April 19, 2007
Lehigh (4-8) at #11 Notre Dame (8-3)
Saturday, April 21 • 11:00 a.m. (ET)
Moose Krause Stadium • Notre Dame, Ind.
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The No. 11 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team will put its five-game win streak on the line this Saturday as Lehigh visits Moose Krause Stadium. Game time against the Mountain Hawks is set for 11:00 a.m. (ET). The Irish also will look to extend its school-record win streak to 13 games. Notre Dame is coming off a 14-6 win over Denver on Sunday, while Lehigh fell to Villanova 15-7 on Wednesday. This will mark the final regular season home contest for Notre Dame this season. The game can be seen live on und.com.
WHERE TO WATCH: Saturday’s game against Lehigh can be seen live on und.com at 11:00 a.m. (ET) … this unique feature, which is free of charge, is the only way to watch the Notre Dame-Lehigh contest … to view the game, log onto und.com and go to the men’s lacrosse page … once there, go to `Schedule’ at the top of the page and find the Lehigh game and click on `Watch’.
ND-LEHIGH SERIES NOTES: This will be the third meeting all-time between the Fighting Irish and Mountain Hawks … Notre Dame has won both previous encounters, including last season’s 10-7 decision at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, Md. … the Irish were ranked 17th at the time of the contest … Notre Dame claimed a 10-8 victory in University Park, Pa. during the first meeting between the two schools in 1989.
ABOUT THE IRISH: Notre Dame (8-3, 3-0) is riding a five-game win streak, including a 14-6 win over Denver on Sunday (April 15) … the Irish are ranked 11th in both the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll and the USILA coaches poll along with being fourth in the latest LaxPower computer rating … Notre Dame has won a school-record 12 straight games at home … freshman attackman Will Yeatman leads the Irish in points with 36 and assists with 18 … Notre Dame has the nation’s second-best man-up offense (.578) and the sixth-best scoring defense (6.55) … the Irish also have the country’s ninth-best scoring offense (11.36) and are fifth in scoring margin (+4.82) … sophomore attackman Ryan Hoff leads the team with 28 goals, while senior midfielder Brian Hubschmann is second with 21 … junior goaltender Joey Kemp has all 11 decisions for the Irish and carries a 6.66 goals-against average and a .620 save percentage … he ranks seventh nationally in both categories … 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 were 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 164-91 (.643) at Notre Dame.
ABOUT LEHIGH: The Mountain Hawks are 4-8 after suffering a 15-7 defeat at Villanova on Wednesday … Stephen Marino has a team-high 33 points on 15 goals and 18 assists … Jeff Wiener has notched a team-best 22 goals … Eric Spirko is 3-7 in goal and carries a 8.25 goals-against average and a .546 save percentage … the Mountain Hawks are averaging 7.82 goals per game, while allowing 8.39 per game … Lehigh returned seven starters and 25 letterwinners from last year’s team that went 8-7, including a 4-2 mark in the Patriot League … Chris Wakely is in his sixth season at the helm of the Mountain Hawk program.
THE LAST TIME VS. LEHIGH: Notre Dame topped Lehigh 10-7 last season at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, Md. … the Irish were ranked 17th at the time of the meeting and the Mountain Hawks were unranked … Pat Walsh netted four goals for the Irish in the win, while Brian Hubschmann collected two goals and two assists … Bill Liva, Peter Christman, Ryan Hoff and Matt Karweck also chipped in goals for Notre Dame … Joey Kemp made 10 saves to earn the win at his old high school … Alec Hoof led Lehigh with three goals … goaltender Eric Spirko made 12 saves in the loss.
COMMON OPPONENTS: Notre Dame and Lehigh have faced two common opponents so far this season, Drexel and Villanova … the Irish defeated Drexel 16-5 and the Mountain Hawks took down the Dragons 8-6 … Notre Dame beat Villanova 15-5, while Lehigh fell to the Wildcats 15-7.
RECAPPING DENVER: Four-goal performances from Lucius Polk and Ryan Hoff along with a defensive effort that allowed only one second-half goal propelled No. 11 Notre Dame to a 14-6 win over Denver in a key Great Western Lacrosse League game on Sunday, April 15 at Moose Krause Stadium. The win was the fifth in a row for the Irish and a school-record 12th straight victory at home. The Fighting Irish are off to a 3-0 start in the GWLL for the first time since 2002. Notre Dame (8-3, 3-0) continued its trend of second half domination as the Irish out scored the Pioneers 9-1 over the final 30 minutes of play. The Irish used a solid all-around defensive effort to put the clamps on the Denver offense in the second stanza. Junior Joey Kemp had another big day in goal as he made 11 saves, while giving up just six goals, to earn his eighth win of the season. The Irish trailed 5-3 late in first half before unassisted goals from Alex Wharton and Polk knotted the game 5-5 at halftime. Notre Dame continued its run with three straight goals in the third quarter. Freshman attackman Will Yeatman fed Wharton on his second score of the day before senior Brian Hubschmann scored to make it 7-5 in favor of the Irish. Hoff completed the 5-0 run off a pass from Yeatman with 5:53 left in the third quarter. Yeatman had three assists on the day. Denver (7-6, 2-1) ended the third quarter with a man-up goal from Ilija Gajic to make it 8-6. That would be as close as the Pioneers would get the rest of the way as Notre Dame scored all six fourth-period goals to cruise to the victory. Polk notched his third score of the day early in the fourth period before the Irish ran off four goals in a span of two minutes to put the game out of reach. Hoff started the surge as he deposited his second goal off a Grant Krebs pass. Sophomore Michael Podgajny had a hand in the next two Irish tallies. The sophomore midfielder deposited his second man-up goal of the day off a pass from Hubschmann and he then assisted on Hoff’s third score to make it 12-6. Hoff and Polk would then complete their four-goal games on passes from Hubschmann, who matched a career-best total with four assists on the day. Polk’s four goals were a career-high output. Davey Leach put Notre Dame up 1-0 with 11:05 left in the first quarter as he scored off a pass from Ryan Cunn. Denver went on a 3-0 run behind goals from Gajic, Daniel Nickell and Joey Murray to take a two-goal lead. A man-up goal from Podgajny, off a feed from Yeatman, cut the deficit to one (3-2) at the end of the first period. Notre Dame evened up the contest on a goal from Polk, which was assisted by Hubschmann. The next two tallies came from Denver as Murray and Charley Dickenson scored to give the Pioneers a 5-3 lead with 4:57 left in the first half.
FIVE IN A ROW: Notre Dame is currently riding a season-best five-game winning streak with wins over Bellarmine (11-3), Brown (11-3), Villanova (15-5), Air Force (16-4) and Denver (14-6) … Notre Dame’s last five-game win steak occurred during the 2004 season … the Irish’s last six-game win steak was in 2001 as they ran off nine straight victories.
HOME SWEET HOME: Notre Dame has won a program-record 12 straight games at home … the current streak stems back to a 14-13 overtime win against 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 5-0 at home so far this season … two of the games during the streak have been played in the Loftus Sports Center, while the other 10 have taken place outside at Moose Krause Stadium … Notre Dame owns an overall home record of 114-35 (.765) during the 26-plus years of varsity lacrosse at the University.
SECOND-HALF SCORING: The Fighting Irish have out scored their opponents 79-30 in the second half this season, including a 43-18 advantage in the third quarter.
IRISH D: Notre Dame boasts the sixth-best scoring defense among all NCAA Division I teams … the Irish are allowing just 6.55 goals per game … Notre Dame had the nation’s 11th-best scoring defense last season by surrendering 7.67 goals per game.
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 … on Saturday, he will compete in the Irish’s lacrosse match against Lehigh at 11:00 a.m. and then take part in Notre Dame’s annual Blue-Gold spring football game, which starts at 1:30 p.m.
INSTANT IMPACT: Freshman Will Yeatman leads the Irish in points with 36 and assists with 18 … his 18 goals rank him fourth 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 tallied six points on two goals and a season-high four assists.
HOT START: Notre Dame is off to a 3-0 start in Great Western Lacrosse League play for the first time since 2002 … the Irish will try to improve to 4-0 in the GWLL when they travel to Ohio State on Saturday, Apr. 28.
CONSISTENT PERFORMERS: Michael Podgajny (Jr., M) has scored a goal in every contest this season … Ryan Hoff (So., A), Brian Hubschmann (Sr., M) and Will Yeatman (Fr., A) have scored a goal in all but one game … they have helped Notre Dame boast the ninth-best scoring offense in Division I with a 11.36 goals per game average.
BALANCED ATTACK: The Irish have five players that have scored at least 13 goals this season … Ryan Hoff leads the way with 28, while Brian Hubschmann has 21 followed by Michael Podgajny (20), Will Yeatman (18) and Lucius Polk (13) … all five of those players have had at least one game this season with three or more goals … Alex Wharton also has three-goal game 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 6.66 goals-against average and a .620 save percentage … both of those marks rank seventh among all NCAA Division I goaltenders.
MAN-UP: The Irish have converted on 26 of 45 man-up opportunities this season (.578) … that percentage ranks second nationally behind Colgate’s .595 mark … Michael Podgajny leads the Irish with nine man-up goals, while Ryan Hoff has six … Notre Dame has limited its opponents to just a .308 (12-39) man-up conversion percentage this season.
FACING OFF: Junior midfielder and faceoff specialist Taylor Clagett has won 129 of 214 (.603) faceoffs this season … that mark ranks him 13th 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 .610 (386-633).
SEVENTH HEAVEN FOR HOFF: Ryan Hoff’s seven goals in a 16-5 win over Drexel on March 13 tied a Notre Dame record … 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 ties him for second among all NCAA Division I men’s players this season for goals scored in a single game … Virginia’s Ben Rubeor also tallied seven in a contest against Towson, while Matt Girsh from Siena netted eight goals against VMI.
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.
NOTRE DAME IN THE POLLS: Notre Dame is ranked 11th in this week’s Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll … the Irish are also ranked 11th 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 four 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 13th … the Irish fell to current No. 1 Cornell 13-8 and then dropped an 11-8 decision to current No. 10 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 … Drexel is currently ranked 15th in the Inside Lacrosse poll.
HUBSCHMANN AND KEMP NAMED TO TEWAARATON TROPHY WATCH LIST: Brian Hubschmann (Sr., M) 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 midfielder 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, a midfielder, 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.