March 16, 2013
DENVER, Colo. – A goal from junior midfielder Jim Marlatt just over a minute into overtime gave the No. 3 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team a 13-12 victory over No. 5 Denver on Saturday at the Whitman’s Sampler Mile High Classic at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
Notre Dame (4-1) fell behind by two (12-10) with 2:25 left in regulation, but responded with goals from seniors Steve Murphy and Sean Rogers to force overtime. The goal from Rogers came with 47 seconds left and it marked the ninth tie of the game.
The Fighting Irish have three overtime victories this season and Notre Dame has won its last five overtime contests dating back to last season. The last four Fighting Irish games have been decided by one goal. Denver is the fourth top-10 team Notre Dame has defeated this season.
“We are unafraid. We have the confidence and poise to make plays when we need to make plays. I just wish we didn’t play all of these one-goal games,” Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan said.
Rogers had a hat trick for the Irish, while Marlatt, Murphy and Conor Doyle all chipped in two goals apiece. Doyle, a sophomore attackman, also had two assists. Sophomore midfielder Nick Ossello, a Colorado native, also had two assists.
Denver (5-2) received four goals and two assists from Eric Law, while Gordie Koerber had three goals and one assist.
The Pioneers struck first in the contest on a goal from Wesley Berg, but a man-up tally from Rogers and a score from Murphy put the Irish up 2-1 by the 10:23 mark of the first quarter. Following Denver goals from Cameron Flint and Law, Doyle scored to make it 3-3 at the end of the first quarter.
Koerber put Denver up 4-3 midway through the second quarter, but Marlatt answered back less than a minute later to even the contest. A goal from Law 29 seconds after Marlatt’s tally and a score from Flint with one second left in the period gave Denver a 6-4 advantage at halftime.
The Pioneers extended the lead to three (7-4) on an Eric Adamson goal with 9:36 remaining in the third quarter. Consecutive Fighting Irish goals from Matt Kavanagh, Liam O’Connor and Rogers in a span of 1:14 knotted the game (7-7) once again. O’Connor’s goal came after a faceoff win. The junior was 17-of-28 in faceoff attempts on the day.
A goal from Doyle was sandwiched between two scores from Koerber and Denver led 9-8 after three quarters of play. The second Koerber tally was on an extra-man opportunity. Denver was 2-of-5 in man-up chances, while Notre Dame was 1-of-4.
Notre Dame reclaimed the lead (10-9) early in the fourth quarter on goals from junior attackmen Ryan Mix and John Scioscia. Three straight Denver goals put the Pioneers up 12-10 with 2:25 remaining.
O’Connor won the opening faceoff of overtime and Marlatt’s game winner was his 10th goal of the season. He shares the team lead in goals with Kavanagh, a freshman attackman.
“We had a lot of different guys, like Ryan Mix and John Scioscia, step up and make plays today. We also had the usual cast of characters deliver for us as well,” Corrigan said. “This was a first-class event played in a spectacular venue and it was great to come away with a win against a high-caliber opponent like Denver.”
Notre Dame outshot Denver 44-28. Senior goalie John Kemp made four saves for the Irish, while Ryan LaPlante and Jamie Faus combined for 10 saves for the Pioneers. Faus allowed nine goals, while LaPlante surrendered four.
The Irish will play host to No. 12 Ohio State on Wednesday. The game is slated for 4 p.m. (ET) at Arlotta Stadium.
March 16, 2013 – Sports Authority Field at Mile High – Denver, Colo.
#3 Notre Dame (4-1) – 3 1 4 4 1 – 13
#5 Denver (5-2) – 3 3 3 3 0 – 12
Notre Dame Scoring (goals-assists):
Sean Rogers 3-1, Conor Doyle 2-2, Jim Marlatt 2-1, Steve Murphy 2-1, Matt Kavanagh 1-1, John Scioscia 1-0, Liam O’Connor 1-0, Ryan Mix 1-0, Nick Ossello 0-2, Ryan Foley 0-1, Will Corrigan 0-1, Tyler Kimball 0-1 Goaltender: John Kemp (W, 61:09, 4 saves, 12 GA)
Denver Scoring (goals-assists):
Eric Law 4-2, Gordie Koerber 3-1, Wesley Berg 2-2, Cameron Flint 2-1, Eric Adamson 1-0, Jeremy Noble 0-3 Goaltender: Jamie Faus (L, 31:09, 6 saves, 9 GA), Ryan LaPlante (30:00, 4 saves, 4 GA)
— ND —