Notre Dame repeats as NCAA men's lacrosse tournament champions after dominating Maryland

 

Notre Dame repeats as NCAA men's lacrosse tournament champions after dominating Maryland

PHILADELPHIA – A championship delayed was not a championship denied for Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish claimed their second consecutive men’s lacrosse title.

Top-seeded Notre Dame (16-1) overwhelmed No. 7 Maryland 15-5 before a Memorial Day crowd of 31,479 at Lincoln Financial Field. The Terrapins (11-6) were seeking their second title in three years but had no answers for the Kavanagh brothers for Notre Dame.

The game started a couple of hours later than its rescheduled noon face-off time due to stormy weather in the Philadelphia area. It looked as though the wait would be worth it as the teams exchanged scores for the opening nine minutes. Maryland jumped out to a 2-0 early, and a goal by the Terrapins’ Jack Koras with 6:06 left in the first quarter tied the contest at 3-3. But the Fighting Irish notched the game’s next seven tallies, effectively putting it away before halftime.

Chris Kavanagh was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. He paced the Notre Dame onslaught with a game-high five goals in the final, with three in succession during the decisive second quarter. Pat Kavanagh notched six assists, including a couple setting up his younger brother, as he passed 300 career points in his final game.“He’s been my best friend my entire life,” Pat Kavanagh said. “To do this the last three years and win back-to-back championships with my little brother is fantastic.”