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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the 66th team in our 2018 schedule preview series and the fifth and final team from the ACC. The Fighting Irish went 9-6 last season and lost to North Carolina in the ACC Championship game. They went to the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Denver in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Here’s the entire 2018 schedule:
Notre Dame’s 2018 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
| 2/11 | Detroit Mercy | Notre Dame | First meeting since 2016 (14-5 W) | |
| 2/24 | Richmond | Notre Dame | First ever meeting | |
| 3/3 | Notre Dame | Maryland | 5-4 W | |
| 3/10 | Denver | Notre Dame | 11-10 L, 16-4 L | |
| 3/17 | Virginia | Notre Dame | ACC | 11-10 W/OT |
| 3/21 | Michigan | Notre Dame | 16-5 W | |
| 3/25 | Notre Dame | Ohio State | 12-7 W | |
| 3/31 | Notre Dame | Syracuse | ACC | 11-10 L |
| 4/7 | Duke | Notre Dame | ACC | 11-8 L, 7-6 W |
| 4/11 | Notre Dame | Marquette | 11-10 W, 15-9 W | |
| 4/21 | Notre Dame | North Carolina | ACC | 14-13 W, 14-10 L |
| 5/5 | Army West Point | Notre Dame | 10-9 L/OT |
The Irish add Detroit Mercy and Richmond to their schedule, taking off just Georgetown. They’ll play one more game than they did last year.
Let’s check out some notable games on this schedule:
Best Nonconference Game: vs. Denver
The lacrosse game for the western part of the country has been an exciting one during the regular season. Connor Cannizzaro’s buzzer-beater last year ruined a #WhitneyInOT, but it was still a sick ending. The last four regular season games have been decided by a goal.
Best Conference Game: @ North Carolina
A rematch of last year’s ACC Championship game, both teams lose key offensive players in Sergio Perkovic and Luke Goldstock, as well as starting goaltenders Shane Doss and Brian Balkam. I expect the Tar Heels to be better than their 8-8 record they had last year.
Under The Radar Game: vs. Richmond
The Spiders are a new add to Notre Dame’s schedule, and it helps Richmond build up their nonconference schedule. The Irish are the fourth ACC team on Richmond’s slate, joining Duke, North Carolina, and Virginia. Despite the losses of Brendan Hynes and Benny Pugh, keep an eye out for the Spiders’ offense.
Possible Upset: vs. Army West Point
The Black Knights were the first team out of the NCAA Tournament last May. Even though their win over Notre Dame helped their case, it wasn’t enough. The Fighting Irish even struggled late in the regular season. This year’s meeting is in South Bend early in May.
For other schedules and team rosters, check out our Men’s Division I matrix.