DURHAM, N.C. – No. 9/7 Notre Dame (5-4, 1-2 ACC) suffered a 14-8 loss at No. 6/8 Duke (9-3, 1-2 ACC) on Saturday afternoon at Koskinen Stadium.
Sophomore Connor Morin carried the Irish attack on the day, finishing with a career-high six points off four goals and two assists. Morin’s hat trick is the second of his season and career.
In his first career start between the pipes, junior John Zullo made a career-high 13 saves for the Irish.
How It Happened
The first half was a tale of two quarters, as the Irish controlled the opening 15 minutes before Duke put together a strong second stanza. Notre Dame jumped out to a 3-1 lead at the end of the first thanks to goals from Morin, Nick Stinn and Gleason.
The Blue Devils responded by outscoring Notre Dame 6-2 to take a 7-5 lead into the halftime intermission. Willetts and Morin both found the back of the net in the second quarter to help Notre Dame stay within striking distance.
Duke continued its strong run of play in the third quarter despite Zullo making a few big saves. The Blue Devils scored three goals to Notre Dame’s one to take a 10-6 advantage to the fourth frame. Morin completed his hat trick with his third goal of the game with less than a minute left in the third.
The hosts carried their momentum into the fourth quarter and scored the first four goals of the final frame. The Irish scored the last two goals of the day to make the final score 14-8.
Notre Dame Player Of The Game
Morin turned in a complete performance in the attack, leading the Irish in goals and assists. The sophomore either set or matched his career highs in goals (4), assists (2) and points (6) at Duke.
Up Next
The Irish return to Arlotta Stadium to wrap up the regular season with a three-game homestand. Notre Dame hosts Marquette in a midweek matchup at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 10. The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra via the WatchESPN app or WatchESPN.com.
— 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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