Following a thumping of Cleveland State earlier in the week, the No. 1 ranked Notre Dame men's lacrosse team welcomed Marquette to South Bend on Saturday. The showdown with the visiting Golden Eagles was the final tune-up before the two-time defending national champions begin a run that will see them play eight teams currently ranked inside the Top 20 across their next nine games.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
Coming off a dominant 24-6 win over Cleveland State to kickstart their run to a three-peat, the Irish (1-0) played host to a familiar non-conference opponent in the Marquette Golden Eagles (1-1) on Saturday inside the Arlotta Family Lacrosse Stadium in South Bend.
To say this matchup has been one-sided would be an understatement. Entering the contest, Notre Dame was a perfect 12-0 against their Big East foes, with seven of those victories coming comfortably on their home turf. And, with the offense firing on all cylinders early in the season - thanks primarily to a seven-goal performance by Jake Taylor in the aforementioned opener earlier in the week - the Irish were oozing with confidence.
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Notre Dame would once again hit the ground running, with Fisher Finley registering the first goal of the contest at 12:40 in the first. Marquette, however, would respond in kind with two quick goals of their own to take a 2-1 advantage in just thirty seconds over Notre Dame. Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, this would be their only lead throughout the rest of the contest.
Notre Dame would notch five straight goals after falling behind in the first, courtesy of Jake Taylor, Chris Kavanagh, Will Angrick, and Max Busenkell. In total, six different players would register a goal for Notre Dame in the first, as they carried an 8-3 advantage into the second. The Irish would make the most of their chances in the first, converting on 8 of their 13 shots on goal.
The Irish would streak on to begin the second, scoring seven straight goals and carrying over momentum from the first. Angrick registered his third goal of the contest at the end of the first, followed by Devon McLane's first of the season. The Irish would waste little time, with Jeffery Ricciardelli scoring at 12:53 in the second. The Fighting Irish would add goals from Finley, Busenkell, Pokorny, and Seymour on the 7-0 run.
With the game comfortably in hand at the half, the Irish would command a 13-5 lead, where their overwhelming talent would carry them to a controlling 22-9 victory. Nine players would register a multi-goal performance, with Angrick and Taylor each scoring a hat trick in the outing. The No. 1 ranked Fighting Irish have now won 16 straight games dating back to last season - the longest winning streak in program history.
What’s Next for the Irish?
Notre Dame heads to the nation's capital for a date with No. 15 Georgetown on Saturday, Feb. 22. From there, a massive early-season showdown will take place in Atlanta. Traveling to Bobby Dodd Stadium - home of the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets football team - the top-ranked Irish will battle No. 6 Maryland as part of the Atlanta Lacrosse Invitation on Saturday, March 1.
The game between the Irish and Terrapins will be a rematch of last season's national championship, which Notre Dame won, 15-5. The invitational, which will benefit Shootout for Soldiers, will also feature a matchup between Mercer and Drexel.
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