Notre Dame mens’ lacrosse brought their preseason training into focus with scrimmages against Detroit Mercy and Air Force. The boys are finishing with two off weeks to heal before starting their official season. Special thanks to our followers @The_Broganator9 and @ThePLLPearl, along with the youth coaching community attending the ND Coaching Clinic, for being generous with their observations and comments. Next up for the Fighting Irish will be the official season opener against Cleveland State on February 15 at 1:00 pm, ACC Digital Network.
It’s probably unwise to read too much into the preseason scrimmages, but it’s always better to look great than to not. The Fighting Irish certainly got great reviews.
OFFENSE
Twelve. That’s a number to remember. The Irish were able to put 12 goals in the net in the first 3 quarters of each scrimmage with the first units in. This is healthy production consistent with what the top offenses are putting up the first few weeks of the season.
On the attack side, it appears a rotation of Willetts, Westlin, Morin and Pat Kavanagh has come together, with many saying Chase is close to breaking in. As expected, the midfield Costabile, Jackoboice and McCahon returns from last year, followed by a strong second line of McNamara, Drake and Mirer. Of note, friends at the game note freshman Nick Harris appears to be the next man in among the midfielders, with Mirer getting a look with the first line.
4 goals per quarter with consistent production from the whole lineup is a great way to end the preseason. We like what Coach Wojcik’s unit is doing.
DEFENSE
The message we’re getting from people at the games is that the defense is aggressive on the ball and perhaps a bit slower to slide than what we’ve seen the past few years. Coach Wellner hinted we may see these things.
No surprises in the lineup, with Kielty (our Schmeisser Award favorite!), Cohen and Atlanta’s Trense anchoring the back, and Restic and Boyer holding the LSM roles.
Of note to everyone is the incredible depth at SSDM. Grad Transfer Aslanian, Cassidy, Hallenbeck and Moss all impressing our followers. Cassidy’s speed remains something to behold. We are very excited to see what this unit can generate in transition.
We’re not sure who to expect in goal on Saturday, but the Irish are well stocked at the position with Entenmann, Schmidt and Zullo.
THE UNDERGRADUATE ASSISTANT
We enjoyed hearing that Ryder Garnsey was running the box during the Air Force scrimmage. It has to be great for the Fighting Irish to have the benefit of a peer who is also a top PLL pro and one of the most creative players in the game.
INJURIES
Leonard, Jackoboice and Westlin, to our understanding, were nursing injuries during the preseason. We were told to expect Leonard back for the Cleveland State game, but we have not heard more about the other two (but have no reason to expect anything bad, either).
OUR OPPONENTS
Goals, goals, goals. 10 of the 12 Irish opponents are now ranked, and most of them are scoring goals in huge numbers. Duke lost last week, but that has become more of a February tradition than anything serious. Richmond and Maryland had an OT battle, and Army laid waste to their two opponents. Even Cleveland State had a strong game to open the season against Marquette. There are no breaks in this schedule.
SAD NEWS
Father of Kevin Corrigan former Notre Dame Athletic Director, Gene Corrigan, passed shortly before the Air Force scrimmage. Mr. Corrigan was a friend to the University and to lacrosse, and our prayers are with Coach Corrigan and his family.
We hope to have our Cleveland State preview posted on Friday. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments!
#GoIrish
