Oct. 17, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team will check another state off its travel list when the Fighting Irish head to Washington for Saturday’s NCAA Seatown Lacrosse Classic. Notre Dame will face the U.S. National Team at 2 p.m. (PT) at Tukwila’s Starfire Sports Complex, which is just south of downtown Seattle.
This is the third installment of the NCAA Seatown Lacrosse Classic, which is presented by the Washington State Chapter of US Lacrosse. This will be Notre Dame’s first Seatown Classic, but it marks the third time the Irish have faced the U.S. National Team. The Fighting Irish squared off with Team USA in 2011 and 2013 during the Champion Challenge in Orlando, Fla. Team USA is coming off a runner-up finish at this summer’s Federation of International Lacrosse World Championship.
“The talent that’s on the U.S. team is tremendous,” Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan says. “I know they’re going to bring in some of the guys from the top 50 that ended up in their qualifying pool. I don’t think there’s a whole lot of difference from one and 50. From our standpoint, we’re just going to play. The fans won’t see a replay of the Canada-U.S. game (from the title game of the world championship). We’re not interested in slowing the game down and holding the ball or doing any of that stuff. We’re interested in learning about our guys and how they can compete against top talent like that. We look forward to the challenge.”
While the showdown with Team USA is the focal point of the trip, just as with any journey that involves the Fighting Irish program, the student-athletes and coaches will maximize their time in the Great Northwest. Prior to Saturday’s game, the group will take part in a youth clinic and later that evening the team will attend a networking event with Notre Dame alumni from the Seattle area.
Sunday’s events include a trip to the legendary Pike Place Market, a boat tour, a service project and a visit to Snoqualmie Falls. On Monday, the players will explore networking opportunities at Microsoft and Amazon. They also will go to the EMP Museum before departing Seattle.
The venture to the Emerald City coincides with the beginning of the University’s weeklong fall break. Recent fall trips have taken the Fighting Irish program to San Francisco (2010) and Colorado (2013). All of those treks have incorporated professional networking and unique off-the-field events.
“The opportunity to go to Seattle is awesome,” Corrigan says. “First of all, the competition against the national team and facing players of that caliber is great. Secondly, it’s another chance for our guys to compete in a different venue. We love to get our guys around the country. When you look at this senior class, they will have played in Florida, Southern California, Seattle and New England. They will have played in the four corners of the country and in between and that’s a neat experience. We actively try to work at giving our guys opportunities to do things like that.”
Those opportunities also include the annual networking day in New York City. Later next week, the team’s juniors, along with Corrigan, will travel to the Big Apple to meet with Notre Dame alumni and others who work at key companies in the city. This journey has become a staple for the Fighting Irish program.
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The Fighting Irish concluded the 2014 campaign with a 12-6 record and they appeared in the NCAA Championship for the ninth straight season. Notre Dame advanced to Championship Weekend for the third time in the last five seasons and for the fourth time overall in program history. Notre Dame fell to Duke, 11-9, in the national title game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
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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