomore All-American A Pat Walsh scored once and registered two assists, including one on a beautiful cross-field, behind-the-back pass that found Berger right in front of the goal early in the third to put Notre Dame up 7-3. Senior A Matt Howell (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington H.S.) also scored twice. Notre Dame outshot Ohio State 43-33 and held a 43-34 advantage in ground balls. Clagett led the Irish with seven ground balls, matching his career high.
Joey Kemp TOPS IN DIVISION I IN SAVE PERCENTAGE: Notre Dame freshman goaltender Joey Kemp (Potomac, Md./Georgetown Prep School), who took over as the Irish starter in the third game of the season, is first in Division I in save percentage, at .632. He is barely ahead of another rookie, Duke’s Aaron Fenton, who also is at .632. Kemp has allowed 67 goals, while making 115 saves. He is 4-2 with an 8.78 goals-against average in 457:40.
Pat Walsh ONE OF 16 NOMINEES FOR TEWAARATON TROPHY: For the second year in a row, junior A Pat Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh H.S.) has been listed among the 16 nominees for the Tewaaraton Trophy, which will be awarded to the top player in college lacrosse on June 2. The Great Western Lacrosse League leader – and one of the top 10 in Division I – in both scoring and assists, he is one of six players to be among the nominees for the award in each of the last two seasons. Five finalists for the honor will be announced on May 19. In the five-year history of the Tewaaraton Trophy, Notre Dame players have been named nominees on four occasions. In the inaugural year, 2001, senior attackmen Tom Glatzel and David Ulrich were in the group, and Walsh was listed in the final 15 in 2004. Glatzel is the lone Irish player to be named one of the five finalists. The 16 nominees in 2005 are comprised of nine attackmen, three midfielders, four defensemen, and no goaltenders. There are seven seniors, seven juniors, one sophomore (A Matt Danowski of Duke), and one freshman (M Zack Greer of Duke). All but one player – D Jeff Bigas of Salisbury State (Div. III) – is from Division I. In addition to Walsh, others to be nominees for the second straight year are North Carolina’s A Jed Prossner, Maryland’s A Joe Walters, A John Walker of Army, D Brodie Merrill of Georgetown, and Johns Hopkins’ M Kyle Harrison.
IRISH IN THE NCAA LEADERS: Notre Dame is well-represented in the NCAA Division I statistical leaders, appearing in four team categories and six of seven individual ones. The Irish — who were first earlier this spring — are now third in man-up offense, having converted on 16 of 35 chances (.457). ND also is eighth in scoring offense (11.50 goals per game), ninth in faceoff winning percentage (.590), and 11th in scoring margin (+2.60 goals per game). Individually, freshman G Joey Kemp (Potomac, Md./Georgetown Prep School) is first in save percentage (.632). Junior A Pat Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh H.S.) ranks ninth in points per game (3.90) and 10th in assists per game (2.00). Freshman M Taylor Clagett (Chesapeake Beach, Md./DeMatha Catholic H.S.) is eighth in faceoff winning percentage (.623) and 11th in ground balls per game (5.90). Senior A Jim Morrison (Fulton, Md./Mount St. Joseph H.S.) ranks 18th in goals per game (2.40).
RECORD CROWD: A crowd of 1,305 saw Notre Dame prevail 14-13 in overtime against Air Force at Moose Krause Stadium on April 10. It is the largest home men’s lacrosse attendance on record. This season provided both of the two biggest home crowds in program history, after 1,089 saw Notre Dame beat Butler 22-6 on March 19.
KEMP POSTS MOST SAVES FOR ND GOALIE SINCE 1994: Freshman G Joey Kemp (Potomac, Md./Georgetown Prep School) made 23 saves (.697) in a 10-9 loss at #19 Dartmouth on April 2. It was the most saves by an Irish goaltender since Ryan Jewell had 23 in a 12-8 victory at Hobart on April 2, 1994. The Big Green outshot Notre Dame 51-32, but Kemp’s strong goaltending gave the Irish a chance to win.
KEMP MATCHES BEST-EVER START FOR AN ND GOALIE: Freshman goaltender Joey Kemp (Potomac, Md./Georgetown Prep School), who took over the starting job in the season’s third game (March 12 vs. #10 North Carolina), matched the best start ever by a Notre Dame goaltender, earning victories in each of his first four collegiate decisions. After beating the Tar Heels, Kemp was victorious against Butler (22-6), #13 Hofstra (9-8, 2OT), and Villanova (11-7), before losing at #19 Dartmouth (10-9). Two other Irish players began their collegiate careers 4-0, but they were both also defeated in their next appearances. In 1989, freshman Tom Duane notched wins against Wooster (8-7), Kenyon (14-7), Lake Forest (14-1), and Denison (8-5) before falling to Ohio Wesleyan (18-5) in his fifth game as the top Irish goalie. Sophomore Ryan Jewell registered wins against Canisius (21-5), Hobart (15-14, OT), Butler (22-11), and #15 Georgetown (13-10) in 1993 before losing 13-7 at #9 Duke.
WALSH FIRST ND PLAYER EVER TO SCORE SIX GOALS AGAINST A RANKED TEAM: Junior All-American A Pat Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh H.S.) scored six goals (to go with one assist), including the game-winning tally 2:05 into the second overtime to lead Notre Dame to a 9-8 double-overtime triumph at #13 Hofstra on March 26. It was the first time in the 25-year history of the Irish program that any player found the net six times against a nationally-ranked Division I squad. Walsh was the first Irish player to score six in a game against any team since Jon Harvey did so vs. Villanova in 2000. Walsh tied the Notre Dame record for goals in a road game, as it was the eighth time in program history that an Irish player scored six goals in an opponent’s stadium. It was last done by Chris Dusseau against Massachusetts in 1999.
IRISH END VILLANOVA’S 14-GAME HOME WINNING STREAK: Notre Dame’s 11-7 victory against Villanova on Monday ended the Wildcats 14-game home winning streak. It was the first home defeat for VU since a 13-10 loss to Towson on April 12, 2003. The Wildcats finished that year with two victories, then went 9-0 at home last year, and started 2005 with three consecutive home victories.
A MULTITUDE OF WEAPONS: Notre Dame’s offense saw a player score five or more goals in three consecutive games last month, with different Irish attackmen doing it on each occasion. Junior A Matt Karweck (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan Academy) had five goals (plus three assists) against Butler on March 19, and his classmate, All-American A Pat Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh H.S.), notched six goals and an assist against Hofstra on March 26, before senior co-captain A Jim Morrison (Fulton, Md./Mount St. Joseph H.S.) scored five times vs. Villanova two days later.
IRISH END EIGHT-YEAR OVERTIME DROUGHT: When the sixth goal of the game by junior All-American A Pat Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh H.S.) handed the Irish a 9-8 double-overtime win at #13 Hofstra on March 26, Notre Dame snapped a six-game losing streak in overtime affairs and earned its first extra-session triumph since a 10-9 win against #12 Hobart on March 29, 1997. The Irish then beat Air Force 14-13 on senior M Brian Giordano’s (Princeton, N.J./Hun School) fifth goal of the game on April 10. They are now 10-8 all-time in overtime affairs, had previously also been defeated in their only other double-OT games, having lost 7-6 to #3 Loyola in 2002 and 9-8 against #3 Maryland last year.
WALSH, KARWECK, DRISCOLL, CROSLAND NAMED GWLL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Through five weeks of the 2005 season, Notre Dame had already boasted the Great Western Lacrosse League’s top player four times already this spring. Fifth-year senior G Stewart Crosland (Bethesda, Md./Landon School) was named the Great Western Lacrosse League Player of the Week after helping Notre Dame to a season-opening 14-6 win at #21 Penn State on Feb. 27. The Landon School product stopped 73.9% of the shots he faced, making 17 saves to help the Irish to their largest-ever margin of victory in a road game against a nationally-ranked opponent. Crosland anchored an outstanding defensive performance that held the Nittany Lions scoreless in the final 25:17 of the contest, opening the door for Notre Dame’s offense to put the game out of reach with six unanswered goals. This week, it was junior D D.J. Driscoll (Downingtown, Pa./Malvern Preparatory School) who earned conference accolades after he was a major factor in Notre Dame’s 9-7 upset of #10 North Carolina on March 12 at The First 4 invitational in Carson, Calif. Driscoll had the task of guarding UNC attackman Jed Prossner, a first-team All-American and one of five Tewaaraton Trophy finalists in 2004 (when he had 6 goals and 2 assists against ND), and he held the Carolina star to just one goal and one assist on seven shots. Prossner also committed a game-high four turnovers, while Driscoll led all players with six ground balls. It was just the third time in the last three years that North Carolina was held to fewer than eight goals in a game. Junior A Matt Karweck (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan Academy) then notched five goals and three assists in Notre Dame’s 22-6 victory over Butler on March 19, which was good enough to earn him league player-of-the-week accolades. He notched a career high in goals, matched his personal-best in assists, and doubled his previous collegiate-high total in points, ending up just one shy of the Irish record for points in a game. Karweck scored on all but one of his shots in helping Notre Dame to its highest scoring output since 1993. Junior A Pat Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh H.S.) was the most-recent honoree, after he had six goals — including the game-winner in double overtime — and an assist in helping the Irish to a 9-8 road win against #13 Hofstra on March 26. He scored on all but two of his shots and registered a career high in goals in his return to Long Island.
KARWECK JUST MISSES ND RECORD FOR POINTS IN A GAME: Junior A Matt Karweck (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan Academy) had five goals and three assists in Notre Dame’s 22-6 victory over Butler on Saturday, falling just one shy of the school record for points in a game. He notched a career high in goals, matched his personal-best in assists, and doubled his previous collegiate-high total in points. He was one off the record of nine points in a game, which has been done eight times, but not since 1995. John Olmstead accomplished the feat twice in 1988, while Mike Sullivan did it in ’90 and ’91, and all-time scoring leader Randy Colley turned in four nine-point games from ’93-95. Karweck also was one off the record for most goals in a home game. Three players – Joe Franklin in 1986, Mike Quigley in 1990, and Jon Harvey in 2000 – have netted six in front of the home fans Karweck – who had just three goals and four points combined in the first three contests of 2005 – scored on all but one of his six shots and also picked up one ground ball. Heading into the game, his career high in points was four, which he had done on four occasions, including in the opening game of the season, at #21 Penn State (3 G, 1 A). His goal and point totals were the most by an Irish player since Matt Howell registered five goals and three assists against Fairfield last year. Karweck also tied the Loftus Center record for points in a game, done last by North Carolina’s Jed Prossner in 2004, when he had six goals and two assists.
MORRISON BECOMES FIRST ND PLAYER EVER TO OPEN SEASON WITH FOUR STRAIGHT HAT TRICKS: Senior co-captain A Jim Morrison (Fulton, Md./Mount St. Joseph H.S.) registered three goals and one assist against Butler on Saturday to become the first Notre Dame player ever to begin the season with four consecutive hat tricks. Morrison – who matched his career high in points (he also had 3 G, 1 A vs. Cornell this year) – also had hat tricks in each of the first three contests of the ’05 campaign, a feat which had been done just once previously in the 25-year history of the Irish program, by first-team All-American Tom Glatzel at the beginning of the 2001 campaign. The last Irish player to have four consecutive hat tricks – at any point in a season – was Jon Harvey in that same ’01 campaign. He did it five straight, against Ohio State (4), Denver (3), Air Force (3), Army (3), and Butler (3). The current Irish senior, who joined the team as a walk-on and had just one career goal in five games played prior to this season, has 18 goals on the season, which leads the teams.
IRISH PUT UP 22 AGAINST BUTLER: Notre Dame scored six times in the first 6:14 and led 12-0 midway through the second quarter en route to a 22-goal explosion against Butler on Saturday. The 22 goals stand as the most by any Division I school this season (Denver’s 20 against Lafayette on March 5 are next) and were the most by an Irish team in 12 years, since a 22-11 win over Butler on March 29, 1993, in the Bulldogs’ first season as a varsity program. It was the highest scoring output ever by any team in the Loftus Sports Center, as well as the largest margin of victory (16) for the Irish since a 21-5 win against Canisius on Feb. 27, 1993. The eight goals in both the first and third quarters are the most ever in a single period by any team in the facility. The 13 first-half tallies also are the most in a half in the Loftus Center.
BIG CROWD FOR BIG OFFENSIVE DAY vs. BUTLER: A crowd of 1,089 — the largest on record for an Irish home game at the time — took in Notre Dame’s 22-6 victory over Butler on March 19 in the Loftus Sports Center. The previous high was 927 on March 14, 2004, when #9 North Carolina topped the fifth-ranked Irish 14-11 in Loftus.
RYAN RAISING HIS OFFENSIVE GAME: After starting all 11 games in which he appeared and finishing with 17 points (7 G, 10 A) in 2004, junior Matt Ryan (Ridley Park, Pa./Ridley H.S.) has become more of an offensive threat early this season, as he is fourth on the team in scoring and has surpassed his point production from a year ago. Ryan has scored 11 goals (after having 11 in his career prior to this year) and added 10 assists this season, registering at least a point in every game but one. After having just one multiple-goal game in his first two collegiate seasons (25 games played), Ryan scored twice in both of Notre Dame’s first two contests in 2004 and also against both Villanova and Dartmouth. He also had a pair of assists against #21 Penn State and then added another at #10 Cornell before matching his career high with three more vs. #10 North Carolina. Ryan’s scores against the Big Red came in a 2:10 span in the fourth quarter, igniting an Irish rally.
CLAGETT GETTING FACEOFF WINS: Freshman M Taylor Clagett (Chesapeake Beach, Md./DeMatha Catholic H.S.) has established himself as Notre Dame’s top faceoff man and turned the area into a strength for the Irish, reversing a recent trend. The rookie — the brother of four-year regular in the Irish midfield and 2004 graduate Steve Clagett — has won 62.5% (125-200) of the faceoffs he has taken — including at least half in every game — to rank eighth in Division I in the category. He has Notre Dame — which has not won more than half of the faceoffs in a season since 2001 and won just .440 in `04 — ninth nationally with a .594 (142-239) team success rate. The Irish have won at least half of the faceoffs in all 10 games this season, after doing that just twice in all of 2004. Clagett also leads the team in ground balls (59) and ranks 13th in Division I (5.90 per game).
WALSH’S SIX POINTS IN OPENER MAKE HIM SECOND-FASTEST TO 100 CAREER POINTS: Junior A Pat Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh H.S.) opened up the second half of his career with six points (3 G, 3 A) against #21 Penn State on Feb. 27. That brought his career point total to 105, making him the second-fastest Irish player ever to reach 100 career points, doing it in his 27th game. The quickest was all-time leading scorer Randy Colley (1991-95), who did it in 21 games en route to finishingwith 273 points (173 G, 100 A). The previous second-fastest to 100 was John Olmstead, who did it in 34 games and finished his career in 1989 with 146 points.
SHUTOUT STREAKS: Notre Dame put together three streaks of holding opponents scoreless for stretches of greater than 20:00 early in the year. The first covered the final 25:17 of the season opener at #21 Penn State, allowing the Irish to score the game’s final six goals. Against Butler on March 19, Notre Dame held the Bulldogs without a goal in the initial 24:51 of the game, jumping out to a 12-0 lead. The Irish later pieced together another streak of 20:59 without giving up a goal against Butler from the latter part of the second quarter to early in the fourth. A year ago, Notre Dame had four shutout streaks of longer than 25 minutes.
IRISH REGISTER LARGEST-EVER VICTORY MARGIN IN ROAD GAME AGAINST RANKED FOE: Notre Dame’s eight-goal (14-6) win at #21 Penn State in the season opener marked the largest-ever margin of victory for the Irish in a road contest against a nationally-ranked opponent. Previously, the largest margin for Notre Dame in that situation was five, done against #17 Army in 2000 (10-5) and #18 Rutgers in 2001 (9-4). The Irish also notched a five-goal victory (12-7) in a neutral-site game against #10 Bucknell in the opening round of the 2001 NCAA tournament.
ALL THREE IRISH ATTACKMEN NOTCH HAT TRICKS vs. PENN STATE: Notre Dame’s starting attack unit, which lost two starters to graduation after last season, began the 2005 season in a big way, as all three attackmen — senior Jim Morrison (Fulton, Md./Mount St. Joseph H.S.) and juniors Pat Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh H.S.) and Matt Karweck (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan Academy) — registered hat tricks in Notre Dame’s 14-6 victory at #21 Penn State. Walsh tallied a game-high six points, also adding three assists, while Karweck had four points in his first collegiate game at the position (he moved there less than two weeks before the season following two seasons in the midfield). Morrison, who missed all of the 2004 campaign and had seen action in just five career games beforehand (1 goal), scored each of Notre Dame’s first three goals of the contest.
STREAKS: The following streaks are active heading into this weekend:
– ND has won two consecutive overtime games (last loss: 9-8 in 2OT at #3 Maryland, 5/1/04)
– ND has won at least half of the faceoffs in eight consecutive games (last time didn’t win majority: 5/1/04 at #3 Maryland, 8-21)
– ND has lost 22 consecutive games when trailing after three quarters (last win: 9-8 vs. Harvard, 5/1/99, after trailing 8-6)
– ND has lost seven consecutive games against top-five opponents (last win: 13-9 vs. #3 Johns Hopkins, 5/20/01, NCAA quarterfinals)
– Freshman M Taylor Clagett (Chesapeake Beach, Md./DeMatha Catholic H.S.) has won at least half of faceoffs he has taken in all 10 of his collegiate games
– Senior A Jim Morrison (Fulton, Md./Mount St. Joseph H.S.) has at least one point in 10 consecutive games in which he has played (last pointless: 4/26/03 vs. Harvard)
– Junior M Matt Karweck (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan Academy) has at least one point in six consecutive games (last pointless: 3/12/05 vs. #10 North Carolina)
IRISH LOSE PRESEASON HONORABLE-MENTION ALL-AMERICAN HUBSCHMANN FOR SEASON: Junior A Brian Hubschmann (Short Hills, N.J./Delbarton H.S.), tabbed preseason honorable-mention All-America by Inside Lacrosse, will miss the entire 2005 campaign after suffering a season-ending knee injury in practice on Feb. 16, just nine days prior to the opening game. He was slated to be a starter at attack — where he played while helping Delbarton High School win the 2002 New Jersey state championship — after being a regular in the Irish midfield in his first two collegiate seasons. Hubschmann started all 11 games in which he played in 2004, finishing third on the team in scoring wiith 29 points (18 G, 11 A). Hubschmann, a second-team all-conference pick, led Notre Dame in both shots (88) and shots on goal (48) and ranked fifth in the Great Western Lacrosse League (T-48th nationally) in points per game (2.64) and seventh in assists per game (1.00; 50th in Division I). In response to the injury, the Irish moved junior Matt Karweck (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan Academy) from midfield to attack and inserted freshman M Michael Podgajny (Ridley Park, Pa./Ridley H.S.) into the first midfield.
FOUR EARN PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA MENTION: Four Irish players were mentioned on the Inside Lacrosse preseason All-America lists. Junior A Pat Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh H.S.) led the way as a second-team selection, while junior D D.J. Driscoll (Downingtown, Pa./Malvern Prep School) was on the third team, and senior M Brian Giordano (Princeton, N.J./Hun School) and junior A Brian Hubschmann (Short Hills, N.J./Delbarton H.S.) were honorable-mention selections.
TOUGH SLATE: Notre Dame will face a difficult road to the 2005 NCAA Championship. This year’s Irish schedule features 11 games, with eight of those opponents listed in the Inside Lacrosse preseason coaches’ top 25, while the other three were receiving votes. Additionally, Notre Dame will have just three home games in 2005.
TV STARS: The 2005 season figures to be one of the most-televised ever for the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team. The Irish were shown live by College Sports Television to a national audience, as they knocked off #10 North Carolina 9-7 in The First 4 invitational at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. on March 12. Additionally, Notre Dame’s final two home games, April 7 vs. Denver and April 10 vs. Air Force, were televised by Comcast Sports Local on a tape-delayed basis in Michigan and the South Bend area. The Butler game also was slated to be televised, but the move indoors precluded that from becoming a reality.
ROAD WARRIORS: Notre Dame will play eight of its 11 games away from home this season. The Irish will have just three home dates (March 19 vs. Butler, April 7 vs. Denver, April 10 vs. Air Force), in matching the 1987 season for the fewest home tilts in a campaign since the varsity program was established in 1981. Notre Dame began the year with away contests against Penn State and Cornell and then will take on North Carolina in Carson, Calif., in The First 4. The last time the Irish opened the season with four straight games away from home was 1989, when they lost at Stony Brook and against Georgetown in Hempstead, N.Y., before falling at Penn State and then beating Lehigh in University Park, Pa. The home opener that season was a 17-4 win over Hartford on March 25.
IRISH WELL REPRESENTED IN INSIDE LACROSSE SEASON PREVIEW ISSUE: Notre Dame was mentioned on numerous occasions in the season preview issue (Dec. 15, 2004) of Inside Lacrosse. The Irish were picked ninth in its Division I listing of the top 16 squads, as well as listed as one of four “Dark Horses” to reach the NCAA semifinals (along with Duke, UMass, and Army). Notre Dame’s game at GWLL rival Ohio State on April 29 also tabbed one of the six “Prime Time” games of the 2005 season. In addition to the Irish midfield being ranked #7 among Division I teams, junior A Pat Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh H.S.) was one of four listed in the “Next in Line” category of IL’s Tewaaraton Trophy preview, which listed five favorites, meaning Walsh is among the magazine’s top nine candidates for the award given to the top player in the country. Walsh also was on the magazine’s list of both “Wheels” and “Anklebreakers”.
WALSH ON PACE TO BREAK IRISH RECORD FOR CAREER ASSISTS PER GAME: Though he still has nearly half of his career left, junior A Pat Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh H.S.) has an excellent chance to break the Notre Dame record for assists per game. Thus far, he has notched 77 assists in 36 career games, an average of 2.14 per game. The top mark in Irish history is 1.96, done by all-time assist leader Dave Ulrich (1998-2001), who had 110 in 56 contests.
CROSLAND IN THE IRISH RECORD BOOK: Fifth-year senior Stewart Crosland (Bethesda, Md./Landon School) places high on a number of Irish career statistical lists. See the below chart for a summary of his positions:
Category Stat Rank Next Up All-Time LeaderSave Percentage .6230 4th 3rd-Pat Poletti (1982-84), .6232 Tim Michels (1981), .677 [4th-Alex Cade (1995-98), .621]Goals-Against Average 8.13 4th 3rd-Alex Cade (1995-98), 8.11 Nick Antol (2001-03), 7.98Victories 18 5th 4th-Matt McQuillan (1985-88), 22 Kirk Howell (1998-2001) & Alex Cade (1995-98),Saves 395 6th 5th-Chris Parent (1990-93), 416 Rob Simpson (1982-85), 623Minutes Played (goaltender) 1762:49 3rd 2nd-Kirk Howell (1998-2001), 2578:28 Alex Cade (1995-98), 2804:50Games Started (goaltender) 31 5th T-3rd-Rob Simpson (1982-85) & Alex Cade (1995-98), 50 Chris Parent (1990-93), 38Ground Balls (goaltender) 75 5th 4th-Chris Parent (1990-93), 77 Alex Cade (1995-98), 208
WALSH CLIMBING IRISH CAREER CHARTS: Even though he is just into the second half of his career, junior A Pat Walsh (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh H.S.) already is climbing Notre Dame’s career offensive charts. See below a summary of his positions:
Category Stat Rank Next Up All-Time LeaderPoints 137 9th 8th-Robbie Snyder (1991-94), 142 Randy Colley (1991-95), 273Points Per Game 3.81 2nd 1st-Randy Colley (1991-95), 4.96 Randy Colley (1991-95), 4.96 [3rd-Bob Trocchi (1983-85), 3.76]Goals 60 T-13th 12th-Steve Pearsall (1981-84), 72 Randy Colley (1991-95), 173 (w/Grote/Mayglothling)Goals Per Game 1.67 9th 8th-Mike Sullivan (1989-92), 1.67 Randy Colley (1991-95), 3.14 [10th-John Olmstead (1986-89), 1.66]Assists 77 4th 3rd-Mike Sullivan (1989-92), 88 David Ulrich (1998-2001), 110Assists Per Game 2.14 1st [2nd-David Ulrich (1998-2001), 1.96] David Ulrich (1998-2001), 1.96
IRISH IN OVERTIME: Should the game be tied at the end of regulation, Notre Dame will try to win its third overtime game of the season. On March 26, the Irish snapped a six-game losing streak in overtime affairs with a 9-8 double-OT win at #13 Hofstra. They followed that up with a 14-13 victory in one overtime at home vs. Air Force on April 10. The previous Irish overtime win was a 10-9 result at home against #12 Hobart on March 29, 1997. Notre Dame has a 10-8 all-time record in overtime games in the 25-year varsity history of the program. The Irish have played just three double-overtime games, losing in 2002 to Loyola and in `04 to Maryland before beating the Pride. Notre Dame has played overtime games against three teams on the 2005 schedule. The Irish lost to Penn State 10-9 at home in the 2002 season opener, beat Ohio State 11-10 in 1983 in Columbus, and had previously lost a pair at Hofstra (10-9, 1999; 11-10, 2001).
IRISH ADD SEVEN FOR NEXT SEASON: Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan recently announced that seven players have signed national letters of intent to join his squad for the 2006 season. Below are the newest members of the Irish. For more information, see www.und.com.
Name Pos. Hometown High SchoolPeter Christman A Simsbury, CT Westminster H.S.Dan Gibson A/M Germantown, TN Memphis University SchoolRyan Hoff A Baldwin, MD Dulaney H.S.Regis McDermott D Amityville, NY Chaminade H.S.Davey Melera M Lutherville, MD Boys' Latin H.S.Scott Rodgers G Wantagh, NY MacArthur H.S.Duncan Swezey A Ambler, PA Hatboro Horsham H.S.
KEEPING UP WITH ND MEN’S LACROSSE: For the fastest 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. The hotline is the first medium updated with results of each Notre Dame men’s lacrosse game. In addition, media members and fans may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting assistant sports information director Bo Rottenborn at Rottenborn.2@nd.edu. All requests for story ideas, interview access, match credentials, and further information on Irish men’s lacrosse should similarly be directed to Rottenborn. Credential and interview requests should be made at least 24 hours in advance.