The #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s lacrosse team (2-0) hammered the Cleveland State 18-8 last Sunday, and travel to play the #17 Georgetown Hoyas (0-2) for a noon Saturday game (stream on Flosports). Very cold temperatures are forecast.

Solid play against Cleveland State

The Irish got on the board a minute into the game on goal by Bryce Walker, and it looked like the team would put the Vikings away quickly as they did their opponent the week before. However, an impressive 8-save first quarter by Cleveland State goalie Cameron Logan kept the Irish from scoring for the next 10 minutes.  The boys eventually broke through and finished the quarter up 5-1.

Steady progress continued as the team finish the half up 8-2 and the third quarter up 14-4, before extending the lead to 18-4.  Cleveland State scored the final 4 goals as Notre Dame got the bulk of their reserves on the field.

Pat Kavanagh had another great day (2g, 6a, 6gbs), as did Chris Kavanagh (4g, 4a, 3gbs).  Eric Dobson and Quinn McCahon joined them with hat tricks.

35 Irish saw the field, including 3 freshman (Busenkell, Alacqua and Donovan).

Hoyas to test Irish

Do no under any circumstances underestimate Georgetown after their 0-2 start.  The opened as the preseason #3 for very good reasons, and they themselves were part of the cause of Notre Dame’s difficult start to 2022. The Hoyas need this win and will play accordingly.

Georgetown had close losses to Johns Hopkins  (12-13)and Penn (7-9) to open the season. While the results aren’t what they wanted, the Hoyas will look to similarly restrict the Irish offense.

Georgetown is loaded with 2022 and preseason All-Americans.  Graham Bundy (4g, 2a) and Syracuse transfer Tucker Dordevic (8g, 0a) lead their team in scoring, with Brian Minicus and North Carolina transfer Nicky Solomon making meaningful contributions. Dylan Hess is a midfielder we like to watch. The defense is solid and led by All-American Will Bowen.  James Reilly is a highly regarded faceoff specialist.

Notre Dame will have to play a game of cat and mouse with the Hoyas to stop what they prefer to do.  The Irish are very familiar with Dordevic and Bundy, and it is no secret that both are shoot first players.  The challenge for the defense will be how hard to disrupt these two without making it too easy for them to pass to open teammates. It will be a test of how well the boys have developed as a defensive unit.

On the other end, we’ll see how well this slick Irish offense can move the ball against the well-organized defense. If the Irish can continue to pass crisply and be oriented around assists, they should be able to find success.  Weather will be an issue, but the Irish showed last week that conditions don’t slow them down much.

Lastly, James Reilly will be a faceoff test for Lynch. Reilly hasn’t won much more than 50% this season, but he had a big day against Notre Dame last year, going 21 of 29 with 14 gbs. The Irish will need to avoid a similar possession disparity.

Our questions

The three areas we’ll stay focused on watching the game:

  1. Possessions: Can the Irish flip the script from the possession disadvantage in 2022.
  2. Start strong and keep up pace: Can the Irish keep up their offensive pace and efficiency against a top defense.
  3. Keep opponent one-dimensional:  The boys will need to keep the keep a strangle hold on Dordevic and Bundy without letting quality opportunities develop with the rest of the cast.

This will be a compelling matchup to watch.  Both teams really need this win.  Georgetown will be looking to get their season on track while the Irish need to show they can beat top competition on the road.

 

#GoIrish