SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish turned in a performance for the ages on Saturday afternoon in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,000 fans at Arlotta Stadium, knocking off No. 1 Duke by a score of 17-12.
There were many standout performances on the day, as Pat Kavanagh bolstered his case for the Tewaaraton with an eight-point performance off three goals and five assists. His brother Chris tied his career high with five goals on the afternoon and Eric Dobson added a hat trick with three goals and an assist.
Defensively Chris Fake turned in a masterclass, locking down Brennan O’Neill, one of the top players in the country. Fake held O’Neill to just one point off a goal, snapping his streak of 21 games with at least three points.
In goal Liam Entenmann held one of the top attacks in the nation to 12 goals, as he made 15 saves for a save percentage of .556.
🤯😱🤯😱
Double BTBs to beat the shot clock as Taylor goes BTB to Pat Kavanagh who comes up with the insane finish! Watch on ESPNU.#SCTop10 x #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/LLd7eVcIex
— Notre Dame Lacrosse (@NDlacrosse) April 8, 2023
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish and Blue Devils traded punches early, as the score was 2-2 with under two minutes left in the first before Duke scored in the final minute to take a 3-2 advantage into the second quarter.
The Irish came out and controlled play in the second stanza, outscoring the visitors 7-1 to take control of the game at 9-4 heading into the halftime break. Pat and Chris Kavanagh each scored twice in the period and Ben Ramsey, Jake Taylor and Dobson each added one to complete the attacking barrage.
Dobson immediately extended the lead to six in the opening minute of the third to complete his hat trick. Duke answered by scoring five of the next seven to trim the lead to three at 12-9 but then Pat Kavanagh fired in his third of the game with just over a minute remaining to push the lead back to 13-9 heading into the final frame.
The Irish left no doubt in the fourth quarter, scoring the first four goals of the final 15 minutes of action to stretch the lead to 17-9, the largest of the day. Duke managed to score the final three goals of the game but the Irish came away with the impressive 17-12 win to knock off No. 1 Duke.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The 17 goals the Irish scored are the most a Duke defense has allowed since dropping a 17-16 decision to No. 15 UNC in overtime on April 1, 2016. The last time Duke allowed 17 or more goals in regulation came in a 19-7 loss to No. Syracuse on March 22, 2015.
NOTRE DAME NOTES
- The Irish are now 3-1 in program history in games featuring the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country.
- Notre Dame has now won three straight against Duke and four of the last five.
- With five assists on the day, Pat Kavanagh has 117 career assists, which improves his Notre Dame program record.
- Chris Kavanagh’s hat trick was the eighth of his season and 10th of his career.
- Pat Kavanagh finished with eight points, giving him 195 in his career. That total moves him into third place in program history, passing Pat Walsh (192).
- Pat Kavanagh also led the team in ground balls on the day and also posted a caused turnover.
- Entenmann recorded 15 saves, marking his seventh straight game with double-digit saves. The 15 saves are a season-high for the senior
- Dobson has 21 goals on the season and has recorded back-to-back hat tricks for the first time during the 2023 campaign.
UP NEXT
The Irish have a week off before returning to Arlotta for their regular-season home finale against No. 10/9 UNC at noon ET on Saturday, March 22. The game will air on ESPNU.
— ND —