All’s well the ends well?
After storming back from a formidable halftime deficit last weekend against a top 10 North Carolina team on the road, No. 6 Notre Dame used the same script to take down a Penn team Saturday that came to ND’s Arlotta Stadium riding a six-game losing streak.
The 10-8 men’s lacrosse non-conference victory over the Quakers (4-10) kept the Irish from falling through a trap door and onto the NCAA Tournament bubble, but the 6-1 hole the Irish dug themselves in the first half Saturday raises questions about the Irish (8-3) eight days before Selection Sunday.
Specifically seeding, with next weekend’s ACC Tournament still to play out, and the viability to eventually add another national title to the two they’ve brought home the past two seasons.
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Another question coming from the Senior Day scare involves Irish budding star freshman midfielder Matt Jeffery, who left the game early Saturday after taking a shot to the head/neck area. Bennett Wise, of our news-gathering partner — WSBT-TV, reported that the hit knocked Jeffery’s helmet off.
The attending ND athletic training staff put Jeffery in a neck brace, though the lacrosse prodigy, who dabbles in football as a wide receiver, left the field under his own power.
Devon McLane and Chris Kavanagh keyed the Irish rally.
McLane had a career-high four goals, including his first 13 seconds before halftime to time the ND deficit to 6-2. He then had three more during a 7-1 Irish third-quarter surge. It was Will Maheras, though, who gave Notre Dame its first lead of the game, 8-7, with 1:51 left in the third period.
Kavanagh contributed three goals and three assists. His third goal of the game and 31st of the season gave Notre Dame its final two-goal margin, a 10-8 lead with 2:40 left in the game. Jake Taylor and Fisher Finley also scored goals for the Irish.
Notre Dame goalie Thomas Ricciardelli had seven saves and four ground balls and forced two turnovers. Will Lynch won 13 of his 19 faceoffs, helped ND to a 40-18 command in ground balls with six, and added an assist.
Next up for the Irish is a 5 p.m. EDT semifinal matchup in the four-team ACC tournament, Friday in Charlotte, N.C. ND is the No. 1 seed and will play No. 4 seed Syracuse (9-5), which could have claimed the No. 1 seed itself had it beaten North Carolina on Saturday.
The Tar Heels (10-3), who won 14-12 on the road at Syracuse and are seeded second, take on 3 seed Duke (11-4) in an i p.m. semifinal. The ACC Championship Game is set for Sunday at noon EDT in Charlotte.
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