March 19, 2013
#8 OHIO STATE (5-1)
vs.
#3 NOTRE DAME (4-1)
Wednesday, March 20 – 4 p.m. (ET)
Loftus Sports Center (indoor)
Notre Dame, Ind.
INTERNET BROADCAST:
UND.com (free) (only if game is outside)
LIVE STATS:
SCORE UPDATES:
Irish Alert! text messaging
SETTING THE STAGE
– No. 3 Notre Dame (4-1) will welcome No. 8 Ohio State (5-1) to campus on Wednesday for a top-10 showdown. Faceoff is slated for 4 p.m. (ET) inside the Loftus Sports Center.
– The Buckeyes will be the fifth top-10 team Notre Dame has faced this season. The Irish have won the previous four showdowns with top-10 squads.
– A free live video broadcast of the contest will be available on UND.com (only if game is played outdoors). Live stats via Gametracker also can be found on UND.com.
IRISH ITEMS
– Notre Dame is coming off a 13-12 overtime victory at Denver in the Whitman’s Sampler Mile High Classic. Junior midfielder Jim Marlatt scored the game winner just over a minute into the first overtime period.
– Senior attackman Sean Rogers tallied three goals and one assist against the Pioneers. He was named game MVP in addition to being selected to the BIG EAST Conference Weekly Honor Roll for that performance.
– The Fighting Irish have three overtime victories this season. Notre Dame’s last four games all have been decided by one goal.
– Marlatt and freshman attackman Matt Kavanagh both have a team-best 10 goals. Ryan Foley (Sr./M) and Conor Doyle (So./A) share the team lead in assists with five apiece. Marlatt, Kavanagh and Doyle all have a team-high 14 points.
– Marlatt has a team-best six-game goal streak.
– Senior John Kemp has played every minute in goal and carries an 8.27 goals-against average and a .517 save percentage.
BATTLING THE BUCKEYES
– This is the 38th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Ohio State. The Irish lead the series 28-9, including 10 straight wins over the Buckeyes. Notre Dame has won the last two showdowns by identical 8-7 scores. The last three meetings between the two teams all have been decided by a single goal.
– The two schools have met every season since Notre Dame became a varsity program in 1981. The Irish and Buckeyes were together in the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) from 1994-2009.
– Ohio State’s last win in the series was a 9-8 decision during the 2004 season at Notre Dame.
– The Fighting Irish are 14-3 at home against the Buckeyes. Notre Dame has won four straight home contests against Ohio State.
– Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan is 21-4 all-time against Ohio State.
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
– Ohio State is 5-1 this season. The Buckeyes have wins over Detroit (14-8), Jacksonville (9-6), Marquette (18-8), Penn State (10-9 OT) and Virginia (11-10). Their lone loss was a 10-9 decision to Denver.
– The Buckeyes are averaging 11.8 goals per game, while allowing 8.5 per contest. Senior attackman Logan Schuss leads the team in goals (16) and points (23). Freshman attackman Carter Brown has a team-high 11 assists. Junior Greg Dutton has all six decisions in goal. He has an 8.31 goals-against average and a .467 save percentage.
– Last season, Ohio State went 8-7, including a 5-1 mark in the ECAC. The Buckeyes returned seven starters from their 2012 squad.
COMMON OPPONENTS
– Notre Dame and Ohio State have faced two common opponents so far this season (Penn State & Denver). The Fighting Irish defeated both the Nittany Lions (10-9 OT) and the Pioneers (13-12 OT), while the Buckeyes bested Penn State (10-9 OT) and fell to Denver (10-9).
IRISH AGAINST THE ECAC
– Ohio State will be Notre Dame’s second straight Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) opponent. The Irish topped ECAC foe Denver, 13-12 in overtime, on Saturday.
– Notre Dame went 2-1 against ECAC teams last season. The Irish defeated Denver (10-9 in 3OT) and Ohio State (8-7) during the regular season and fell to Loyola (7-5) in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship.
– The Fighting Irish are 83-32 against teams currently in the ECAC.
TAKING DOWN TOP-10 TEAMS
– Notre Dame is 4-0 this season against teams ranked in the top 10 of the national polls at the time of the contest (#4 Duke, #5 Denver, #8 Penn State, #9 North Carolina).
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
– Notre Dame has played four straight one-goal games, including three overtime affairs. The Irish are 3-1 in those contests and have won all three overtime games.
– Over the last two seasons, the Fighting Irish have played in 10 games that have been decided by a single goal. The Irish are 7-3 in those games.
– Notre Dame has won its last five overtime contests.
FINISHING STRONG
– Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 19-10 in the fourth quarter and overtime this season.
DOYLE DELIVERING FOR IRISH
– Sophomore attackman Conor Doyle has five goals and two assists in the last two games. He had two goals and two assists against Denver. Doyle produced his second hat trick of the season with a game-high three goals in the 8-7 setback to Hofstra (March 9).
– Doyle also deposited three goals in a 10-9 overtime win at Penn State (Feb. 24).
– Doyle has nine goals and five assists this season. The 14 points are tied for the team lead.
KAVANAGH IN THE CLUTCH
– Freshman attackman Matt Kavanagh has scored an overtime game winner twice this season. He scored 15 seconds into the third overtime period in a 10-9 victory over North Carolina (March 2). Kavanagh scored with 1:34 remaining in the first extra period in the 10-9 win at Penn State (Feb. 24).
– He assisted on Sean Rogers’ goal that tied the Denver game (12-12) with 47 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
ROOKIE ON A ROLL
– Freshman attackman Matt Kavanagh is tied for the team lead in goals (10) and points (14).
– He has two four-goal efforts this season (Duke & North Carolina).
– Kavanagh scored overtime game winners in consecutive contests (Penn State & North Carolina).
HOME SWEET HOME
– Notre Dame is 41-5 (.891) at home since the beginning of the 2006 season.
FACEOFF FIREPOWER
– Junior Liam O’Connor was 17-for-28 (.607) in faceoff attempts in Saturday’s 13-12 overtime victory at Denver. O’Connor was 6-for-9 in the fourth quarter and overtime. He also scored a goal against the Pioneers.
– O’Connor was 17-for-25 (.680) in faceoff attempts in the 10-9 triple-overtime victory against North Carolina (March 2). O’Connor was 6-for-8 in the fourth quarter and overtime. He also had an assist and a career-high nine ground balls versus the Tar Heels.
– O’Connor scored two goals immediately after faceoff wins in the 10-9 overtime victory at Penn State (Feb. 24). Both goals occurred in the fourth quarter after an Irish goal. The first tally evened the contest (7-7) with 9:28 remaining in regulation. The second score put the Irish up 9-8 with 18 seconds left in the period.
– O’Connor has three goals and one assist this season. He has six goals and three assists during his career.
MAKING IT HAPPEN IN MARCH
– Notre Dame is 11-1 in its last 12 games in the month of March.
PLAYING ON THE BIG STAGE
– Saturday’s game at Denver was Notre Dame’s ninth game in an NFL stadium in the last five seasons. The Irish are 6-3 all-time in NFL venues.
– Notre Dame is 2-0 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High (Broncos). The Irish have posted a 2-1 record at Baltimore (Ravens), while going 1-0 at both Jacksonville (Jaguars) and East Rutherford, N.J. (Giants & Jets). Notre Dame is 0-2 in Foxborough, Mass. (Patriots).
IRISH HAVE FOUR ON TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
– John Kemp (Sr./G), Jim Marlatt (Jr./M) and Sean Rogers (Sr./A) were named to the initial 92-man Tewaaraton Award watch list. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top player. Freshman attackman Matt Kavanagh recently was added to the list.
– The watch list will be narrowed to 25 nominees in late April. Five finalists will be announced in mid-May. Kemp was a Tewaaraton Award nominee last season.
Matt Miller A SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
– Defenseman Matt Miller has been named one of 20 candidates for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award in the men’s lacrosse division.
– An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
– The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot.
– Miller has started every contest over the past two seasons on Notre Dame’s stellar defensive unit. He earned honorable mention All-America honors last season in addition to being named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
A PERFORMER BETWEEN THE PIPES
– Senior goalie John Kemp boasts a 29-9 (.763) career record to go along with a 6.67 goals-against average and a .517 save percentage.
– Last season, Kemp led the nation in goals-against average (6.27) and save percentage (.637) and was named to the USILA All-America First Team.
– He finished the 2011 campaign ranked second nationally in goals-against average (6.61) and fourth in save percentage (.602) and received honorable mention All-America accolades.
CONSISTENCY IN THE CAGE
– John Kemp is the third straight Notre Dame goalie to receive All-America honors. Kemp was named to the USILA All-America First Team last season after earning an honorable mention citation in 2011.
– Scott Rodgers earned third-team All-America honors in 2009 and was an honorable mention pick in 2010. He also was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2010 NCAA Championship.
– Joey Kemp, John’s older brother, was a three-time All-America honoree at Notre Dame. He copped first-team honors in 2008 in addition to honorable mention accolades in 2006 and 2007.
A SUCCESSFUL STRETCH
– Notre Dame is 67-18 (.788) since the beginning of the 2008 season. That percentage is the second-best nationally during that time.
– The Fighting Irish have been to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship four times in the last five seasons. Notre Dame made the program’s first-ever NCAA title game appearance in 2010 and the Irish were a semifinalist in 2012.
– Since the beginning of the 2010 NCAA Championship, Notre Dame has gone 31-8 (.795), with three of those losses coming in overtime.
BROTHERLY BOND
– Senior defenseman Matt Miller is joined by his older brother David Miller on this season’s roster. David, a short-stick defensive midfielder, spent four seasons at Maryland and is using his final year of eligibility with the Irish. David played in 30 games with the Terrapins.
NOTRE DAME TO PLAY IN TWO INSIDE LACROSSE EVENTS
– Notre Dame faced Denver on Saturday in the second annual Whitman’s Samper Mile High Classic at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo. It was Notre Dame’s first appearance in the event.
– The Fighting Irish will play BIG EAST rival Syracuse April 27 at the Konica Minolta Big City Classic at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Princeton and Cornell will meet in the day’s first game.
– Notre Dame topped St. John’s, 13-6, in last season’s Big City Classic.
THREE IRISH PLAYERS EARN PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADES
– Notre Dame’s John Kemp (Sr./G), Jim Marlatt (Jr./M) and Matt Miller (Sr./D) were selected as preseason All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse. Kemp was named to the first team, while Marlatt and Miller were selected to the second and third teams, respectively.
FOUR CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2013 CAMPAIGN
– Seniors Quinn Cully (M), Ryan Foley (M), Matt Miller (D) and Sean Rogers (A) have been named Notre Dame team captains for the 2013 season. All four student-athletes are first-time captains for the Fighting Irish.
FOUR PLAYERS PICKED IN MLL DRAFT
– Four Fighting Irish players were selected in the 2013 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft. Seniors John Kemp (G), Matt Miller (D), Steve Murphy (M) and Quinn Cully (M) were picked in the draft, which was held Jan. 11 in Philadelphia.
– The Rochester Rattlers picked Kemp with the first selection of the fourth round (25th overall). Kemp was the first goalie nabbed in the draft. Rochester later selected Miller in the sixth round (44th overall). The New York Lizards picked Murphy in the seventh round (53rd overall), while Cully went to the Boston Cannons in the eighth round (62nd overall).
IRISH IN THE BIG EAST
– Notre Dame has a 13-5 (.722) record all-time in BIG EAST regular-season play. The 2010 campaign marked the first season of BIG EAST men’s lacrosse and the Irish posted a 2-4 record. Notre Dame finished second in the league in 2011 with a 5-1 mark. The Fighting Irish won the league’s 2012 regular-season title with a perfect 6-0 record.