SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The No. 9 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team went into the Carrier Dome and turned in a dominant performance to defeat No. 4 Syracuse by a final score of 18-11.
The win is Baumer Family Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach Kevin Corrigan’s 310th at Notre Dame, tying him with Bob Shillinglaw for most at a program at the DI level.
The 18 goals are the most the Irish have scored in the series against Syracuse, narrowly eclipsing the 17-goal win from the 2016 season.
The Irish attack got goal contributions from eight different players on the afternoon. Leading the way was Pat Kavanagh, who turned in a monstrous nine-point display off four goals and five assists. Will Yorke and Griffin Westlin each scored four to carry the load for Notre Dame.
The duo of Kyle Gallagher and Charlie Leonard were a huge factor in the faceoff game, combining to win 23-of-32 at the dot, while scooping up 15 ground balls.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish got off to a slow start on Saturday, falling behind 6-2 early in the second quarter but then the attack went to work. Notre Dame reeled off a 5-0 run in the span of less than five minutes to take its first lead of the game at 7-6 at the midway mark of the second stanza.
Syracuse managed to answer with two goals of its own but the Irish closed the half strong, scoring four straight to take an 11-8 lead heading into the break.
Notre Dame carried its momentum into the third quarter, scoring three unanswered goals to extend its lead to six at 14-8. The Orange responded with three straight of their own to move the score to 14-11 after 45 minutes of action.
The Irish put the game away early in the fourth, finding the back of the net four times in the first six minutes of play to go on top 18-11. The Notre Dame defense shutout the Syracuse attack in the fourth frame to give the Irish the blowout win.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
For the second time this season Kavanagh tied the Notre Dame program record for points in a game with nine. The sophomore scored four goals and dished out five assists against Syracuse. Pat’s brother Matt Kavanagh also had a nine-point performance against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome in a 17-7 win in 2016.
GOAL OF THE GAME
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— Notre Dame Lacrosse (@NDlacrosse) April 3, 2021
STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish had a remarkable performance on ground balls on Saturday, winning the battle by a 45-20 margin. Winning the faceoff game was a big factor, as the Irish took 23-of-32 against the Orange.
NOTRE DAME NOTES
- Corrigan wins game number 310 at Notre Dame, tying Bob Shillinglaw (310 at Delaware) for the all-time wins leader at a single school at the DI level.
- The win is Notre Dame’s sixth against the Orange in program history, including five of the last seven matchups.
- The 18 goals are the most the Irish have ever scored against Syracuse in the 16-game series.
- Notre Dame continued its excellence in the extra-man opportunity, cashing in on 4-of-6 on the day.
- With five assists, Kavanagh now has 26 assists on the season for an average of 4.3 per game, the best mark in the country.
- Westlin scored a career-high four goals in the win.
- Yorke made his first career start for the Irish on Saturday and now has nine goals over his last two games and 15 on the season.
Up Next
The Irish return to Arlotta to host the top team in the country in No. 1 Duke at noon ET on Saturday, April 10. The game will air on ESPNU.
— ND —
The University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team pursues excellence on and off the field through the three pillars in which the program is built: Character, Culture & Community. These three foundational values guide the promise of the program, which is to provide its student-athletes with the most compelling and enriching experience in all of college athletics. Through academics, competition, service and travel, the program aims to immerse its players in situations that enhance their student-athlete experience to help them become the people, students and teammates they aspire to be.
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