SOUTH BEND, Ind. – No. 2/2 Notre Dame returns home to welcome No. 10/9 Ohio State to town for a top 10 showdown. Opening faceoff is slated for 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 11. The game will be broadcast on ACCN.
GAME DETAILS
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Arlotta Stadium
Schedule: March 11 — 2 p.m. ET
TV: ACCN
Live Stats: UND.com
Twitter Updates: @NDlacrosse
For a more in-depth look at the matchup – Game Notes: Notre Dame
THE OHIO STATE SERIES
• Saturday will be the 47th meeting all time between Notre Dame and Ohio State. The Irish lead the all-time series with the Buckeyes, holding a 34-12 advantage in the matchup.
• The most recent installment between the two sides came last season at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes pulled out a tight 14-11 win.
• The Irish have won 16 of the last 19 matchups with Ohio State, including the 9-0 shutout at Arlotta Stadium on March 21, 2015, which is the last time the Irish held an opponent scoreless in a game.
• Notre Dame holds a 17-4 edge over the Buckeyes in the series when playing in South Bend.
THE BROTHERS KAVANAGH
• Pat Kavanagh became the fourth Tewaaraton Finalist in program history in 2021 and his brother Chris joined the 2022 squad as an attackman.
• The two brothers have combined for 41 points over the first four games, Chris recording 21 (15G, 6A) and Pat totaling 20 (4G, 16A).
• Chris and Pat became the first set of ND teammates to each record eight or more points in the same game in program history, each posting eight, in the win over Cleveland State.
• The brothers have linked up on 17 goals during their career, with one assisting the other’s goal.
• The brothers also excel in the ground ball aspect of the game, combining for 25 on the season.
• Pat led the team during the 2022 season in points (64) and assists (39). He was second in goals (24), caused turnovers (12) and ground balls (39) while Chris was second in points (33) and assists (11) while tied for third in goals (22).
• In just 12 games in the 2022 season, Pat became the all-time single-season ND assist record holder with 39, breaking his own record from the 2021 season.
• Pat owns the single-game points record at ND, recording 10 points in a game twice, both against Syracuse and both coming on May 1. He recorded 10 points on May 1, 2021 with 5G & 5A and then matched his record on May 1, 2022 with 4G & 6A.
BEATING THE BEST
• The matchup against No. 10 Ohio State will be Notre Dame’s second game this season against a team ranked in the top 10 in the USILA poll.
• Notre Dame recorded a 13-12 win in triple overtime at No. 4 Maryland earlier this season.
• The Irish have a record of 42-38 against top 10 teams since the start of the 2010 season.
STRONG STARTS
• The Irish have wasted no time jumping on opponents early in games this season, outscoring the opposition by a combined score of 23-10 in first quarters.
• Notre Dame has scored on its first possession in three of its four games this season, with Eric Dobson firing in the first goal in two games.
• Chris Kavanagh has scored five goals in first quarters to pace the team early while Eric Dobson has added four.
FITTING RIGHT IN
• Notre Dame welcomed four transfers to the 2023 roster and each player made has made significant contributions through two games.
• Chris Fake and Chris Conlin have each earned starts as defensemen in every game this season, combining for eight caused turnovers and 16 ground balls.
• Brian Tevlin and Jack Simmons have played major minutes in the midfield, as Simmons has four goals and two assists while Tevlin has four goals and an assist while adding 12 ground balls.
• Tevlin has also traded his short stick in for a long stick on the Irish man-down unit at times this season.
DOMINATING DEFENSE
• The Irish enter the weekend allowing just 9.5 goals per game, ranking in the top 15 teams in the country.
• Notre Dame leads the ACC in caused turnovers per game this season, averaging 10.75.
• The Irish have recorded at least 10 caused turnovers in every game this season.
• ND recorded a season-high 12 caused turnovers in the win over Cleveland State.
• The Irish have allowed more than 20 shots on goal in a game just once this season.
• Senior goalie Liam Entenmann was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week following his season-high 14 save performance in the win over No. 4 Maryland.
SHARING IS CARING
• Notre Dame’s ball movement has been dizzying at times this season, as the Irish have dished out 38 assists this season.
• ND ranks fifth in the country in assists per game, averaging 9.5.
• Pat Kavanagh leads the country in assists per game (4.67).
• Twelve different players have recorded at least one assist this season.
• Pat Kavanagh is one assist shy of the 100-assist milestone for his career and would become just the fifth player in program history to reach the achievement.
ATTACKING MIDFIELD DEPTH
• Despite the Kavanagh brothers earning much of the national headlines, the Irish midfield units have been very productive in 2023.
• The starting midfield trio of Eric Dobson, Quinn McCahon and Bryce Walker have combined for 22 goals in 2023.
• Dobson leads the group with nine goals, while McCahon has posted eight and Walker has added five.
• The second midfield has combined for 15 goals, as Reilly Gray has seven and Jack Simmons and Brian Tevlin have four apiece.
• Notre Dame’s midfield combined for 17 of the 28 goals scored in the wins over No. 15 Georgetown and No. 4 Maryland.
CASHING IN ON THE EMO
• Notre Dame had one of the greatest man-up units in recent memory during the 2022 season, leading the country in efficiency.
• The Irish EMO unit cashed in on 21-of-31 chances (.677) last season.
• The Irish enter the weekedn 7-for-13 on the EMO through this season.
CHALLENGING SLATE AHEAD
• Notre Dame has never shied away from putting together a challenging schedule and the 2023 slate is no different.
• Of Notre Dame’s 12 regular-season opponents, eight are currently ranked in the top 20 in both the USILA or Inside Lacrosse Top 20 Polls.
CORRIGAN ALL-TIME DI PROGRAM WINS LEADER
• With the win over No. 1 Duke on April 10, 2021, Baumer Family Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach Kevin Corrigan broke the NCAA record for most wins at a DI program with 311, passing Bob Shillinglaw (Delaware).
• Corrigan became just the third coach in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse history to reach the 300-win mark at a single school with the win over Marquette on April 10, 2019.
• Corrigan is one of just four active Division I coaches to reach the 300-win mark in his career.
• Corrigan has an overall record of 333-172 in his 37 seasons of coaching.
• The head coach is 323-157 in his 35 seasons at Notre Dame.
• Corrigan is the longest tenured men’s lacrosse coach at the DI level.