Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ND SPORTS the series. "It was a great feeling to leave the game ahead when you're up on a team like that," Smoyer said. "You feel like you got the job done. "It was even more satisfying, though, to get the next two wins. It's one thing to get a Friday night win, but when you can sweep a team like that our entire squad played great that whole weekend." Smoyer kept rolling, finishing the regular season and ACC Tournament with an unblemished 9-0 record before finally suffering a loss at Illinois May 31 in the NCAA Tournament. "We played really well that series, but just didn't have the timely hitting that we needed," Smoyer said. "Our defense played great, too, but they just found holes. "It's one of those things where you go an entire offseason and the only thing on your mind is that last game. Yeah, you had a great season, but it's a reminder of the work that's still ahead, that's unfinished and what we have to accomplish this season." Notre Dame entered this preseason ranked No. 24 nationally by Perfect- Game.org, and began the year by win- ning six of its first 11 contests. Smoyer is the designated Friday night starter and had posted a 1-2 record with a 2.75 ERA in 19 2 ⁄ 3 innings pitched through March 6. "We set the standard pretty high this season and we know there's work to be done," Smoyer said. "I think our culture is to win championships, both at the ACC level and the NCAA level. "I think on a day-to-day basis, we're just trying to get a little better each day." Just as Smoyer has already done throughout his collegiate career. ✦ Irish Roundup FENCING Notre Dame hosted the ACC Championships Feb. 27-28, with the men taking first place and the women taking two of three individual titles. Freshman Axel Kiefer earned Most Valuable Fencer honors on the men's side. The Irish were slated to take part in the NCAA Midwest Regional March 12 in Columbus, Ohio. HOCKEY (19-8-7, 15-5-2 HOCKEY EAST) The No. 10 Irish ended the regular season by splitting a two-game home series with No. 9 Boston University Feb. 26-27, notching a 1-0 win on Senior Night. Notre Dame finished in third place in Hockey East, behind only co-regular season champions Boston College and Providence. The third-seeded Irish were set to host sixth-seeded Northeastern in a best-of-three series in the Hockey East quarterfinals March 11-13. MEN'S LACROSSE (4-0) No. 1 Notre Dame opened its season by winning each of its first four contests, punctuated by a 9-4 win