CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 1 Fighting Irish capped off the regular season with an impressive 11-9 victory over No. 6/5 Virginia at Klockner Stadium in front of a packed crowd on Saturday afternoon. The win gives Notre Dame a record of 10-1 on the season and marks the second unbeaten regular-season ACC record in program history.
Pat Kavanagh had four points in the win, off two goals and two assists, setting the all-time career points record at Notre Dame with 274. The graduate student passed Randy Colley’s mark of 273, which was set in the 1995 season.
Devon McLane led the Irish in scoring with three goals and an assist. Jake Taylor also scored two goals to help pace the Notre Dame attack.
On the defensive end Will Donovan turned in a monster performance, causing four turnovers and scooping up five ground balls. In goal, Liam Entenmann continued his great run of play, making 11 saves.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish scored on its opening possession of the day, as McLane finished a low shot on the crease off a feed from Chris Kavanagh to put Notre Dame on top 1-0. After a Virginia goal leveled it at 1-1 a goal from Chris Kavanagh off a pass from Max Busenkell gave Notre Dame a 2-1 lead with over 10 minutes left in the quarter.
The hosts once again answered to tie it at 2-2 before Pat Kavanagh scored the final goal of the frame to give the Irish a 3-2 lead but it was short lived, as UVA once again answered to make the score 3-3 after the opening 15 minutes of action.
Virginia managed to outscore the Irish 3-1 in the second quarter to take a 6-4 lead into the halftime intermission. The lone Notre Dame goal came on the man-up, as Jake Taylor scored off a feed from Chris Kavanagh.
After a Cavalier goal out of the break pushed the lead to three, the Irish roared back with four goals of their own to go back on top at 8-7 with three minutes left in the third quarter. The Irish goals were scored by Pat Kavanagh, Max Busenkell, Jeffery Ricciardelli and Jake Taylor. Virginia managed to level the score at 8-8 in the final minute of the period to make it a tie game heading into the fourth.
The hosts scored the opening goal of the fourth quarter to retake the lead at 9-8 but that would be the last goal the Irish would allow on the day.
Notre Dame leveled the score two minutes later off McLane’s second goal which was setup from a perfect pass from Eric Dobson with 10:40 left in regulation. Just 90 seconds later Jordan Faison blew by his defender and scored his first of the game to give the Irish the 10-9 lead.
With under four minutes left in the game and the shot clock winding down, Busenkell found a cutting McLane, who finished his hat trick and gave the Irish some breathing room at 11-9.
The Irish defense put the clamps on the Cavaliers’ attack in the final minutes, causing turnovers and limiting shot attempts as Notre Dame came away with the victory to remain unbeaten in ACC play.
NOTRE DAME NOTES
- The Irish are the outright ACC regular-season champions, marking the second time they have gone unbeaten in league play.
- Notre Dame finished the regular season with a record of 10-1, the best regular season mark since also going 10-1 during the 2015 season.
- The Irish are now 5-0 against top-10 teams this season, tying the program record for most regular season top-10 wins in a season (2013 – 5-1).
- Notre Dame is the first team to hold Virginia to single-digit goals since Maryland did so in the 2022 NCAA Quarterfinals and the first to do so at Klockner since the Irish held the Cavaliers to seven goals in the 2018 ACC Championship game.
- The Irish attack has finished in double-figures for goals in every game this season.
- Notre Dame’s eight game win streak is the longest in a season since winning 10 consecutive games during the 2012 season.
- The Irish scooped up a season-high 50 ground balls in the victory with Entenmann and Lynch leading the way with six apiece.
- With 53 points on the season, Pat Kavanagh becomes just the second player in program history to register 50 or more points in four consecutive seasons, joining Randy Colley.
- McLane’s hat trick is his fourth of the season.
- Entenmann has recorded double-digit saves in four straight games and in six of his last seven outings.
UP NEXT
The Irish travel to Charlotte next weekend to play in the ACC Tournament as the top-seed in the tournament at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Notre Dame will play Virginia in the semifinals at 5 p.m. ET on Friday, May 3 and the game will air on ACCN.
— ND —