April 21, 2018
By: Robby Hamman
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 14 Notre Dame fell to North Carolina in the final regular-season ACC game of 2018 by a final of 10-9 but still secured the No. 3 seed in the upcoming ACC Championship based on goals allowed against the Tar Heels and Virginia.
The Irish will play No. 2 Duke in the semifinals on Friday, April 27, in Charlottesville, Virginia at Klöckner Stadium. All of the ACC Championship games will air live on ESPNU.
Sophomore Bryan Costabile led Notre Dame in scoring with three against the Tar Heels. Junior Ryder Garnsey added two goals while Mikey Wynne, Brendan Collins, Pierre Byrne and Thomas McNamara each scored once.
How It Happened
The Tar Heels never trailed in the first half but the Irish trailed by just one heading into the halftime break at 5-4. The two sides traded goals over the opening 21 minutes of action. The Tar Heels scored first and Notre Dame answered all three of the UNC goals.
Costabile and Garnsey both found the back of the net in the first quarter to keep the score even at 2-2 after the first 15 minutes. After the Tar Heels took a 3-2 lead in the second stanza, Collins leveled the game off a feed from Gleason with 9:11 left on the clock.
North Carolina responded with two consecutive scores to put the hosts in front 5-3 before Garnsey scored an impressive goal, his second of the day, firing low to tuck the shot into the bottom corner to make it a one-goal game.
The Irish defense had a strong start to the third, not allowing a goal through the first 14 minutes of the second half. Notre Dame’s attack capitalized, scoring twice to take its first lead of the day at 6-5. The two Irish strikes came from Costabile on an extra-man opportunity and one from Byrne. Unfortunately for Notre Dame, the Tar Heels scored twice in the final minute of the stanza to take a 7-6 lead into the fourth.
Notre Dame’s offense found a rhythm early in the fourth frame, scoring three times in a three-minute stretch, while UNC scored once to give the Irish a 9-8 lead midway through the final quarter. North Carolina’s Chris Cloutier answered with two unanswered goals in the span of less than a minute go deliver the hosts the 10-9 victory.
Notre Dame Player Of The Game
After battling an injury over the last few games, Costabile provided a big lift to the Irish attack on Saturday. With three goals, the sophomore notched his fourth hat trick of the season and fifth of his career. The three goals were the most scored by a player on either team.
Notre Dame Stat Of The Game
The Irish won 17-of-22 face-offs against the Tar Heels. John Travisano finished 16-of-21 from the X while Charles Leonard went 1-for-1.
Notre Dame Notes
- Notre Dame has earned a berth into the ACC Championship in all five seasons it has been in the league.
- Garnsey notched his fourth multi-goal game of the 2018 campaign.
- Wynne moved into sole possession of fourth place for career goals in Notre Dame program history. Wynne has 120 goals in his career.
- John Travisano paced the Irish in ground balls with nine, equaling his career high.
- Arden Cohen posted a career high in ground balls with seven.
- Garnsey matched his career high for ground balls with six.
Up Next
The Irish travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, next weekend for the ACC Championship. Notre Dame will take on Duke in the semifinal game on Friday, April 27. The tournament will be held at Klöckner Stadium and all games will air live on ESPNU.
— ND —
The University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team pursues excellence on and off the field through the three pillars in which the program is built: Character, Culture & Community. These three foundational values guide the promise of the program, which is to provide its student-athletes with the most compelling and enriching experience in all of college athletics. Through academics, competition, service and travel, the program aims to immerse its players in situations that enhance their student-athlete experience to help them become the people, students and teammates they aspire to be.
Follow the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team on social media and the Internet …
Click here to enter ND Lacrosse Experience
Click here to follow ND Lacrosse on Twitter
Click here to follow ND Lacrosse Coaching Tips on Twitter
Click here to learn more about the ND Lacrosse Experience on Twitter
Click here to like ND Lacrosse on Facebook
Click here to subscribe to NDLaxTV YouTube Channel
Click here to read the latest news on ND Lacrosse
Click here to learn more about ND Lax Camps
Click here to learn about ND Lacrosse community service on Twitter