April 23, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame’s Matt Kavanagh (So./A) and Stephen O’Hara (Sr./D) have been named to the 2014 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Lacrosse Team. The Fighting Irish standouts were among 18 players selected to the all-conference squad, which was voted on by the league’s six head coaches who could not vote for their own players.
Kavanagh (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Chaminade/Hotchkiss) has team-high marks in goals (23) and assists (23) this season. In ACC regular-season play, he finished tied for second in assists (10) and was third in points (19). He opened the 2014 campaign with three straight hat tricks and has six multiple-goal games overall. Kavanagh tied a program record with seven goals at Ohio State (March 25) and he scored four times in an 18-9 win over Virginia (March 16).
The sophomore attackman has dished out 10 assists in the last three contests and he is second among all ACC players in assists per game this season (2.0). He matched a career-high mark with four assists, along with scoring two goals, Saturday against Maryland. Kavanagh is the first Notre Dame player to register 20 goals and 20 assists in the same season since 2009 (Duncan Swezey). This is the second all-league accolade for Kavanagh, who was first team all-BIG EAST last year. He also received honorable mention All-America honors from the USILA as a rookie.
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O’Hara (West Chester, Pa./St. Joe’s Prep) has anchored Notre Dame’s close defense once again this season. The senior has started every contest over the past three campaigns and will carry a 43-game starting streak into this weekend’s ACC Championship. O’Hara has 19 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers this season.
O’Hara was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week after helping to hold down Virginia in the win over the Cavaliers. He earned first team preseason All-America honors from Inside Lacrosse and the Ohio Machine nabbed him in the sixth round (41st overall selection) of January’s Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft. O’Hara, a second team all-BIG EAST honoree last season, currently is a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award.
“I think it’s terrific for Steve and Matt,” Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan said. “It’s a well-deserved award for both of them. Clearly they earned it on the field so hats off to both of them.”
In addition to their other accolades, Kavanagh and O’Hara are on the watch list for the 2014 Tewaaraton Award.
No. 9 Notre Dame (6-5, 2-3 ACC) will face No. 5 Maryland (10-2, 4-1 ACC) Friday in the semifinals of the ACC Championship at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. Faceoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. (ET). Duke and Syracuse will meet in the first semifinal (5 p.m.). Both semifinals will be aired on ESPNU and WatchESPN as will Sunday’s title game (1 p.m.).
Individual ACC awards, including Offensive Player, Defensive Player, Coach and Freshman of the Year, will be voted on by the league’s head coaches following the conference tournament.
2014 All-ACC Men’s Lacrosse Team
Deemer Class, So., M, Duke
Brendan Fowler, Sr., M, Duke
Myles Jones, So., M, Duke
Jordan Wolf, Sr., A, Duke
Niko Amato, Sr., G, Maryland
Mike Chanenchuk, Sr., M, Maryland
Mike Ehrhardt, Sr., D, Maryland
Goran Murray, Jr., D, Maryland
Charlie Raffa, Jr., M, Maryland
Jimmy Bitter, Jr., A, North Carolina
Ryan Creighton, Sr., M, North Carolina
Joey Sankey, Jr., A, North Carolina
Chad Tutton, Jr., M, North Carolina
Matt Kavanagh, So., A, Notre Dame
Stephen O’Hara, Sr., D, Notre Dame
Brandon Mullins, R-So., D, Syracuse
Kevin Rice, Jr., A, Syracuse
Mark Cockerton, Sr., A, Virginia
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