SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Fighting Irish kick off the 2026 season on the road, as they face Marquette in Milwaukee at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. local) at the Valley Fields complex. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
GAME DETAILS
Location: Marquette, Wisconsin | Valley Fields
Schedule: February 14 — 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. local)
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: FightingIrish.com
Twitter Updates: @NDlacrosse
For a more in-depth look at the matchup – Game Notes: Notre Dame
THE MARQUETTE SERIES
• Saturday will be the 14th meeting all time between Notre Dame and Marquette.
• The Irish hold a commanding 13-0 lead in the series, including a mark of 4-0 when playing the Golden Eagles in Milwaukee.
• The most recent matchup in the series came last season, with Notre Dame winning 22-9 in South Bend.
• Will Angrick recorded a hat trick and finished with 4 point (3g, 1a). Brady Pokorny totaled 4 points (2g, 2a) while Max Busenkell, Fisher Finley and Will Maheras each recorded 2 goals in last season’s win over the Golden Eagles.
OWNING THE OPENERS
• Notre Dame is 38-7 all-time in season openers, including a 32-5 record in the Kevin Corrigan era.
• The Irish have won a program-record 23 straight season openers.
• Notre Dame opened the 2025 season with a 24-6 win over Cleveland State on Feb. 12.
• The Irish last dropped a season opener in 2002, a 10-9 overtime setback at home against Penn State.
• In home openers, the Irish are 40-4 in program history and 33-3 under Corrigan.
FANTASTIC FEBRUARYS FOR THE FIGHTING IRISH
• Notre Dame is 40-5 in its last 45 games played in February dating back to the 2006 season.
• Fighting Irish head coach Kevin Corrigan is 49-8 in the month of February during his Notre Dame tenure.
• Last season the Irish went 3-0 in the month of February, picking up wins over Cleveland State, Marquette and Georgetown.
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 has also been named a USA Lacrosse First Team All-American following the 2025 regular season.
• In the win over UNC this 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.
• The defenseman held Connor Shellenberger to just one goal between the two matchups during the 2024 season
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
• The Irish finished 2025 allowing just 9.14 goals per game, ranking ninth in the country and leading the ACC.
• Notre Dame held opponents to 10 or fewer goals in 11 of 14 games during the 2025 campaign.
• 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.
BACK BETWEEN THE PIPES
• Goalie Thomas Ricciardelli returns in goal after earning the starting job in 2025.
• Ricciardelli impressed in his debut season, leading the ACC and ranking eighth in the country in both save percentage (.566) and 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 look to replace all three starters at attack from last season, the midfield has plenty of experience returning to the 2026 roster.
• 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.
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.
IRISH INDOORS
• Notre Dame has excelled when playing inside the last 10 seasons, going 21-2 when playing indoors since the start of the 2015 season.
• Notre Dame is currently riding a 25-game win streak when playing in Loftus Sports Center.
• The Irish haven’t lost in Loftus Sports Center since dropping a 14-11 decision to UNC on March 14, 2004.
• The Irish went 2-1 when playing indoors last season, defeating Cleveland State in the home opener in Loftus and then downing Marquette inside Loftus before suffering a defeat at Syracuse inside the JMA Dome.
NEW SEASON, NEW FACES
• The Irish welcome 17 incoming players to the 2026 roster.
• Three players are transfers, as Josh Yago (Air Force), Luke Stickler (Johns Hopkins) and Tyler Spano (Washington & Lee) join from other programs.
• Yago was named the ASUN Offensive Player of the Year in 2025 after recording 72 points off 37 goals and 35 assists.
• Fourteen players on the 2026 roster are true freshman.
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 370-180 in his 40 seasons of coaching.
• The head coach is 360-165 in his 38 seasons at Notre Dame.
• Corrigan is the longest tenured men’s lacrosse coach at the DI level.