March 14, 2001
The sixth-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team improved to 4-0 on the season with a come-from-behind 11-8 road win over seventh-ranked Virginia Wednesday afternoon. The Irish, whose number-six ranking marks the highest in school history, are 4-0 to start the season for just the second time in the 21-year existence of the program. The 1993 squad won its first eight games on its way to an 11-3 season, which was ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Virginia.
John Flandina (West Islip, N.Y.) scored a career-high four goals, including two in the decisive six-goal third quarter, to lead the Irish. The junior midfielder entered the game with just one goal on the season and had registered multiple goals in a game just once previously in his career — a two-goal outing in last year’s regular season finale against Harvard.
After trailing 4-3 at halftime, the Irish battled to a 5-5 tie with 10 minutes remaining in the third period. Flandina then scored his final goal of the afternoon, a backhanded shovel of a loose ball in front of the cage, with 8:45 to go in the period, giving Notre Dame the lead for good and igniting a three-goal barrage by the Irish in a 1:09 span. Senior David Ulrich (Baltimore, Md.) scored 16 seconds after Flandina’s goal on a behind-the-back shot following the faceoff and senior Steve Bishko (West Islip, N.Y.) tallied his second goal of the game with 7:36 remaining. Notre Dame ended the period with a 9-6 lead.
The win was the first for the Irish in three meetings with the Cavaliers as Virginia had outscored Notre Dame 42-13 in the two previous contests, both in postseason play. The triumph was also notable for Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan, a 1982 graduate of the University of Virginia, who beat his alma mater for the first time in his 14-year head-coaching career.
Virginia falls to 1-3 on the season after completing an early-season stretch consisting of road losses to top-ranked Syracuse and No. 2 Princeton and this home defeat to sixth-ranked Notre Dame.
After taking a 2-0 lead in the first quarter, the Irish fell behind until Flandina tied the game at 4-4 early in the third quarter with a shot just over the goalie’s shoulder. Senior Chris Young (Camillus, N.Y.) managed to trickle a shot into the goal to give Notre Dame a 5-4 lead before the Cavaliers tied the score.
Senior Tom Glatzel (Ellicott City, Md.) had two goals and an assist for Notre Dame and sophomore Travis Wells (Severna Park, Md.) netted his first career goal. Senior goalie Kirk Howell (Nashville, Tenn.) made 14 saves.
The Irish continue a stretch of five consecutive road games as they take on fifth-ranked Loyola on Sunday, March 18 at 1:00 p.m in Baltimore, Md. After the Greyhounds beat the host Irish 12-2 in the regular season last year, Notre Dame upset fifth-ranked Loyola 15-13 in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament. The win was the first for the Irish in 11 meetings with the Greyhounds.