April 18, 2008
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A four-goal performance from junior attackman Ryan Hoff (Baldwin, Md./Dulaney) helped No. 10 Notre Dame to a 16-6 victory over Quinnipiac in Great Western Lacrosse League play on Friday afternoon at School Field.
Notre Dame (8-2, 2-1) also received two goals apiece from Duncan Swezey (Ambler, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham), Alex Wharton (Baltimore, Md./Gilman) and Grant Krebs (Annapolis, Md./St. Mary’s). Swezey and Wharton both chipped in two assists as well. The Fighting Irish have now scored 16 or more goals on four occasions this season, while holding opponents to six scores five times. Hoff, who leads the Irish with 26 goals, has scored four or more goals three times on the year.
Quinnipiac (7-4, 1-3) had three players, Gary Messina, Ted Dimond and Matt Kusiak, notch two goals on the day.
The Fighting Irish jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the 4:56 mark of the first quarter. Hoff began the contest with back-to-back tallies followed by goals from Dan Gibson (Germantown, Tenn./Memphis Univ. School), Krebs and Neal Hicks (Atlanta, Ga./Lovett School). Messina put Quinnipiac on the board with 2:30 remaining in the first period and Notre Dame led 5-1 after the opening quarter. The Irish have out scored their opponents 37-8 in the first quarter of play this season.
Goals from Krebs and Wharton opened the second-quarter scoring and Hoff deposited a man-up tally to make it an 8-1 contest with 8:30 remaining in the first half. Consecutive scores from Kusiak sliced the Fighting Irish lead to five (8-3). Following a score from Swezey, Quinnipiac responded with a Dimond goal and Notre Dame led 9-4 at the intermission.
Notre Dame extended the margin to eight (12-4) with three straight goals to start the second half. Hoff ignited the surge with his fourth goal of the game and Matt Ciambella (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) followed with a man-up goal for the Irish. Notre Dame went 2-for-4 in man-up chances on the day. Michael Podgajny (Ridley Park, Pa./Ridley) deposited the 12th Irish score of the contest with 6:30 left in the third quarter.
A score from Messina temporarily halted the Irish run yet Swezey scored with 43 seconds left in the third period and that would begin a 4-0 streak for Notre Dame. Mike Creighton (Malvern, Pa./Malvern Prep) scored early in the fourth quarter to give Notre Dame a 14-5 lead. Goals from Zach Brenneman (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton) and Wharton concluded the Irish scoring for the afternoon. Dimond notched a tally with 9:15 left in the contest to produce the final outcome.
Notre Dame held a decisive 43-27 advantage in shots. Senior goalkeeper Joey Kemp (Potomac, Md./Georgetown Prep) made eight saves to earn the win. The victory upped his school-record career total to 34. Sophomore Brendan Moore (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) played the final 4:20 in goal for the Irish and made one save. Kevin Benzing picked up the loss as he allowed 15 goals, while making 10 stops. Senior Taylor Clagett (Chesapeake Beach, Md./DeMatha) had another stellar day at the faceoff X for the Irish as he won 13 of his 19 attempts.
Despite the game not being played on the Notre Dame campus due to the construction of the new lacrosse stadium, the contest was still technically a home game for the Irish. The win improved Notre Dame’s program-record home win streak to 17 games.
The Fighting Irish are back in action on Sunday at Lehigh. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (ET) in Bethlehem, Pa.
Stay up-to-date on the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team by logging onto und.com. You can also sign up to receive text message score updates through Irish Alert. Log onto und.com for more details.
Quinnipiac (7-4, 1-3) – 1 3 1 1 – 6
#10 Notre Dame (8-2, 2-1) – 5 4 4 3 – 16
Quinnipiac Scoring (goals-assists):
Gary Messina 2-0, Ted Dimond 2-0, Matt Kusiak 2-0, Mitch Cooper 0-1; Goaltenders: Kevin Benzing (L, 49:18, 10 saves, 15 GA), Ryan Andrews (10:42, 1 save, 1 GA)
Notre Dame Scoring (goals-assists):
Ryan Hoff 4-0, Duncan Swezey 2-2, Alex Wharton 2-2, Grant Krebs 2-1, Dan Gibson 1-1, Michael Podgajny 1-0, Mike Creighton 1-0, Neal Hicks 1-0, Matt Ciambella 1-0, Zach Brenneman 1-0, Peter Christman 0-1, David Earl 0-1; Goaltenders: Joey Kemp (W, 55:40, 8 saves, 6 GA), Brendan Moore (4:20, 1 saves, 0 GA)