A 'Work in Progress' on Defense? Notre Dame Looks Just Fine in 2-0 Start

MILWAUKEE — Finding holes in No. 1 Notre Dame’s roster is an arduous endeavor. But if there was a glimmer of hope for opposing coaches entering the season, it was found on the Irish’s defensive end.

Two key pieces jumped up to the Premier Lacrosse League following the program’s first national championship — close defender Chris Fake and talented two-way midfielder Brian Tevlin. Veterans remained, but could the adjustment provide just enough of a crack in the armor for foes to take advantage?

That doesn’t appear to be the case, at least not through the team’s first two contests.

“It’s not somebody stepping up, it’s the whole group stepping up,” Notre Dame coach Kevin Corrigan said following a dominant 21-8 victory at Marquette. “We’re a work in progress on that end still, but I think we’ve got enough pieces to get there.”

The unit was suffocating in Notre Dame’s 25-3 season debut Wednesday against Cleveland State — only once has the program allowed fewer goals in a season opener — but Saturday marked the Irish’s first test against a team near the USA Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20. Marquette, which entered 3-0 with a trio of triumphs against ASUN programs, is “also considered” in this week’s Top 20 update.

It wasn’t a perfect start for Notre Dame. Marquette’s Jake Stegman scored just seven seconds into the contest, and Corrigan was visibly frustrated when the Golden Eagles cut the deficit to 4-3 off a restart at X with less than five seconds remaining in the first quarter. But as the clock ran, the opportunities for Marquette dwindled.

Notre Dame doubled Marquette in shots on goal in the final three quarters, orchestrating an 11-3 run that put the game out of reach by the end of the third. The offense was what the lacrosse world has come to expect. Ten Irish players found the back of the net, with Chris and Pat Kavanagh combining for 14 points.

But don’t discount the work being done on the other end of the field. Ben Ramsey, a third-team All-American last year, has emerged as the leader of a short-stick group that is humming, and returning long poles are helping mentor the next generation. Tying it all together is Liam Entenmann, arguably the best goalie in the country.

“You can’t replace a Brian Tevlin or a Chris Fake,” graduate student defender Chris Conlin said. “But we definitely have the guys that can help in other ways, different styles of play. I think we really have a strong and cohesive unit, on and off the field.”

Conlin, who started every game during the team’s title run, has served as the elder statesmen while starting alongside a pair of underclassmen against both Cleveland State and Marquette. Neither freshman Shawn Lyght nor sophomore Will Gallagher entered the year with any collegiate game experience.

They have plenty of mentors to turn to if needed, like Conlin, Ross Burgmaster and Marco Napolitano to name a few, and Conlin says the older group has been quick to offer advice in the locker room and during film sessions if necessary. But the fresh faces are rarely treated like newbies on the field, cultivating a culture of empowerment that has players like Lyght already acting like they’ve been in South Bend for years.

“Conlin, he’s a calming presence,” Corrigan said. “He’s helping the guys around him get a little older. Then Marco Napolitano came in today and gave us real good minutes. Those guys, and having [Entenmann] in the back, just make things a little easier.”

Entenmann, the ultimate security blanket for a young defenseman, finished with four saves Saturday.

“As soon as you’re able to earn an advantage or get a good shot from a good area of the field, he has the opportunity to steal a couple,” Marquette coach Andrew Stimmel said. “That just creates momentum for their team. When you feel like you should have scored a goal, they make a stop and go down and score one, it feels like a two-goal swing.”

Challenges remain for the Irish, who next host Georgetown at Arlotta Stadium. Every opponent on Notre Dame’s schedule the rest of the way is at least considered in the USA Lacrosse Top 20. It’s a schedule fitting of a team with NCAA tournament seeding on the mind.

“Every single game is a test of who we are,” Conlin said. “Marquette’s a really good, solid program that brings it every year. … But I think the scoreboard is a testament to the guys in the locker room. From the top down, everyone’s commitment.”