SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 1/1 Fighting Irish open ACC play on the road in Charlottesville, taking on Virginia at noon ET on Saturday, March 28. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
GAME DETAILS
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia | Klockner Stadium
Schedule: March 28 — 12 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
Live Stats: FightingIrish.com
Twitter Updates: @NDlacrosse
For a more in-depth look at the matchup – Game Notes: Notre Dame
THE VIRGINIA SERIES
• Saturday will be the 24th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Virginia. The Irish hold a narrow lead in the series with a record of 12-11 entering the weekend.
• The Irish have won each of the last four matchups, including two games in postseason play (2023 NCAA semifinals & 2024 ACC semfinals).
• The two sides faced off in South Bend last season, with Notre Dame winning by a final score of 12-7.
• Members of this season’s roster combined to score five goals in last season’s victory as Matt Jeffery and Jalen Seymour each scored twice and Christian Alacqua added a goal.
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 26-8 against ranked teams since the beginning of the 2023 season.
• Fifteen of the 26 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 19-5 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 3-0 against ranked opposition this season and 2-0 against top-10 teams (Georgetown and Ohio State).
HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE
• Notre Dame boasts one of the best attacks in the country heading into the weekend, averaging 14.83 goals per game which ranks sixth in the nation.
• The Irish also rank sixth in the country in points per game with a mark of 23.7 through six contests.
• The Fighting Irish are sharing the ball at a high rate, averaging 8.8 assists per game, which ranks sixth in the nation.
• Notre Dame has been ultra-efficient shooting the ball, posting the third-best mark in the country shooting at a clip of 35.3 percent.
• The Irish have reached double-digit goals in 38 of their last 42 games, dating back to the 2023 season.
EVERYBODY EATS
• The Irish can beat you in a number of ways, as the attack has been very balanced through the first month of the season.
• The four attackman rotation has paid early dividends with each having at least 13 points through six games.
• Josh Yago (15G, 6A) leads the team in points with 21 closely followed by Brock Behrman (11G, 9A) and Luke Miller (13G, 7A) who have each posted 20 points on the season. Teddy Lally (6G, 7A) has excelled off the bench, adding 13 points to bolster the unit.
• Will Maheras has paced the midfield with 13 points (8G, 5A). Jalen Seymour (8G, 2A) and Matt Jeffery (6G, 4A) have added 10 apiece while Will Angrick (5G, 2A) has seven on the season.
• Seventeen different players have registered a goal this season and 20 have tallied at least one point during the 2026 season, including 17 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 21 (15G, 6A) after posting at least three points in five of six games this season, including a season-high five-point effort in the win over No. 3 Georgetown which helped the grad student earn ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
• Teddy Lally already has 13 points on the year off six goals and seven assists. The freshman has recorded multiple points in four of six games this season.
• 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 leads the team in ground balls with 28.
• Junior transfer Tyler Spano has won 33-of-57 faceoffs at the dot in his first six games with the Irish and is second on the team in ground balls with 19.
• 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 eight ground balls and three 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.
• 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 18 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 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.
BACK BETWEEN THE PIPES
• Goalie Thomas Ricciardelli returns in goal after earning the starting job in 2025.
• The senior is 6-0 on the season, making 58 saves while allowing 7.94 goals per game, ranking seventh in the country.
• Ricciardelli has recorded a save percentag of .500 or better in five of six 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.
• 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 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 49 points through the first six games, coming from 30 goals and 19 assists.
• Will Maheras leads the midfield unit with 13 points off eight goals and five assists.
• Matt Jeffery also has double-digit points with 10 off six goals and four 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 10 points off six goals and four assists despite drawing a pole in the majority of matchups.
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 376-180 in his 40 seasons of coaching.
• The head coach is 366-165 in his 38 seasons at Notre Dame.
• Corrigan is the longest tenured men’s lacrosse coach at the DI level.