Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/680997
ND SPORTS BY JORDAN WELLS T he calendar has shifted to a piv‑ otal time of year for several Notre Dame spring sports with postseason play getting underway. Blue & Gold Illustrated has a look at some of the programs in action and how each is approaching the home stretch of the season. MEN'S LACROSSE SEEKING NATIONAL TITLE They started the preseason a strong No. 1 — now is the chance to deliver on those expectations. Notre Dame's l a c ro s s e s q u a d earned the No. 3 overall seed in the N C A A To u r n a ‑ ment following a 10‑3 campaign in which the three defeats came by a combined four goals. The only blem‑ i s h e s f o r h e a d coach Kevin Cor‑ r i g a n ' s s q u a d i n c l u d e d a 9 ‑ 8 overtime loss to Denver March 13, a 17‑15 defeat at North Carolina April 23 and a 10‑9 overtime loss to Duke April 29 in the ACC Tournament semifinals. "Here's the ironic thing," Corrigan told UND.com following the defeat to the Blue Devils. "We've lost our last two games, but I would say we've played 60 of the best minutes we've played all year in those two games. "We had a great half against Duke, and the second and third quarters against North Carolina were as well as we've played all year. We've got to put together a 60‑minute game, and we know that. That challenge hasn't changed. "I'm not blind to the fact we let a couple of games get away, but I'm not going to throw out the baby with the bathwater here and ignore the fact we played some re‑ ally good lacrosse in those games. "We've just got to sustain it." And sustain it the Irish did in t h e i r f o l l o w i n g two games. They beat Army 13‑7 May 8, and then crushed Air Force 15‑7 May 14 in the first round of the N C A A To u r n a ‑ ment. The latter victory over the Falcons — who entered the game in South Bend having won 15 straight contests for the nation's lon‑ gest winning streak — marked the seventh straight year Notre Dame has Postseason Implications Senior captain Matt Kavanagh, one of five Irish players named to the All-ACC squad, will try to lead Notre Dame to the national lacrosse semi- finals for the third straight year and cap the trip with a championship. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS