SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame lacrosse has completed its quest for back-to-back national championships.
Not even a two-hour weather delay and a slick playing surface could keep the top-seeded Irish (16-1) from ripping seventh-seeded Maryland 15-5 in Monday’s NCAA Tournament final at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.
Junior attackman Chris Kavanagh scored three straight goals in the second period during a 10-1 blitz that saw the Terrapins (11-6) go silent. After trailing for just 55 seconds in Saturday’s 13-6 semifinal win over Denver, Notre Dame played from behind for 4:45 before wiping out Maryland’s 2-0 start.
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Senior attackman Pat Kavanagh, Chris’ older brother, had four first-half assists and later added his 300th career point, a program record.
Notre Dame joins Duke (2013-14), Syracuse (2008-09) and Princeton (1996-98) as the only Division I men’s lacrosse programs to win it all in consecutive years over the past three decades. Virginia, muzzled in a 12-6 semifinal loss to Maryland, reigned from 2019-2021 but there was no NCAA Tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 shutdown.
Maryland, the 2022 champion, fell to 2-6 in NCAA finals since 2011 under coach John Tillman.
Irish coach Kevin Corrigan, in his 36th season in South Bend, also guided the program to NCAA final appearances in 2010 and 2014.
Notre Dame is 36-3 dating to a 2-4 start in 2022. That turnaround followed a 39-30 cumulative mark for Irish lacrosse from 2017 through midseason 2022.
Senior goaltender Liam Entenmann shook off a slow start to make five first-half saves. Counterpart Logan McNaney, the 2022 tournament Most Outstanding Player, failed to record a save on 10 first-half opportunities.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for NDInsider.com and is on social media @MikeBerardino.