SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 2 Fighting Irish and No. 1 Tar Heels will square off in one of the most highly anticipated games of the lacrosse season at Arlotta Stadium at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 11. Admission to the game is free and the matchup will air on ACCN. Saturday will also be the Military Appreciation Game.
GAME DETAILS
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Arlotta Stadium
Schedule: April 11 — 5 p.m. ET
Admission: FREE
TV: ACCN
Live Stats: FightingIrish.com
Twitter Updates: @NDlacrosse
For a more in-depth look at the matchup – Game Notes: Notre Dame
THE UNC SERIES
• Saturday will be the 26th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and UNC.
• The Irish lead the Tar Heels in the series with at a mark of 14-11 in the matchup.
• The matchup has historically been extremely competitive, as 15 of the 25 games in the series have been decided by two goals or less.
• The Irish enter this weekend’s matchup winners of five straight in the series and six of the last seven, dating back to the 2019 season.
• Notre Dame won the most recent matchup by a score of 12-6 in Chapel Hill last season.
• Jalen Seymour (2), Will Maheras and Matt Jeffery each scored in last season’s win while the Irish defense held Owen Duffy (1A) and Dom Pietramala (1G) to a combined two points with Thomas Ricciardelli making nine saves.
RESUME BUILDING
• Notre Dame has never shied away from playing the top teams in the country and has racked up wins, especially over the last few seasons.
• The Fighting Irish are 27-8 against ranked teams since the beginning of the 2023 season.
• Fifteen of the 27 wins have come in blowout fashion with the Irish winning by five or more goals.
• Furthermore, Notre Dame has faired just as well against the best of the best, posting a record of 20-5 against teams ranked in the top 10 of the USILA poll at the time of the matchup since the beginning of the 2023 season.
• The Irish are 4-0 against ranked opposition this season and 3-0 against top-10 teams (Richmond, Georgetown and Ohio State).
ND VS. TOP-RANKED TEAMS
• Saturday’s game against No. 1 North Carolina will mark the 12th time the Irish have faced the USILA’s top-ranked team in program history and the first time they have faced the country’s top-ranked team in back-to-back games.
• Notre Dame enters the matchup with a record of 6-5 against No. 1 teams.
• Since 2015 the Irish have especially excelled against No. 1 opponents, posting a mark of 6-1 in those matchups.
• The Irish faced No. 1 Richmond last weekend in Evanston, Illinois, handing the Spiders their first defeat of the season by a score of 12-8.
• The last time Notre Dame was ranked No. 2 and faced the No. 1 team came in 2023, defeating top-ranked Duke at Arlotta Stadium by a score of 17-12 on April 8.
HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE
• Notre Dame boasts one of the best attacks in the country heading into the weekend, averaging 13.75 goals per game which ranks 11th in the nation.
• The Irish also rank 10th in the country in points per game with a mark of 21.88 through eight contests.
• The Fighting Irish are sharing the ball at a high rate, averaging 8.13 assists per game, which ranks 12th in the nation.
• Notre Dame has been efficient shooting the ball, posting the ninth-best mark in the country shooting at a clip of 32.8 percent.
EVERYBODY EATS
• The Irish can beat you in a number of ways, as the attack has been very balanced this season.
• The Fighting Irish have four attackmen that have recorded at least 14 points through eight games.
• Josh Yago (20G, 9A) leads the team in points with 29 followed by Luke Miller (17G, 8A) and Brock Behrman (11G, 10A). Teddy Lally (7G, 7A) has excelled off the bench, adding 14 points to bolster the unit.
• Will Maheras has paced the midfield with 18 points (11G, 7A). Matt Jeffery (8G, 5A) has added 13 points Jalen Seymour (8G, 2A) has recorded 10 while Will Angrick (6G, 2A) has eight on the season.
• Nineteen different players have registered a goal this season and 24 have tallied at least one point during the 2026 season, including 18 with multiple points.
INSTANT IMPACT
• A number of newcomers to the 2026 squad wasted no time making a first impression.
• Graduate transfer Josh Yago leads the team in points with 29 (20G, 9A) after posting at least three points in seven of eight games this season, including season-high five-point efforts in the wins over No. 3 Georgetown which helped the grad student earn ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors and No. 1 Richmond.
• Teddy Lally has 14 points on the year off seven goals and seven assists. The freshman has recorded multiple points in four games this season.
• Junior transfer Tyler Spano has won 59-of-100 faceoffs at the dot with the Irish and leads the team in ground balls with 33.
• Aidan Diaz-Matos scored a goal within the first minute of the season opener off a faceoff win and is 49-of-88 at the dot on the year and is second on the team in ground balls with 28.
• Miguel Iglesias has made an impact at both ends of the field as a SSDM, scoring a goal in two games while also putting in sound defensive shifts.
• Christopher Iuliano has played multiple positions for the Irish, filling in at close defense against Bellarmine and playing LSM for the majority of the season while also registering shifts on the wings for faceoffs. The freshman has 10 ground balls and six caused turnovers.
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
• Preseason All-Americans Will Donovan and Shawn Lyght each return to the defensive unit along with other starting close defenders Will Gallagher and Nate Schwitzenberg.
• Notre Dame held Maryland to eight goals in College Park, which is tied for the Terps lowest scoring output in a home game since the advent of the shot clock in 2019.
• Schwitzenberg earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors following the ranked road win.
• Notre Dame then allowed just eight goals in the road win over Ohio State and four in the victory over Michigan, its lowest goal output in a game this season.
• Thomas Ricciardelli made a season-high 14 saves in the win over Ohio State, earning ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors.
• Notre Dame held Richmond to just eight goals, tying its mark for the lowest they have scored in a game this season.
• The Irish had their most disruptive performance of the season in the win over No. 3 Georgetown, limiting the Hoyas to just nine goals while recording a season-high 19 caused turnovers.
• Lyght finished the contest against Georgetown with a season-high three caused turnovers and two ground balls.
• Donovan has been a menace to opposing attacks, recording nine caused turnovers and 25 ground balls.
• The short-stick defensive midfield unit that consists of Christian Alacqua, Chris Reinhardt, Kyle Bergen and Miguel Iglesias has impressed this season as well.
LYGHTS OUT
• Lyght enters the 2026 campaign as the top defensive player in the country, having been named the USA Lacrosse Preseason Defenseman of the Year.
• The junior was selected as the Schmeisser Award co-winner following an incredible sophomore season in 2025.
• The defenseman was named ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Year following the 2025 regular season as voted on by the league’s coaches.
• Lyght was also named a USA Lacrosse First Team All-American following the 2025 regular season.
• In the win over UNC last season, Lyght held UNC’s prolific attackman Owen Duffy to just one assist on the day, matching his career low for points in a game.
• Lyght consistently draws the No. 1 option for the opposing attack throughout the season.
BACK BETWEEN THE PIPES
• Goalie Thomas Ricciardelli returns in goal after earning the starting job in 2025.
• The senior is 7-1 on the season, making 81 saves while allowing 8.35 goals per game, ranking sixth in the country.
• Ricciardelli has recorded a save percentage of .500 or better in seven of eight games this season.
• The New Canaan, Connecticut, native allowed a season-low four goals while making 11 saves in the win over Michigan on March 14.
• In the win over No. 1 Richmond, the senior was masterful, making 14 saves while allowing just eight goals to help the Irish knock off the top-ranked Spiders.
• Ricciardelli impressed in his debut season, leading the ACC and ranking sixth in the country goals against average (9.14).
• The shot stopper made 158 saves during the 2025 campaign while allowing 121 goals.
• The goalie saved at least 50 percent of shots he faced in 10 of 14 games last season.
• In his first NCAA Tournament appearance, Ricciardelli turned in an incredible performance against No. 2 Ohio State, making 15 saves while allowing just six goals for a mark of 71.4 percent.
MIDFIELD EXPERIENCE AND DEPTH
• While the Irish replaced all three starters at attack from last season, the midfield has plenty of experience returning to the 2026 roster.
• Notre Dame’s top two attacking midfield units have combined for 62 points, coming from 38 goals and 24 assists.
• Will Maheras leads the midfield unit with 18 points off 11 goals and seven assists.
• Matt Jeffery also has double-digit points with 13 off eight goals and five assists.
• Will Angrick, Will Maheras, Matt Jeffery, Fisher Finley, Max Busenkell and Jalen Seymour all saw significant playing time last season.
• The six players combined to record 92 points off 56 goals and 36 assists last season over 14 games.
• Angrick led the way with 27 points on 15 goals and 12 assists during the 2025 campaign.
FROM THE GRIDIRON TO THE LACROSSE FIELD
• Two Notre Dame lacrosse players on the 2026 squad also are on the football roster, as Matt Jeffery and Dylan Faison are both dual-sport athletes.
• Jeffery was the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2025 after making an impact in the midfield.
• Faison was the No. 1 ranked incoming player in the class of 2026 before he reclassified and joined the Irish for this spring semester.
• Jeffery has been productive in his sophomore campaign, posting 13 points off eight goals and five assists despite drawing a pole in the majority of matchups.
• Faison has broken into the rotation as of late, playing on the second-midfield line and scoring his first career goal in the win over No. 1 Richmond.
RECORD-BREAKING DAY
• The Fighting Irish turned in the best offensive performance in seasons history against Bellarmine on Feb. 17.
• Notre Dame scored a program-record 29 goals, surpassing the previous mark of 28 against Mount Union which stood since the 1983 season.
• The Irish also set the program record for points in a game with 48 off 29 goals and 19 assists.
• Thirteen players combined to score the 29 goals with Brock Behrman, Will Maheras and Jalen Seymour each recording the first hat tricks of their career.
• Brock Behrman led the team with seven points off four goals and three assists, all career highs.
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 377-181 in his 40 seasons of coaching.
• The head coach is 367-166 in his 38 seasons at Notre Dame.
• Corrigan is the longest tenured men’s lacrosse coach at the DI level.