SOUTH BEND, Ind. – After spending the last two weeks on the road, the No. 2 Fighting Irish men’s lacrosse squad returns home to Arlotta Stadium for another ranked matchup against a Big Ten squad, as it welcomes No. 15 Ohio State to South Bend for a 2 p.m. ET opening faceoff on Saturday, March 8. The game will air on ACCN.
GAME DETAILS
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Arlotta Stadium
Schedule: March 8 — 2 p.m. ET
TV: ACCN
Live Stats: FightingIrish.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 49th meeting all time between Notre Dame and Ohio State. The Irish lead the all-time series with the Buckeyes, holding a 36-12 advantage in the matchup.
• The most recent installment between the two sides came last season at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium in Columbus with the Irish winning by a score of 13-10.
• The Irish have won 18 of the last 21 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.
• In last season’s victory the attack was led by Chris Kavanagh, who put up a career-high eight points off five goals and three assists.
KAVANAGH LEADS THE ATTACK
• Chris Kavanagh picked up right where he left off to open the 2025 season, posting a career-high nine points (4G, 5A) to finish just one point shy of the program record held by his brother Pat.
• The senior leads the Irish in points this season with 21 off 13 goals and eight assists.
• Kavanagh turned in the greatest statistical offensive season in Notre Dame history last year, setting the program record for points in a season with 81.
• The attackman totaled 44 goals and 37 assists during the 2024 season.
• Chris joined his brothers Matt (42G, 33A – 2015) and Pat (31G, 49A – 2024) as the only players in program history to record 30+ goals and assists in the same season.
• The Rockville Centre native earned NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player honors after a prolific four-game stretch in the tournament in 2024, recording 22 points off 14 goals and 8 assists.
• The attackman put an exclamation mark on his season with a 5-goal performance in the national title win over Maryland, tying the program record for goals in an NCAA tournament game.
• Kavanagh set the program record for points in an NCAA Tournament game against Georgetown in the quarterfinals, totaling eight points off five goals and three assists. The five goals tied the program record for most goals scored in an NCAA Tourney game.
• The senior has 197 points off 125 goals and 72 assists and currently ranks fourth in program history.
• Kavanagh not only paced Notre Dame’s offense in 2023 but his 46 goals ranked third all-time in program history for a single season, just three behind Randy Colley’s record of 49 goals set in 1995.
• The Rockville Centre, New York, native has scored a goal in 26 straight games and has recorded a point in 48 of 49 games in his career. Kavanagh has posted multiple points in 44 of 49 games in his career.
LYGHTS OUT
• It didn’t take long for Shawn Lyght to make a name for himself in the college lacrosse world, as he cemented himself as one of the top cover defenseman in the country during his 2024 freshman season.
• Lyght consistently drew the No. 1 option for the opposing attack throughout the season.
• The defenseman held Connor Shellenberger to just one goal between the two matchups, both resulting in wins and he limited Joey Spallina to just one point in their only matchup of the year.
• The sophomore opened the 2025 season against Cleveland State holding his main defensive assignment to zero points.
• Lyght was the only sophmore to earn first team All-America status in the Inside Lacrosse preseason honors.
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
• Despite losing two starting defensemen and standout goalie Liam Entenmann, Notre Dame has allowed only one of the four teams it has faced this season to reach double-digit goals in a game.
• Notre Dame is allowing just 8.75 goals per game this season.
• The Irish finished 2024 allowing just 8.94 goals per game, leading the country, despite playing six games against opponents that ranked in the top 15 in goals scored per game.
• Notre Dame held opponents to 10 or fewer goals in 12 of 17 games during the 2024 campaign, including seven of the last eight on the way to the title.
• The Irish limited the opposition to 12 or fewer goals in 16 of 17 outings last season.
• Preseason All-Americans Ben Ramsey, Will Donovan and Shawn Lyght each return to the defensive unit along with the addition of Greg Campisi from Harvard.
TAYLOR MADE
• Graduate student Jake Taylor is one of the great finishers in lacrosse, totaling 112 goals in his Fighting Irish career.
• The attackman scored seven goals in the season opener to become the 11th player in program history to reach the 100-goal milestone.
• Taylor has 17 hat tricks in his Fighting Irish career and has scored at least three games in each of his first two outings this season.
• The Denver native finished the 2024 season with 41 goals on 83 shots, giving him a shooting percentage of .494 which ranked fourth in the country.
• Taylor scored one of the biggest goals in program history, sending the 2023 NCAA semifinal into overtime with a twister against Virignia in the final minute of regulation.
GREATEST SHOW ON TURF
• The Irish attack has been borderline unstoppable over the last couple of seasons, leading the country in goals per game in 2024 with an average of 15.65.
• The Blue and Gold has scored 67 goals over the first four games this season, averaging 16.75 per game, the second best mark in the country.
• Notre Dame ranks third in the nation in points per game (27.0), shot percentage (.372) and assists per game (10.25).
• The Notre Dame offense has finished with 10 or more goals scored in 26 straight games, the longest active streak in the country.
• The Irish scored 24 goals in the season opener and recorded 19 assists to total 43 points, finishing just three points shy of the program record for points in a game.
DOMINATING THE DOT
• Senior FOGO Will Lynch has won 47-of-72 faceoffs this season for a win percentage of .653 along with 28 ground balls.
• The senior enters Saturday with 298 career ground balls, the most by any player in program history. Lynch set the record in the win over Georgetown, passing Billy Ahmuty (280 GBs – 1991-94) for the top spot.
• Lynch is coming off his best season in his Fighting Irish career, winning 61.2 percent of his faceoff attempts to lead the ACC and rank fourth in the country.
• The FOGO won 202-of 330 attempts and scooped up a team-high 113 ground balls.
• Over the four NCAA Tournament games Lynch was even better than his season average, winning 63-of-97 (64.9%).
• Lynch added a career-high four goals last season, including one in the ACC Tournament and one in the NCAA Tournament.
• Lynch was named to the All-ACC Team and to the ACC All-Tournament Team.
• The standout won over 50 percent of faceoffs in 12-of-16 games last season.
FAMILY STYLE
• Everyone is eating in the Irish attack this season, as 15 different players have already recorded multiple points on the season.
• The Irish have racked up 41 assists on the 67 goals with Chris Kavanagh leading the way with eight.
• In the win over Marquette, all three starting attackmen and all three starting midfielders finished with mulitple goals.
• Notre Dame’s midfield has accounted for 29 of 67 goals this season.
FROM THE GRIDIRON TO THE LACROSSE FIELD
• Three Notre Dame lacrosse players on the 2025 squad also suited up for the football team in the fall, as Jordan Faison, Tyler Buchner and Matt Jeffery are both dual-sport athletes.
• Faison finished the season with 30 receptions for 356 yards and a TD, including a seven-catch, 89-yard performance in the first round of the College Football Playoff win against IU.
• Buchner was used in trick plays on special teams, picking up a first down on a fake FG against GT and completing a 23-yard pass on a fake punt against USC.
• Jeffery played in three games on special teams during his freshman season, seeing the field against Purdue, Stanford and Navy.
• All three have seen action during the 2025 lacrosse season, as Buchner has played in all four games as a SSDM and Faison and Jeffery made their debuts in the win at Georgetown.