NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Pat Kavanagh set the Irish record for most points in a single game with 10 (5G, 5A) to lead No. 4 Notre Dame to a 22-8 victory over No. 9 Syracuse on Senior Day on Saturday afternoon at Arlotta Stadium.
With five assists on Saturday, Kavanagh also became Notre Dame’s all-time single season assist leader with 34 and counting in 2021. Kavanagh broke his older brother Matt’s previous mark of 33 helpers in 2014.
Kavanagh’s record-breaking 10-point performance comes after the sophomore matched the mark with a pair of nine-point outings earlier this year against Robert Morris (Feb. 27) and at Syracuse (April 3). A Notre Dame player had reached the nine-point mark on 10 different occasions before Kavanagh became the first Irish to earn double-digit points in a single game on Saturday.
Griffin Westlin and Quinn McCahon each collected five points on three goals and two assists while Wheaton Jackoboice earned four points on two goals and two assists.
Will Yorke and Eric Dobson each netted two goals and Reilly Gray, Tommy McNamara, Charles Leonard and David Lipka rounded out the scoring for the Irish.
Notre Dame’s defense was also stout on Saturday, keeping the Orange off the board from the :03 mark of the second quarter to the 3:21 mark of the fourth quarter. The Irish caused 10 Syracuse turnovers, including a team-high two by Kavanagh.
Liam Entenmann stopped 11 of 17 shots to earn the victory in goal before Matt Schmidt made three saves in relief.
The Irish also earned a 20-12 advantage in faceoffs on Saturday with Kyle Gallagher notching 10 faceoff wins and Leonard adding eight.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Orange netted the first two goals of the game before the Irish rattled off three straight markers from Westlin, Yorke and Kavanagh to take a 3-2 lead. Syracuse made it a 3-3 contest after one quarter with a goal at the 1:01 mark.
The Irish were firing on all cylinders in the second quarter, outscoring the Orange 10-3, to take a 13-6 advantage into the break.
Notre Dame scored four straight, including tallies from Leonard, Gray, McNamara and Dobson, in a span of 2:58 to go up 7-4 with 10 minutes left in the frame.
After Syracuse got back within two, the Irish responded with a 6-0 run that featured a trio of goals from Kavanagh and markers from McCahon, Yorke and Westlin to earn a 13-5 lead. The Orange broke the Irish streak in the waning seconds to make it a 13-6 contest at half.
The Irish kept the foot on the gas pedal in the third quarter, outscoring the Orange, 6-0, to take a 19-6 lead after three quarters. McCahon and Jackoboice each netted a pair in the frame, and the Irish also got goals from Kavanagh and Lipka. Entenmann stopped three shots in goal in the quarter to keep the Orange off the board.
Westlin, Dobson and Morin each added goals in the fourth quarter with the Irish in control to account for the 22-8 final.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Pat Kavanagh became the first Irish to earn double-digit points in a single game with a five-goal, five-assist outburst against the Orange. The sophomore’s five helpers also pushed him past his brother, Matt, for the most assists (34) in a single season in program history. Kavanagh had previous matched the single-game Irish record with nine points on two previous occasions this season.
STAT OF THE GAME
Not to be overlooked by Kavanagh’s record-breaking day, the Irish defense kept the Orange off the board for a span of 26:02. After the Orange scored with :03 left in the second quarter, the Irish defense kept the Orange off the board until 3:21 remaining in the game. The Irish rattled off eight consecutive goals during that span to maintain control of the game.
NOTRE DAME NOTES
- The win is Notre Dame’s seventh against the Orange in program history, including six of the last eight matchups.
- The 22 goals scored are the most the Irish have netted in a single game against Syracuse.
- The 14-goal margin is Notre Dame’s largest margin of victory against Syracuse and in any ACC contest since the Irish joined the conference in 2014.
- Pat Kavanagh set the Irish record for most points in a single game with 10 (5G, 5A) in Saturday’s win.
- Kavanagh also became Notre Dame’s all-time single-season assist leader (34) on Saturday, passing his brother Matt (33 – 2014) for the record.
- The Irish kept the Orange off the board for a span of 26:02 between the end of the second quarter late in the fourth quarter.
- The victory is Notre Dame’s third against an opponent ranked in the top-10 of the USILA Poll this season (April 3 – at #9 Syracuse, April 10 vs. #1 Duke).
- Saturday’s contest was Notre Dame’s sixth straight game against an opponent ranked in the top-10 of the USILA Poll.
Up Next
The Irish will find out details of their first round NCAA Tournament game during the selection show on Sunday, May 9 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The first round of the NCAA Tournament will be played the following weekend on Saturday, May 15 & 16.
— 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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