March 8, 2012
#7 NOTRE DAME (2-1)
vs.
#19 HOFSTRA (2-2)
Saturday, March 10 – 3:00 p.m. (ET)
James M. Shuart Stadium – Hempstead, N.Y.
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SETTING THE STAGE
– No. 7 Notre Dame (2-1) will conclude its two-game road swing on Saturday at No. 19 Hofstra (2-2). Faceoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. (ET) at James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y.
– The Fighting Irish are coming off a 6-5 win at Drexel last Saturday.
– Hofstra will be the fourth straight ranked team that the Fighting Irish have faced this season.
NOTRE DAME-HOFSTRA SERIES HISTORY
– Saturday will be the 14th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Hofstra and the first since the 2006 season. The Pride won the `06 contest, 13-5, at home.
– Hofstra holds a 7-6 edge in the series. Notre Dame is 2-5 all-time at Hofstra. The last Fighting Irish victory in Hempstead, N.Y. was a 9-8 double-overtime victory during the 2005 campaign.
– Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan is 6-7 against Hofstra.
A LOOK AT HOFSTRA
– Hofstra will bring a 2-2 record into Saturday. The Pride is coming off a 7-6 victory at Harvard. Hofstra opened the season with an 11-9 win over Sacred Heart before falling to Princeton (12-6) and Fairfield (10-9 in triple-overtime).
– The Hofstra offense is averaging 8.25 goals scored per game, while the defense is surrendering 9.25 goals per contest. Sophomore attackman Lance Yapor has team-high totals in goals (9) and points (10). Junior midfielder Ian Braddish has a team-best four assists. Senior Andrew Gvozden has played every minute in goals and carries an 8.88 goals-against average and a .565 save percentage.
CAA STRETCH
– Hofstra will be the third straight team from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) that the Notre Dame has faced. The Irish fell to CAA foe Penn State in overtime, 4-3, on Feb. 26 and then captured a 6-5 victory at Drexel on March 3.
– Notre Dame holds a 22-13 all-time record against teams from the CAA.
– The Irish went 2-0 against CAA foes last season. Notre Dame defeated both Penn State (6-2) and Drexel (11-7).
ROGERS AND RANDALL EARN BIG EAST HONORS
– Seniors Sean Rogers (A) and Kevin Randall (D) received accolades from the BIG EAST Conference for their performances in the 6-5 win at Drexel. Rogers was named the league’s offensive player of the week, while Randall was selected to the conference’s weekly honor roll.
– Rogers tallied the game winner against the Dragons with 4:42 left in the contest. He scored a game-high tying two goals in the Fighting Irish victory in addition to picking up a career-high three ground balls. His first goal gave the Irish their first lead of the game (3-2) midway through the third quarter.
– Randall was part of a Fighting Irish defense that limited Drexel to just five goals. The Dragons entered the contest averaging 10 goals scored per game. The Irish defense posted a scoreless streak totaling 33:27 that started midway through the first quarter and ended with 3:33 remaining in the third quarter. Randall also picked up two ground balls and caused two turnovers.
A DOMINATING DEFENSE
– Notre Dame’s defense ranks first nationally by surrendering just 4.0 goals per game this season.
– The Fighting Irish have only allowed 12 goals in their first three games of the season. That is the fewest amount of goals the Irish have ever surrendered through their first three games of a season.
– Notre Dame has held all three opponents to five goals or fewer this season. That is the first time the Irish have limited opponents to five goals or fewer in three consecutive games since the 2007 campaign.
– Notre Dame’s man-down defense has only allowed one goal in seven opportunities (.143) this season.
– Senior Kevin Randall has made 36 straight starts in the Irish close defense, while junior Matt Miller and sophomore Stephen O’Hara are first-time starters this season.
SCORELESS STREAKS
– The Notre Dame defense has posted a scoreless streak of at least 24 minutes in all three games this season.
– The Fighting Irish defense posted a scoreless streak of 40:24 in the 7-3 season-opening win over Duke. That streak began at the 10:42 mark of the second quarter and ended with 18 seconds left in the contest.
– The Irish defense held Penn State scoreless for the first 20:59 of the contest on Feb. 26. Notre Dame also produced a 24:50 scoreless stretch later in the game.
– Last Saturday at Drexel, the Notre Dame defense held the Dragons scoreless for 33:27 from midway through the first quarter to the 3:33 mark of the third quarter. The Irish offense scored four unanswered goals during that time.
KEMP A FORCE IN THE CAGE
– Junior goalie John Kemp ranks first nationally in goals-against average (3.91) and save percentage (774).
– Kemp made a career-high 18 saves in the 4-3 overtime setback to Penn State (Feb. 26). In the 7-3 season-opening win over Duke, he tied a then career-high total with 14 saves. He was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Blue Devils.
– Kemp boasts a 14-6 (.700) career record at Notre Dame.
CONSISTENCY ON D
– Over the last five seasons, the Notre Dame defense has been one of the best in the nation. The Irish are the only team in NCAA Division I to finish in the top five nationally in scoring defense in each of those five campaigns. Notre Dame produced the nation’s top defense in 2009 by allowing a program-record 6.19 goals per game. The Irish were second in 2010 (7.53) and 2011 (6.57), fourth in 2007 (6.66) and fifth in 2008 (7.04).
– Since the beginning of the 2007 season (a span of 82 games), the Irish defense has limited opponents to seven goals or fewer 57 times. Notre Dame has held foes to four goals or fewer 15 times during that stretch.
– Notre Dame has surrendered 10 goals or more in a game just 10 times since the beginning of the `07 season.
MARLATT MAKING THINGS HAPPEN
– Sophomore midfielder Jim Marlatt, who missed all of last season due to injury, leads Notre Dame in goals with three.
FOUR IRISH PLAYERS EARN PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADES
– Four members of the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team garnered preseason All-America honors from Inside Lacrosse. Junior goalie John Kemp was named to the preseason All-America third team, while seniors Kevin Randall (D) and Sean Rogers (A) along with sophomore Liam O’Connor (M/FO) were honorable mention selections.
KEMP ON TEWAARATON AWARD WATCH LIST
– Junior goalie John Kemp has been named to the watch list for the 2012 Tewaaraton Award. He is one of 73 student-athletes up for the award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate lacrosse player.
RANDALL TABBED AS A LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
– Notre Dame defenseman Kevin Randall has been named one of 20 candidates for the 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in the men’s lacrosse division. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
IRISH PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN BIG EAST
– Notre Dame was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST according to the league’s 2012 preseason coaches poll. Syracuse was selected to win the league with four first-place votes, while Notre Dame received one first-place nod. Rounding out the order of finish was Villanova, Georgetown, St. John’s, Rutgers and Providence. Villanova had two first-place votes. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
FOUR IRISH PLAYERS EARN PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE HONORS
– Fighting Irish junior goalie John Kemp was selected as the BIG EAST Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Fellow Irish players joining Kemp on the 2012 All-BIG EAST Preseason Team were seniors Kevin Randall (D) and Sean Rogers (A) along with sophomore Liam O’Connor (M/FO). Kemp and Randall both were unanimous picks. Notre Dame and Syracuse both had a league-best four players selected to the squad.
SENIOR TRIO TO CAPTAIN IRISH DURING 2012 CAMPAIGN
– Seniors Nicholas Beattie (A), Max Pfeifer (M) and Kevin Randall (D) will serve as team captains for the Fighting Irish during the 2012 campaign. All three are first-time captains for Notre Dame.
RANDALL SELECTED IN MLL DRAFT
– Notre Dame senior defenseman Kevin Randall was selected by the Charlotte Hounds in January’s Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft. Randall was the first pick in the seventh round (49th overall selection).
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
– The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse program has achieved unprecedented success over the past few seasons. The Fighting Irish are 52-15 (.776) since the beginning of the 2008 season. That is the fourth-best winning percentage nationally during that time.
– In 2008, the Fighting Irish hosted an NCAA tournament game for the first time in program history. Notre Dame defeated Colgate 8-7 in overtime.
– The 2009 campaign featured the Irish posting the first undefeated regular season (13-0) in program history before extending their record to a school-best 15-0 in the Great Western Lacrosse League tournament. Notre Dame fell to Maryland, 7-3, in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
– In 2010, Notre Dame reached the title game of the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. The Fighting Irish fell to Duke, 6-5, in overtime.
– Last season, the Irish reached No. 1 in the national polls for the first time in program history.
BYRNE HONORED
– Notre Dame’s Gerry Byrne was named the 2011 Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) National Assistant Coach of the Year for NCAA Division I. The award was presented during IMLCA Convention in Baltimore, Md.
– Byrne instructed a Fighting Irish defense that finished the 2011 season ranked second nationally by allowing just 6.57 goals per game. The Irish held their opponents to seven goals or fewer 10 times during the 2011 campaign.
IRISH TO FACE ST. JOHN’S IN BIG CITY CLASSIC
– Notre Dame will face BIG EAST foe St. John’s in the 2012 Konica Minolta Big City Classic on April 1 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The contest is slated for 1:00 p.m. (ET) and will be the first game of a tripleheader.
– Duke and Syracuse will meet in the day’s second game, while North Carolina and Johns Hopkins will square off in the third and final game at MetLife Stadium, which is home to the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets. This will be Notre Dame’s first-ever appearance in the Big City Classic.
PLAYING ON THE BIG STAGE
– Playing in MetLife Stadium for the Big City Classic on April 1 will be Notre Dame’s latest chance to compete in a major venue.
– The Irish opened the 2011 campaign against Duke at Everbank Field, which is home to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Notre Dame faced Duke in the 2011 NCAA quarterfinals at the home venue of the New England Patriots, Gillette Stadium.
– Not only did the Irish compete at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore during the 2010 final four, they also played Loyola in the venue during that season’s Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic.
– In 2009, Notre Dame played Ohio State at Ohio Stadium (The Horseshoe) in Columbus, Ohio. Two weeks prior, the Irish faced Denver at Invesco Field, which is home to the Denver Broncos.
– In 2008, Notre Dame and Denver met at Toyota Park, home to the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer (MLS) and former residence of Major League Lacrosse’s Chicago Machine, in Bridgeview, Ill.
– Notre Dame and North Carolina met at the Home Depot Center, which houses the MLS’s Los Angeles Galaxy, during the 2005 First Four Invitational in Carson, Calif.
ESPNU EXPOSURE
– Notre Dame will appear on ESPNU four times during the 2012 regular season.
– Three of the four television appearances will be Fighting Irish home contests, including the season opener against Duke. Notre Dame’s home tilt versus Denver on March 18 at Arlotta Stadium also will be televised. The lone Notre Dame road game that will be televised is the trip to Villanova on April 21. The regular-season finale between Notre Dame and Syracuse on April 28 at Arlotta Stadium also will be aired on the network.
QUALITY COMPETITION
– Seven teams on Notre Dame’s 2012 schedule appear in this week’s Nike/Inside Lacrosse rankings. Syracuse (#6), Duke (#9) and Penn State (#10) join Notre Dame (#7) in the top 10 of the poll. Denver (#11), Villanova (#13), Ohio State (#18) and Hofstra (#19) also are Irish opponents listed in the rankings.