It's no secret that the road to a national title goes through South Bend. And while the Fighting Irish lost a handful of key players from last season's title-winning squad -- the second in as many tries -- Kevin Corrigan's group reloaded in a big way. That talent was on display Wednesday in South Bend, as the Irish began their quest for a third-straight championship.
Photo by University of Notre Dame Athletics
Spearheaded by the play of Tewaaraton Award candidate Jake Taylor and last season’s leading goal scorer Chris Kavanagh, the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team picked up an emphatic victory over Cleveland State on Wednesday night in South Bend.
The 24-6 triumph for the top-ranked Irish -- who return seven of their top 10 scorers from last season’s title-winning team, including Taylor, Kavanagh, Devon McLane, and Jordan Faison – was the first on a 2025 schedule that includes top 20 showdowns against No. 2 Syracuse, Maryland (No. 6), Virginia (7), North Carolina (11), Georgetown (15), Pennsylvania (13), and Michigan (19).
Despite the departures of Pat Kavanagh -- who became the first Irish player to win the Tewaaraton last season -- and two-time NCAA First Team All-American netminder Liam Entenmann, the blue and gold picked up where they left off following 2024’s 16-win campaign.
Early goals from Kavanagh (4G, 5A) and Taylor -- the latter of who finished the night with seven markers -- set the tone for head coach Kevin Corrigan’s squad. And once the Irish found their groove, there was no looking back.
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Leading 3-0 less than five minutes into the game, Notre Dame increased that advantage to 7-2 by quarters end, with Taylor finding the back of the net twice more, while Kavanagh and graduate faceoff Colin Hagstrom aided in the barrage.
That five-goal deficit was as close as the Vikings would get the rest of the way, as the Irish grabbed a 15-2 lead heading into halftime, and maintained that cushion at the end of the third frame (19-6).
Supporting the victory was the play of the faceoff unit, where Notre Dame won 20 of 33 battles at midfield. Will Lynch, who collected over 61-percent of his faceoffs a season ago, picked up seven faceoffs in nine tries on the night, with Hagstrom winning seven of his 12 opportunities.
Junior Thomas Ricciardelli (five saves and three goals allowed in 38 minutes of action) and senior Alex Zepf (four saves and three goals allowed in 18 minutes) shared time between the pipes, aiding Notre Dame’s strong effort on the defensive end.
With the win, Notre Dame improved to 5-0 all-time against Cleveland State. Even more impressive, however, is the fact that the victory was the program’s 23rd-straight on opening day.
What’s Next for the Irish?
Notre Dame hosts Marquette on Saturday, Feb. 15 at Noon ET in South Bend. Following a week off, the blue and gold will then travel to Washington, D.C., for a date with No. 15-ranked Georgetown.
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