Pat Kavanagh's 3OT Winner Sends Notre Dame Past Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Maryland had no one to turn to with the game on the line Saturday. Notre Dame had two Kavanaghs.

Pat Kavanagh lured Brett Makar to the middle of the field about 15 yards from the goal, faked a rollback and scored on a lefty runner in the 70th minute to lift No. 2 Notre Dame to a dramatic 13-12 triple-overtime victory over No. 4 Maryland at SECU Stadium.

“I was pretty tired of Maryland getting the ball back,” Kavanagh said of the Terps, who committed five turnovers and did not get a shot on goal in any of the overtime periods. “So I just said, ‘I’m going to try and end it here.’”

PAT KAVANAGH.

GAME-WINNER.@NDlacrosse wins a marathon game 13-12 over @TerpsMLax. pic.twitter.com/EJDdp1dN9n

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) March 4, 2023

Denied an NCAA tournament berth last year for the first time since 2005, the Fighting Irish improved to 4-0 and now boasts wins over preseason darling Georgetown and defending national champion Maryland.

Kavanagh and his brother, Chris, who scored three goals Saturday, have been as good as advertised. But Notre Dame has gotten a big boost from its midfield, which has produced nine goals in each of the last two weeks. Quinn McMahon, Jack Simmons and Brian Tevlin netted two apiece Saturday.

“Our depth this year is just unbelievable,” Kavanagh said. “We truly believe we are the most complete team in the country.”

In an uncharacteristically sloppy game between two teams known for squeaky-clean fundamentals, the Irish operated at a significant disadvantage in possession time. Penalties contributed, as did turnovers and Luke Wierman’s 20-for-31 performance at the faceoff stripe for the Terps.

Notre Dame possessed the ball for just 26:37, compared to a 43:17 mark for the Terps, who outshot the Irish 55-39 and won the ground ball battle 46-31.

Maryland led Notre Dame 12-10 after Daniel Maltz beat defenseman Marco Napolitano on an alley dodge down the left side and tucked a shot inside the right pipe with 3:50 remaining in the fourth quarter.

But Reilly Gray answered right back for the Irish, taking long pole John Geppert (seven ground balls) one-on-one and scoring 36 seconds later. Notre Dame won the ensuing faceoff and had one of its few sustained possessions, punctuated by Chris Kavanagh’s diving backhand goal after he beat defenseman Ajax Zappitello on a wing dodge to tie it at 12 apiece.

CHRIS KAVANAGH UNBELIEVABLE.

All the replays. Slo-mo and all.

Enjoy this amazing goal the tied the game for @NDlacrosse. pic.twitter.com/zdNiYylurq

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) March 4, 2023

The Irish had a chance to win it in regulation, but Makar blunted Pat Kavanagh long enough for Maryland’s defense to collapse on the Tewaaraton candidate and force a shot clock violation.

Wierman won all three overtime faceoffs but could not convert on any of their opportunities. Midfielder Kyle Long had four turnovers and a blocked shot and Maltz shot wide on his lone attempt. The Terps finished with 20 turnovers.

Freshman goalie Brian Ruppel made three overtime saves, including two on Pat Kavanagh before he buried the game-winner — on a play that also included a surprise appearance by Notre Dame attackman Jake Taylor.

Taylor, who tore his ACL playing box lacrosse in Colorado last summer, was cleared to play man-up Saturday. Maryland, however, did not commit a penalty. Instead, Irish coach Kevin Corrigan inserted him on the final play of the game.

“He’s a clever guy. He gets in people’s way out there,” Corrigan said of Taylor, who was seven months to the day removed from his Aug. 4 knee surgery. “Jake is the best pick guy we have. He and Pat have a nice ability to read each other.”

Kavanagh saw Taylor inside but took the shot himself instead.

“I didn’t want to give him the ball his first play off the bench,” Kavanagh said. “Our offense was spaced well enough for me to get to the middle of the field and I just turned it down lefty.”

Pat Kavanagh is an elite scorer and elite celly-er. pic.twitter.com/R0rSxQFbip

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) March 5, 2023

“Pat showed up when we needed him,” said Notre Dame goalie Liam Entenmann, who made 14 saves. “That was probably one of the biggest goals of his career. That was a real gut check.”

Another top-10 opponent awaits Notre Dame, which will host Ohio State next Saturday in South Bend. The Irish sure look like a team that’s dead set on leaving nothing to chance when Selection Sunday comes again in May.

“We're not making statements,” Corrigan deadpanned on the field after the game Saturday. “We're just trying to win games.”

Maryland had no one to turn to with the game on the line Saturday.@NDLacrosse had two Kavanaghs.

John Strohsacker

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) March 5, 2023