Category: Lacrosse

Caitlyn Wurzberger moves to fifth all-time on UNC women’s lacrosse points list

A star senior on the UNC women’s lacrosse team climbed the all-time points list on Thursday afternoon.

There are few feelings sweeter than beating your biggest rival in sports.

Such was the case on Thursday, April 18 for the UNC women’s lacrosse team, which down archrival Duke, 16-11, in Chapel Hill.

After trailing by one goal early to the Blue Devils, North Carolina never trailed again after Olivia Dirks’ game-tying goal. With the score knotted at three in the opening quarter, the Tar Heels embarked on a 4-goal run that distanced them for the victory.

One UNC senior, Caitlyn Wurzberger, scored her 25th and 26th goals of the season.

Those goals marked her place in North Carolina history, as she climbed to fifth all-time on the all-time points list.

Wurzberger has the Tar Heels in a strong position, who face UVA in Wednesday’s opening-round ACC Tournament matchup. UNC will be looking to complete the season sweep, as it squeaked by the Cavaliers in overtime back on Feb. 23 in Charlottesville.

North Carolina will face an uphill climb in the ACC Tournament, though, as ranked Boston College, Notre Dame and Syracuse are all ahead in the standings. The Tar Heels have yet to beat any of them.

As the postseason has proven time and time again, though, anybody can beat anybody.

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No. 7 seed Clemson hosts No. 10 seed Pitt in ACC Tournament first round

Clemson hosts Pitt to start their ACC Tournament.

CLEMSON, S.C. – The seventh-seeded Clemson Lacrosse team opens the 2024 ACC Championship First Round against tenth-seeded Pitt on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Clemson Lacrosse Complex. Clemson (10-6, 3-6 ACC) and Pitt (5-12, 0-9 ACC) most recently met Thursday to close the regular season, a 12-11 overtime victory for the Tigers on Pitt’s home turf.

Live stats will be available at ClemsonTigers.com, and the game will air on ACC Network and stream via the ESPN App.

The winner will move on to the Quarterfinals against second-seeded Notre Dame on Wednesday, April 24 at 5 p.m. at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Tickets will be available at the ACC Championship home page. 

Clemson and Pitt are the conference’s newest additions, as the Tigers are presently in their second season, while the Panthers are playing in just their third season. Clemson ranks sixth nationally in average attendance within its new home.

The Tigers enter the contest ranked 22nd nationally and fourth in the ACC at 14.56 goals per game, 19th nationally in scoring margin (+4.25), and 14th in draw control percentage (.594). The Tigers are ranked second nationally in Clearing percentage at a remarkable .947 figure. Additionally, keeper Emily Lamparter leads the ACC and is 13th nationally in save percentage at .480, making 8.19 saves per game.

Clemson has been bolstered offensively with 119 of its 233 goals (51.1%) coming from its freshman class, led by Regan Byrne, who is sixth among freshmen nationally with 31 goals.

Graduate transfer Claire Bockstie, who is 10th among all active players with 202 career goals leads the team this season with 39, just one shy of her fourth career 40-goal season. Of the 11 players in NCAA Division I with 200 or more career goals, Bockstie has played the fewest games (65).

The Tigers freshman look to continue to impress on offense, as Natalie Shurtleff notched a hat trick, including the game tying and game winning goal against Pitt on Thursday, and Regan Byrne led in scoring with four goals on Thursday.

For complete coverage of the Clemson Lacrosse team, follow @ClemsonWLax on Instagram and Twitter and @ClemsonWLacrosse on Facebook.

-Via Clemson Athletic Communications 

College Lacrosse – No. 1 Notre Dame Wins at No. 3 Duke

A huge road win for the Irish!

It was a rematch of last year’s national championship lacrosse game and again between a pair of the nation’s top-ranked teams on Sunday.  No. 1 Notre Dame traveled to No. 3 Duke in a showdown that lived up to the billing.

Notre Dame jumped out to an early lead, scoring the game’s first goal before exchanging the next pair with the Blue Devils to hold a 3-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter saw the Fighting Irish head to halftime on a scoring spree.  After allowing two Duke goals to open the period, Notre Dame scored five-straight to hold an 8-4 halftime edge.  The Brothers Kavanagh, Chris and Pat, each scored a pair of goals during that 5-0 run.

Duke scored early in the second to get back within three before the two teams matched the final portion of the third quarter which ended with Notre Dame holding a 10-7 lead.

The first part of the fourth quarter belonged to the Devils as they struck fast to score four goals while allowing just one, tying the game at 11 with 9:09 to play.  It’s one thing to give up a lead, it’s another to fall behind, and Notre Dame never did that keeping things at least tied.

From there the Irish outscored Duke 3-1 to close the contest and win 14-12.

Pat Kavanagh led the Irish with four goals and three assists while Chris Kavanagh also scored four goals while assisting one.

As is the norm, Notre Dame goaltender Liam Entenmann was great, stopping 14 Duke shots in the win.

Notre Dame returns to action next weekend when they travel to Cornell.

No April Fools Joke: Notre Dame is Lacrosse U

Light up Grace Hall…twice!

A quick look at the national lacrosse rankings finds Notre Dame ranked No. 1.

“Is that in men’s or women’s lacrosse?” – one might ask.

Yes.

The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team held onto their top national ranking with Saturday’s home victory over previously No. 3 Syracuse.  It was highlighted by the save of the year by goaltender Liam Entenmann who helped slow down a ferocious Syracuse comeback effort in the fourth quarter.

The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team is also ranked No. 1 in the latest rankings, taking over the top spot this week.  The Irish routed Pitt 26-5 on Saturday to improve to 10-2 on the season.

The women check in No. 1 as they have wins this season over both No. 2 Northwestern and No. 4 Boston College.  They’ll return to the field Saturday for their senior day against Duke.

The men are 6-1 and again ranked first this week and also get ready to take on Duke in a national championship rematch on Sunday in Durham.

Watch: Notre Dame lacrosse makes ESPN’s SportsCenter No. 1 play

What a save!

It’s been a great start to Notre Dame lacrosse’s year, as they are the current No. 1 ranked program and backed that up with a win over No. 3 Syracuse on Saturday, 14-12.

The win improves the Irish’s record to 6-1 on the year, 1-0 in ACC play and keeps the winning streak going which now stands at 4 games in-a-row. Three Notre Dame players scored two goals, Jake Taylor, Pat Kavanagh and Eric Dobson.

It wasn’t what the Irish did on offense that stood out, but instead the play of goalie [autotag]Liam Entenmann[/autotag]. His save in the 4th quarter was a thing of beauty, and it was good enough to top the charts on SportsCenter Top Plays.

The effort was amazing and Entenmann deserved the recognition.

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Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Watch: No. 1 Notre Dame Goalie Makes Save of Year as Irish Beat No. 3 Syracuse

Find a better save in any sport this year – we dare you.

A major showdown between men’s lacrosse powerhouses took place on Saturday at Notre Dame as the top-ranked and reigning national champion Fighting Irish hosted No. 3 Syracuse.

The Irish controlled things early and were in control almost entirely throughout before things tightened up late in a 14-12 victory. It was a contest Notre Dame led over the Orange 13-7 with just seven minutes to play.

The biggest highlight of the day didn’t come on goal but instead on a save.

A save that is as good of one as you’ll ever see.  Whether you’re a fan of lacrosse or not, check out the stop Liam Entenmann made on the charging Orange.

The reigning national champion Irish move to 6-1 on the season as they’ll travel to Durham, North Carolina next week for a rematch of last year’s national title contest against Duke.

No. 18 Clemson drops their first game of the season to No. 14 Virginia

Clemson was dealt their first loss of the season on Saturday.

Clemson, S.C. – After pulling within one in the third quarter at a score of 10-9, Virginia (5-1, 1-1 ACC) scored four straight goals at the beginning of the fourth quarter to run away with the game against Clemson (4-1, 1-1 ACC) and win 18-12 on Saturday, March 2 at Clemson’s Lacrosse Complex.

Shannon Brazier registered her first hat trick of the season, joining Claire Bockstie to lead Clemson in goals scored. JMU transfer Caitlin McElwee registered her first goals in a Tiger uniform with two critical goals in the third quarter that built momentum as Clemson began to come back from their 10-6 deficit at the half.

Clemson won the draw control battle, winning 17 to Virginia’s 14. On the defensive end,  the Tigers came up with seven caused turnovers and goalie Emily Lamparter saved nine of the 27 shots on goal. Additionally Clemson won the majority of the 50-50 balls as they picked up 23 of the 42 ground balls.

Virginia started the scoring with three goals in the first four minutes. Emma Tilson then notched the first goal of the day for Clemson with 5:04 left in the first quarter. Three more goals from Virginia and one from Clemson’s freshman Alex Scialdone made the score 6-2 going into the second quarter.

Clemson’s momentum then began to pick up as Claire Bockstie scored in the first 15 seconds of the second quarter. The Tigers would tie the second quarter with the Cavaliers as each scored four points.

11 seconds into the second half,  Caitlin McElwee scored her first goal of the season. Clemson went on to outscore Virginia 4-2 in the third quarter, entering the final 15 minutes of the game down 12-10. Four consecutive goals from the Cavaliers gave them a more comfortable 16-10 lead in the final 6:35 minutes of the game. Two more goals from both Clemson and Virginia would make the final score 18-12.

Up Next: Clemson will have a quick turnaround as they travel to Macon, Ga. to play Mercer on Tuesday, March 5 at 2:00 p.m.

For complete coverage of the Clemson women’s lacrosse team, follow @ClemsonWlax on Instagram and Twitter and @ClemsonWLacrosse on Facebook.

– Via Clemson Athletic Communication 

College Lacrosse: No. 1 Notre Dame upset at home

Tough one on banner day at Notre Dame…

The reigning national champions won’t have to worry about the pressure of a perfect season in 2024 as the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team fell at home in overtime to No. 19 Georgetown on Sunday, 11-10.

Georgetown got things started early, jumping out to a 3-1 lead after one period of play.  From there it out it was a back and forth battle that Notre Dame could never quite get ahold of.

Jeffery Ricciardelli took a feed from Pat Kavanagh to put the Irish ahead 9-8 with 8:41 left in regulation but Georgetown would answer with a pair of goals themselves to retake the lead.

Kavanagh would tie things up late in regulation, forcing overtime but Georgetown was able to stop Notre Dame’s first possession and land the game-winning goal from Aidan Carroll on their first overtime possession.

Notre Dame falls to 2-1 on the young season and returns to action at home against next weekend when they welcome No. 4 Maryland to town.

Notre Dame lacrosse alumnus falls in ‘Jeopardy!’ Champions Wildcard

He’s already proven how smart he is.

[autotag]Taylor Clagett[/autotag], a former Notre Dame lacrosse player, did things on “Jeopardy!” most people only can dream of. He was a two-game champion and won his quarterfinal match for this season’s Champions Wildcard. Now the book officially has closed on Clagett’s “Jeopardy!” chapter.

Clagett was a nonfactor in his Champions Wildcard semifinal match. The 15 clues he rang in on were fewer than the number of correct responses each from fellow semifinalists Deb Bilodeau and Diandra D’Alessio. All he could do was watch the two battle it out for the spot in the competition’s final that awaited the winner.

Ultimately, Bilodeau won the match by wagering enough in Final Jeopardy! and correctly answering this clue in the category “Canadian Medicine”:

“Nova Scotian William Knapp Buckley devised a widely used antitussive, meaning a drug used against this”

Every player correctly guessed, “What is coughing?” Clagett wagered a meager $23 because he knew he had no chance and would walk away with $10,000 for making it to the semifinals. That gives him a total of $42,800 that he won on the show.

If you want to test your knowledge using the clues from this game, click here.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

College Lacrosse: No. 1 Notre Dame Accomplishes Program First in Obliterating Marquette

A dominating showing by the nation’s top-ranked team!

A program first for the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team occurred Sunday when they dismantled Marquette in Milwaukee.  The 21-8 Notre Dame victory marked the first time in program history the Irish scored 20 goals in consecutive games.

The Brothers Kavanagh as they’ll forever be known here did what they do, putting on an absolute clinic.  Chris Kavanagh scored four goals while dishing out three assists and Pat Kavanagh added two scores and five helpers in the win.

Jake Taylor continued his fast start to 2024, scoring four more times, bringing his total to nine through two games.

Devon McLane added a hat trick for the top-ranked Golden Domers while Eric Dobson and Jordan Faison both netted a pair of goals.

Notre Dame sits 2-0 on the young season now and returns home next Sunday to welcome Georgetown in a 2 p.m. ET start.