The #2/#2/#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s lacrosse team (4-1) efficiently beat the Ohio State Buckeyes (4-3), 13-10, at the Buckeye’s new lacrosse stadium in Columbus. The ruthless efficiency of the Irish man-up unit kept Ohio State at arm’s length the whole game. The boys are now 2-0 versus the Big Ten this year.

The Plot

Notre Dame scoring began with a very welcome goal from Will Angrick. It was nice to see him get back on the scoresheet after losing an entire year to injury. CKav then scored two to give the Irish a 3-goal lead. The defense weathered a 2-man down penalty to preserve the lead through the quarter.

A clearing miscue got Ohio State on the board early in the second, followed quickly by another Buckeye goal to give the home team some momentum.  But what followed was an absolute man-up master class. Following the imposition of a 2-minute non-releasable penalty on the Buckeye’s Gred Langemeier, the Irish unit carved up the Ohio State defense for 3 goals from PKav, Dobson and CKav (for his hat trick). The half ended with the Irish up 6-3.

The third quarter involved a lot of back-and-forth action, but with Ohio State slowly crawling their way back into the game. Irish fans were certainly nervous, but timely goals by Gray and Faison blunted the home team’s momentum. The 8-7 score at the end of the quarter still had the issues in doubt.

Whatever concerns we may have had were quickly resolved as goals by Dobson, Ricciardelli, Walker and CKav put the Irish up 5 and in command.  Ohio State did not give up in front of their home crowd, but a 5th CKav goal ended any thought of comeback.  The Irish finished the game up 13-10.

The Scoring

Chris Kavanagh’s 8 point performance (5g, 3a) was the clear top of the scoresheet. His brother’s 1g, 3a day was not far behind. They also combined for an intense 6 ground balls and added to their CityLax campaign total.

Eric Dobson had 2 goals, and Reilly Gray 2 assists. Faison, Angrick, Walker and Agent Zero had a goal each. Busenkell and Taylor each had an assist.

The defensive unit continued its fine season, led this time by Chris Conlin’s 2 caused turnovers and a ground ball. Liam Entenmann was again solid, with 10 saves.

The faceoff unit finished around 50% after a dominant first half, led by Will Lynch’s 14 of 24 day.

Team stats were largely even across the board. However, the Irish were far more efficient with their possessions (37.1% vs 29.4%) and attacked earlier in their possessions.

The penalty units were the statistical stars of the day. On defense they shut out both Buckeye efforts, including a 2-man down penalty early in the game. The man-up unit was nominally 5 of 6 for the day, but this figure represents 5 goals on only 3 man-up opportunities. This is an incredible level of effectiveness. The Irish are on a record-destroying 77% pace, which represents 13 goals in 13 penalty opportunities!!

Our Three Questions

Again, a mixed bag of answers to our pregame questions, which probably shouldn’t be surprising in a road game against a long-standing rival.

  1. Midfield rhythm. The midfielders had a great showing this week. The midfielders took a lot more control of the offense this go-around and contributed a lot to the scoring with 6 goals and 2 assists (3g 1st line; 3g, 2a 2nd line). This is definitely a big step up which is great to see. Of particular importance was Dobson showing physical dominance, and an A+ showing from the second unit (a mix of Gray, Busenkell, Angrick and Walker).  In a game like this Ohio State matchup, where the opponent is determined to keep the ball from getting inside to Taylor, consistent production across the midfield lines is a critical antidote.
  2. Frontline depth. This week saw a couple more players hit the field. It was definitely nice to see a few more guys get the opportunities, though adding a couple more to the rotation wouldn’t hurt if the coaches can find appropriate roles. This week we saw more minutes from Will Gallagher, Max Busenkell and Brock Behrman. 25 players saw the field. Not a huge number, but there was balanced play and we have to consider the challenges of a close road game.
  3. Transition to defense. This was the one negative of this game. On multiple occasions offensive midfielders like Dobson and Faison were forced onto defense by Ohio State. They were then  regularly targeted by the offense. This was not insignificant in keeping Ohio State in the game for as long as they were. They boys were able to make the situation work for this game, but it is definitely something that needs attention. Obviously, the team would prefer to have defensive specialists out there, but being forced to play extended defense disrupts the offensive midfield rotation (and therefore chemistry) significantly. At several points in the game the coaches had to reshuffle lines to give defending offensive midfielders a proper rest.

Overall it’s hard not to be pleased with a solid road win. The game wasn’t perfect by any measure, but it was more than good enough and there were no issues that can’t be addressed in a week of practice.

Up Next

The #18 Michigan Wolverines (5-2) visit Arlotta Stadium this Saturday at 2:00 (ACCN). It will be the Irish Wear Green day. Mid-50s temps and light rain, very appropriate for the St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

#GoIrish

ND-Atl 2.0