Notre Dame Fighting Irish lacrosse ( #10 6-4, 1-2 ACC) topped Marquette on Wednesday, 13-6, winning Coach Corrigan his 300th game for the Irish. A strong win and fantastic turnaround for the Irish.
Cornell (#8 7-4, 2-2 Ivy) is up next for the Irish on Sunday at Arlotta, noon, WatchESPN/ACC Network Extra.
The Scoring and the Data
Bryan Costabile led the Irish with 4 goals. Mo Mirer added 2, with Gleason and Morin adding a goal and an assist. Leonard, Kielty, McNamara, Phillips and Willets each scored a goal.
It was a good day for the faceoff unit, going 16 of 23, with Leonard winning 15 of 21.
Zullo got the start in goal and had an impressive 12 saves (67%). Marchese came in for late relief and added a save on the only shot he faced.
The defense was great across the board, but Kielty’s stat line stood out again with 4 GBs, a goal, and a caused turnover.
Thompson and Pelton paced the Golden Eagles with 2 goals each.
The defense held Marquette to 18% efficiency, and the offense went to the cage on average 32 seconds into possessions.
The ride was strong limiting the opponent to 11 of 17 clears. The Irish also led in ground balls (28 t0 24) and shots (41-38). The only poor statistic was turnovers, where the Irish were sloppy with 20, including 14 in the first half.
The Plot
The weather at the start was cold and rainy, suggesting a slog was in the cards. Zullo was announced as the starter in the cage again.
Gleason opened the scoring early, with the Golden Eagles replying with two. The teams exchanged goals in a slow paced and very sloppy first half. Marquette applied pressure with a 10-man ride that the Irish had difficulty negotiating. The half ended 4-4.
Things changed dramatically with the Irish going on an 8-goal run and otherwise dominating the half. Costabile’s goal early in the 3rd to put the Irish up 7-5 was the gamebreaker. He scored from midfield to beat the 10-man ride, which resulted in a relief from the pressure than had been limiting Notre Dame.
Notre Dame was able to get reserve defensemen some time on the field the last few minutes of the game.
Comments
The win was celebrated for being Coach Corrigan’s 300th for the Irish!
We didn’t present our usual three questions, but reviewing our pregame notes, the Irish succeeded where we thought their focus would be. It took a few minutes for the defense to figure out what the opponent was trying to do, but they were entire successful in making Wagner and Romagnoli non-factors. The second midfield made substantial contributions with 2 goals from Mirer and another from McNamara, before even mentioning the transition contribution from the defensive midfield. Finally, the ride was exceptional, holding Marquette to a 64% clear rate.
Other very positive notes:
- Zullo had another strong performance in goal and continues to make saves (and rebound control was improved).
- While the offense stalled a bit in the first half, they found ways to manufacture goals all sorts of ways.
- The boys turned the tables on their 3rd quarter jinx.
- The faceoff unit kept firm control of the game.
Of course, there where a few negatives, but we’ll focus on just one: 20 turnovers (14 in the first half) is not sustainable lacrosse. We recognize the weather played a factor, but the ball was on the carpet way too much. The second half should be a lesson for the boys. When they limited turnovers, goals came quickly and often.
Great job, definitely a game to build on, and good work getting Coach his 300th win!
Up Next
Notre Dame faces #8 Cornell (7-4) at home on Sunday at noon. Cornell’s attack is ridiculous, led by Jeff Teat (25 g, 31 a), who plays alongside John Piatelli (37 g, 15 a) and Clark Petterson (35 g, 13 a). The task against Cornell is very difficult but also very straight-forward: control Teat, the rest will take care of itself. There is no mystery.
- Control Teat
- Limited turnovers
- Recognize you’ll need score at fast rate to keep up with Cornell
Congrats again to Coach Corrigan!
#GoIrish
