SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 6 Notre Dame got a big bounceback win at a sold-out Arlotta Stadium on Sunday afternoon, recording a 14-9 win over previously unbeaten No. 3 Maryland.
All six starters on offense recorded multiple points in the victory. Jake Taylor led the Irish in goals with four on the day, while Devon McLane (3G, 3A) and Jordan Faison (3G, 2A) each had monster performances in midfield. Pat Kavanagh added a goal and three assists in the winning effort.
Graduate student Liam Entenmann was masterful in net, making 13 saves to limit the Terrapins to just nine goals, their lowest total of the season. Macro Napolitano and Chris Conlin each caused two turnovers, as the Notre Dame defense was impenetrable for much of the afternoon.
The unsung hero of the afternoon was Will Lynch, who finished 12-for-18 at the faceoff dot, despite going head-to-head against one of the top FOGOs in the country in Luke Wierman.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Maryland struck first to take an early 1-0 lead but it ended up being the visitors’ only lead of the day. The Irish answered with four-straight scores, three coming from Taylor and one in the form of an incredible highlight-worthy effort from Pat Kavanagh to put the Irish on top at 4-1 with just over a minute left in the first frame. The Terrapins scored in the final 30 seconds of play to cut the lead to 4-2 after the opening 15 minutes of action.
The Fighting Irish scored three of the first four goals of the second stanza, extending their lead to 7-3 with just under 12 minutes left in the half, as McLane accounted for two of the scores and Chris Kavanagh added the other.
The visitors managed to cut the lead in half with back-to-back goals to make the score 7-5 but the Irish finished the first half on a high note, finding the back of the net twice in the final minute to take a 9-5 lead into the halftime break on scores from McLane and Taylor.
Notre Dame carried the momentum into the third quarter, as Faison scored twice to give the hosts an 11-5 lead, its largest of the game. One of the two goals from Faison was an incredible behind-the-back finish to beat the shot clock and send the Arlotta crowd into a frenzy.
Maryland refused to go quietly, scoring three of the first four goals of the fourth quarter to trim the Irish advantage to 12-9 but goals from Jeffery Ricciardelli and Faison in the final three minutes put the exclamation mark on the 14-9 victory for Notre Dame.
NOTRE DAME NOTES
- The five-goal win over Maryland is tied for the second largest margin of victory between the Irish and Terrapins by either side in the all-time series.
- The Notre Dame defense has now held three of its four opponents in 2024 to single-digit scoring.
- The Irish won the ground ball battle, 33-23 on the afternoon.
- Notre Dame’s EMO continues to be the premier unit in the country, cashing in on 3-of-4 opportunities in the win.
- The six offensive starters combined for 23 points (13G, 10A) in the victory.
- Taylor’s hat trick marks his third of the season and 11th of his career.
- McLane registered a season-high six points and his second hat trick of the season.
- Faison’s five points represent a career-high and the freshman notched his second hat trick of the season.
- Pat Kavanagh’s four-point effort gives him 240 for his career off 90 goals and his program-record 150 assists.
- The 13 saves from Entenmann are a season high for the graduate student.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame goes on the road to face its second Big Ten opponent in as many weeks, as the Irish take on No. 20 Ohio State in Columbus at noon ET on Saturday, March 9.
— ND —