Penn State
Men's Lacrosse
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – No. 10/8 Notre Dame travels to Columbus, Ohio, for the first round of the NCAA Championships to take on No. 2/2 Ohio State at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium at noon ET on Sunday, May 11. The game will air on ESPN2.
GAME DETAILS
Location: Columbus, Ohio | Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium
Schedule: May 11 — Noon ET
TV: ESPN2
Live Stats: FightingIrish.com
Twitter Updates: @NDlacrosse
For a more in-depth look at the matchup – Game Notes: Notre Dame
POSTSEASON SUCCESS
• The Irish enter the tournament winning back-to-back NCAA Championships, defeating Duke in 2023 and Maryland in 2024 to capture the titles on Memorial Day in Philadelphia.
• Notre Dame has reached the title game on Memorial Day four times in program history, including each of the last two years.
• The Irish have made their seven trips to Championship Weekends, all coming since the 2010 season.
• Notre Dame has made the NCAA Championship field in 18 of the last 19 tournaments.
• Notre Dame has advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship in 12 of the last 14 NCAA Tournaments.
• Notre Dame is 24-11 over its last 13 NCAA Championship appearances.
• Notre Dame owns a 29-25 record in its 27 trips to the NCAA Championship.
• Notre Dame advanced to the NCAA Championship final weekend in 2001, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2023 and 2024 and played in the title game in 2010, 2014, 2023 and 2024.
THE OHIO STATE SERIES
• Sunday will be the 50th meeting all time between Notre Dame and Ohio State. The Irish lead the all-time series with the Buckeyes, holding a 36-13 advantage in the matchup.
• The most recent installment between the two sides came earlier this season at Arlotta Stadium, as the Buckeyes escaped with a 10-9 win.
• The Irish have won 18 of the last 22 matchups with Ohio State, including the 9-0 shutout at Arlotta Stadium on March 21, 2015, which is the last time the Irish held an opponent scoreless in a game.
• Notre Dame is 15-8 when playing Ohio State in Columbus, including the most recent matchup at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium which came last season. The Irish won by a score of 13-10, as Chris Kavanagh scored finished with eight points off five goals and three assists.
KAVANAGH LEADS THE ATTACK
• Chris Kavanagh leads the Irish in points this season with 56 off 33 goals and 23 assists.
• The senior has 232 points off 145 goals and 87 assists and currently ranks third in program history for career points, second for career goals and seventh in career assists.
• Kavanagh turned in the greatest statistical offensive season in Notre Dame history last year, setting the program record for points in a season with 81.
• The attackman totaled 44 goals and 37 assists during the 2024 season.
• Chris joined his brothers Matt (42G, 33A – 2015) and Pat (31G, 49A – 2024) as the only players in program history to record 30+ goals and assists in the same season.
• The Rockville Centre native earned NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player honors after a prolific four-game stretch in the tournament in 2024, recording 22 points off 14 goals and 8 assists.
• The attackman put an exclamation mark on his season with a 5-goal performance in the national title win over Maryland, tying the program record for goals in an NCAA tournament game.
• Kavanagh set the program record for points in an NCAA Tournament game against Georgetown in the quarterfinals, totaling eight points off five goals and three assists. The five goals tied the program record for most goals scored in an NCAA Tourney game.
• Kavanagh picked up right where he left off to open the 2025 season, posting a career-high nine points (4G, 5A) to finish just one point shy of the program record held by his brother Pat.
• Kavanagh not only paced Notre Dame’s offense in 2023 but his 46 goals ranked third all-time in program history for a single season, just three behind Randy Colley’s record of 49 goals set in 1995.
• The Rockville Centre, New York, native has scored a goal in 34 straight games and has recorded a point in 56 of 57 games in his career. Kavanagh has posted multiple points in 52 of 57 games in his career.
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
• Notre Dame is allowing just 9.0 goals per game this season, ranking 10th in the country and leading the ACC.
• Opponents have been held to single-digit goals in all eight of Notre Dame’s victories during the 2025 season.
• Notre Dame limited ACC opponents to seven goals or less in three of four regular-season contests this season.
• The Irish finished 2024 allowing just 8.94 goals per game, leading the country, despite playing six games against opponents that ranked in the top 15 in goals scored per game.
• Notre Dame held opponents to 10 or fewer goals in 12 of 17 games during the 2024 campaign, including seven of the last eight on the way to the title.
• The Irish limited the opposition to 12 or fewer goals in 16 of 17 outings last season.
• Preseason All-Americans Ben Ramsey, Will Donovan and Shawn Lyght each return to the defensive unit along with the addition of Greg Campisi from Harvard.
LYGHTS OUT
• It didn’t take long for Shawn Lyght to make a name for himself in the college lacrosse world, as he cemented himself as one of the top cover defenseman in the country during his 2024 freshman season.
• The sophomore was named ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Year following the 2025 regular season as voted on by the league’s coaches.
• In the win over UNC this season, Lyght held UNC’s prolific attackman Owen Duffy to just one assist on the day, matching his career low for points in a game.
• Lyght consistently draws the No. 1 option for the opposing attack throughout the season.
• The defenseman held Connor Shellenberger to just one goal between the two matchups, both resulting in wins and he limited Joey Spallina to just one point in their only matchup of the year.
• The sophomore opened the 2025 season against Cleveland State holding his main defensive assignment to zero points.
• Lyght was the only sophmore to earn first team All-America status in the Inside Lacrosse preseason honors.
PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME
• Devon McLane transitioned from midfield to attack midway through the season and he enters the NCAA Tournament playing his best lacrosse of the year.
• The grad student has quietly produced multiple points in each of the last eight games.
• The attackman has recorded back-to-back four-point efforts, marking his season high.
McLane has been one of Notre Dame’s most productive players during his two season in South Bend, posting 54 goals and 18 assists for 72 points.
TAYLOR MADE
• Graduate student Jake Taylor is one of the great finishers in lacrosse, totaling 125 goals in his Fighting Irish career.
• Taylor enters the weekend ranked fourth in program history for career goals and is just two away from passing Mikey Wynne for fourth place.
• The attackman scored seven goals in the season opener to become the 11th player in program history to reach the 100-goal milestone.
• In the 2025 ACC opener against Duke, Taylor scored five goals and added two assists to earn Inside Lacrosse National Player of the Week and ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
• Taylor has 18 hat tricks in his Fighting Irish career and has recorded four hat tricks this season.
• The grad student is shooting 48.1 percent on the season, ranking seventh in the country.
• The Denver native finished the 2024 season with 41 goals on 83 shots, giving him a shooting percentage of .494 which ranked fourth in the country.
• Taylor scored one of the biggest goals in program history, sending the 2023 NCAA semifinal into overtime with a twister against Virignia in the final minute of regulation.
OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT
• The Blue and Gold has scored 164 goals through 12 games this season, averaging 13.67 per game, the ninth best mark in the country and best in the ACC.
• Notre Dame ranks 11th in the nation in points per game (21.73), seventh in shot percentage (.323) and 17th in assists per game (7.83).
• The attack has posted double-digit goals in 10-of-12 games this season and has scored at least nine goals in all 12 outings.
• The Irish scored 24 goals in the season opener and recorded 19 assists to total 43 points, finishing just three points shy of the program record for points in a game.
SENSATIONAL SECOND LINE
• Notre Dame’s second midfield unit has been a nightmare for opposing defenses this season, as the trio of Will Maheras, Jalen Seymour and Max Busenkell have combined for 43 points in 2025.
• After transitioning from attack to midfield, Maheras has thrived in his new role, leading the unit with 16 points off eight goals and eight assists, all career highs.
• Seymour is also enjoying his best season in South Bend, racking up 12 goals to go with two assists. The senior has been playing his best lacrosse towards the end of the season, posting six points off five goals and an assist over the last four outings.
• Busenkell has been a consistent producer for the unit, as he has recorded at least one point in nine of 12 games and has seven goals and six assists on the year.
FAMILY STYLE
• Everyone is eating in the Irish attack this season, as 19 different players have recorded multiple points on the season.
• Ten Irish players have posted up double-digit points through 12 games.
• The Irish have racked up 94 assists on the 164 goals with Chris Kavanagh leading the way with 23.
• In the win over Marquette, all three starting attackmen and all three starting midfielders finished with mulitple goals.
DOMINATING THE DOT
• Senior FOGO Will Lynch has won 125-of-216 faceoffs this season for a win percentage of .579 along with 66 ground balls.
• Lynch is currently ranked 17th in the country for faceoff winning percentage.
• The senior enters Friday with 336 career ground balls, the most by any player in program history. Lynch set the record in the win over Georgetown, passing Billy Ahmuty (280 GBs – 1991-94) for the top spot.
• Lynch is coming off his best season in his Fighting Irish career, winning 61.2 percent of his faceoff attempts to lead the ACC and rank fourth in the country.
• The FOGO won 202-of 330 attempts and scooped up a team-high 113 ground balls.
• Over the four NCAA Tournament games Lynch was even better than his season average, winning 63-of-97 (64.9%).
• Lynch added a career-high four goals last season, including one in the ACC Tournament and one in the NCAA Tournament.
• Lynch was named to the All-ACC Team and to the ACC All-Tournament Team.
• The standout won over 50 percent of faceoffs in 12-of-16 games last season.