Previewing Notre Dame’s 2019 men’s college lacrosse schedule

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the 72nd team in our 2019 schedule preview series and the fifth and final team from the ACC. The Fighting Irish finished 9-6 in 2018 and 1-3 in ACC play. Notre Dame defeated Virginia to win the ACC championship, but lost to Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Here’s their entire 2019 schedule:

Who’s In?

• Cornell Big Red (4/14)

Who’s Out?

• Army West Point Black Knights (17-5 W)

Average Winning Percentage From 2018 Teams

• Overall: .626
• Nonconference: .626
• ACC: .625

Circle These Dates

• 2/23 (at Richmond): The schedule is nearly the same as last year, save for Cornell in for Army West Point. Richmond can be a sneaky good team and have shown that for the past couple of years. They played tough in the third quarter against Notre Dame before the Fighting Irish pulled away late.
• 3/3 (vs. Maryland): Last year, many people thought Maryland would blow out Notre Dame. That didn’t happen, and thanks to Ryder Garnsey, it was only a two-goal loss that was close throughout. The defense is certainly there, but if the offense can get going like we saw in the ACC Tournament, it’s a much more dangerous team for Kevin Corrigan.
• 3/16 (at Virginia): The irresistible force vs. the immovable object? Maybe a stretch, but this game will pit a fast offense against a stingy defense. Notre Dame won both meetings last year with the Fighting Irish crushing Virginia 17-7 in the ACC title game after beating them by two back in March. Garnsey, Bryan Costabile, and Brian Willetts each had a hat-trick, while Hugh Crance, Arden Cohen, Jack Kielty, and John Sexton all had two caused turnovers apiece. Just a dominating performance.
• 3/19 (at Michigan): Last year could be the game that marked the start of the breakthrough for Michigan. The Wolverines needed and got a big program win last year in South Bend against the Irish, capped off by a wild fourth quarter that saw a total of 11 goals scored. 14 were scored in the previous three quarters. Michigan also returns a good chunk of their team.
• 4/14 (vs. Cornell): With the Patriot League moving their tournament to May, Notre Dame had an open spot on their schedule. Enter the Big Red, a team they haven’t played since 2010. Jeff Teat was one of the best offensive players in the country a year ago, but was stymied late in the year due to the face-guard. The Fighting Irish have a very solid defense that could cause some difficulty for Cornell’s offense. But we’ve seen the Big Red get the job done without Teat.

For other schedules and team rosters, check out our Men’s Division I matrix.