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.”
The brothers were hardly alone, however, as all three of Notre Dame’s offensive midfield units contributed points. Liam Entenmann, a Tewaaraton finalist along with Pat Kavanagh, backed the stingy Irish defense with 16 saves. The Terrapins didn’t help their cause with 16 turnovers.
Monday’s performance was the culmination of one of the most dominant title runs in the sport’s modern era. Since the field expanded to 16, the Irish became the first team to win all four of its tournament games by five goals or more. Notre Dame’s only loss this season was to Georgetown in overtime on Feb. 25 before winning its final 14 games.
Maryland falls to 4-12 all-time in championship games. Daniel Kelly led the Terrapins with two goals.
“Someone said Notre Dame had 11 All-Americans,” Maryland coach John Tillman said. “It felt like it. They are worthy champions.”