March 25, 2017
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the third time this season an undefeated team from the Big Ten visited Arlotta Stadium and for the third time No. 2 Notre Dame (5-1) sent it home with a defeat, as the Irish put on an impressive all-around performance in Saturday’s 12-7 win over No. 4 Ohio State (9-1).
The Irish have now won 15 straight outings against the Buckeyes and are 33-9 against Ohio State in the all-time series.
Senior midfielder Sergio Perkovic led the way for the Irish on offense, notching a hat trick for the second consecutive game with three goals. Sophomore attackman Ryder Garnsey and freshman midfielder Bryan Costabile each added two goals to propel Notre Dame to the victory.
How It Happened
The Irish got off to a great start on Saturday, outscoring the Buckeyes 4-1 over the opening 15 minutes. Perkovic wasted little time in opening the scoring, as the senior found the back of the net just over three minutes into the first frame. After Ohio State leveled the the score five minutes later Garnsey took over, scoring twice in the span of a little over a minute to put the Irish on top 3-1. Junior midfielder Brendan Collins ended the quarter with a goal to push the Notre Dame lead to 4-1.
The Buckeyes scored the first goal of the second stanza before Notre Dame responded with goals from Costabile and graduate student midfielder Bobby Gray to extend its lead to four goals at 6-2. Ohio State finished the half strong, scoring three of the final four goals to cut the Irish lead two goals with the score 7-5 at the half. The Irish goal came from Perkovic and then the Buckeyes scored twice in the final nine seconds to finish the half.
The Irish defense allowed just one goal in the third quarter, while scoring two of their own to push the lead to 9-6. Notre Dame’s goals came from the usual suspects of Costabile and long stick midfielder John Sexton.
Ohio State struck first in the final period, before Notre Dame put the game away by ending the contest with three unanswered goals to win by a final of 12-7. Perkovic completed a hat trick with a goal before sophomore attackman Brendan Gleason and junior attackman Mikey Wynne both posted their first goals of the afternoon to seal the victory.
Notre Dame Player Of The Game
The reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Week, Sergio Perkovic, continued his excellent form on Saturday, posting a hat trick off three goals, while adding an assist. The senior’s four points mark a season high. Perkovic now has 10 goals on the season.
Notre Dame Stat Of The Game
The Irish did not commit a single penalty for the second time this season, while the attack was able to capitalize on 3-of-4 extra-man opportunities. Costabile scored two man-up goals while Perkovic added one in the winning effort.
Notre Dame Notes
- Notre Dame improves to 33-9 against Ohio State in the all-time series and have won 15 straight in the matchup.
- The Irish finish a perfect 3-0 against the Big Ten during the 2017 season. The program is now 7-0 against the Big Ten since it officially added the sport in 2015.
- Notre Dame is now 2-1 against teams ranked in the top five this season.
- The Irish outshot the Buckeyes 44-30 and improve to 4-0 when recording more shots than the opposition in 2017.
- With two goals and two assists, Garnsey has recorded four or more points in five of six games this season.
- Perkovic notched his third mult-goal performance of the season with three goals.
- Costabile matched his season high in goals with two against OSU.
- Bobby Gray scored his second goal of 2017.
- John Sexton scored his first goal of the season and fourth of his career.
Up Next
The Irish are back at Arlotta on Saturday, April 1 as they play their ACC home opener against Syracuse at Noon. The game will be broadcast 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.
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Robby Hamman joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in September 2016, coordinating efforts for the volleyball and men’s lacrosse program. Hamman is a 2010 graduate of Bethel College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sport management and business administration, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Defiance College in 2013.