Sloppy. Sleepy. Unfocused. Undisciplined.
The first half of Notre Dame’s NCAA Tournament game against UAlbany on Sunday at Arlotta Stadium in South Bend couldn’t have gone much worse for the top-ranked Irish, who made unforced error after unforced error and trailed 5-4 at the break.
If UAlbany came out on top, ESPNU analyst and former Virginia star Matt Ward said near the end of the second quarter, it would have been the biggest upset in men’s college lacrosse history. No. 1 Notre Dame made sure that didn’t happen by playing like themselves in the second half, showcasing the pretty passing, ferocious finishing and connected, team lacrosse that made it the overwhelming favorite to win it all.
The Irish beat Albany 14-9, but they can’t afford to start like they did Saturday again if they hope win back-to-back national championships.
Notre Dame’s issues began early, committing 6 turnovers in the first half. Each and every one of those turnovers were uncaused; it ended the half with 11 turnovers, three of them caused. The Irish were hurting themselves more than the Great Danes were forcing their hand.
Balls seemed to go right through sticks. Ill-advised feeds were thrown into traffic. Errant passes traveled hopelessly out of bounds. Everything that could have gone wrong for Notre Dame offensively in the first half did.
After graduate student midfielder Devon McLane scored off a feed in front from graduate student attackman and Tewaaraton Award finalist Pat Kavanagh just over 2 minutes into the game, the Irish only put the ball in the net once more in the first quarter. They built a 3-goal lead in early in the second, but UAlbany stormed back.
The Great Danes scored the next 4 goals, including one from freshman attackman Ryan Doherty on a sensational behind-the-back pass from sophomore attackman Silas Richmond with 7 seconds left in the half to take a 5-4 lead into the break.
Two of UAlbany’s tallies came during a man-up situation. Senior midfielder Carter Parlette committed a targeting foul to the head or neck area, giving him a 3-minute, non-releasable penalty. UAlbany’s Amos Whitcomb scored midway through the man advantage, and then an unforced error really took its toll.
Notre Dame won the ensuing draw with 55 seconds left on the penalty, and it could have killed the rest of it from there. But the Irish got caught offside, giving possession right back to Albany and giving Doherty a chance to score.
On offense, when the Irish did get shots off in the first half, they were often attempts from too far away from the net mouth or from poor angles. Notre Dame didn’t work as a cohesive unit on the offensive end, and it hurt the Irish on the scoreboard.
The Irish had possession shortly before Doherty’s last-minute goal, with an opportunity to take the last shot themselves. But freshman midfielder Jordan Faison tried a short pass to senior midfielder Eric Dobson near the right sideline, and he threw it away. That mistake allowed UAlbany to pull in front.
When the second half began, though, Notre Dame tightened the screws offensively. The Irish eliminated mistakes, only turning the ball over five times after halftime.
The other key to Notre Dame’s second-half surge: The Kavanaghs, Pat and Chris, took over. The latter opened the scoring in the third quarter with a rising missile into the back of the net, and he assisted on a goal from sophomore midfielder Max Busenkell less than a minute later.
Later, Pat Kavanagh broke wide open on the backside as Notre Dame transitioned from defense to offense and graduate student defenseman Marco Napolitano found him for an easy goal. The pass represented Napolitano’s first career point.
Nos. 50 and 51 combined for 8 second-half points. The only third-quarter goal not scored or assisted on by a Kavanagh: a McLane strike after he went coast-to-coast.
The Irish pulled away in the fourth quarter and won somewhat comfortably, despite the slow start. UAlbany didn’t quit, though, and ended its season with an impressive effort on both ends of the field.
Notre Dame will move on to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament, where it will face No. 8 Georgetown on Saturday. The Hoyas beat Penn State 12-9 earlier on Sunday.
Georgetown defeated Notre Dame 11-10 in overtime on Feb. 25. The Irish had not lost before that day, and they have not lost since.
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