Notre Dame played well overall. They started out hot, leading 3-1 at the end of the 1st quarter and 6-4 at the half. Their worst quarter was the 3rd. The Irish had many turnovers couldn’t get anything going offensively. But that all changed in the 4th quarter when ND put up 6 goals to close out the game, 12-10.

The game took a scary turn with 7:41 left after Ryan Foley gave Notre Dame a 9-8 lead. Virginia’s Scott McWilliams lowered his left shoulder and slammed into Foley’s chin after the goal. Foley had to be taken off by a stretcher; no official word has been said on how he is doing.

Senior midfielder Max Pfeifer registered 3 goals and 1 assist for the Fighting Irish, while junior midfielder Steve Murphy also had four points on 2 goals and 2 assists. Senior attackman Sean Rogers chipped in 2 goals for Notre Dame.

ND’s defense was led by goalie John Kemp, who made 14 saves for the Irish.

Notre Dame (13-2) will face top-seeded Loyola (16-1) on Saturday in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The winner will play again on Monday for the championship.

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The first match-up was difficult for both teams. Notre Dame knocked off Yale, 13-7, while Virginia edged Princeton 6-5.

Sunday will be the 7th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Virginia. The Cavaliers lead the series 5-1, including a 3-0 mark in the NCAA tournament. However, every game was played in Virginia. So, hopefully this time will be different.

Payer to watch on UVA-

Senior attackman Steele Stanwick will be vital to the Cavaliers’ offense. With 27 goals and 46 assists on the season, Stanwick is definitely someone to keep an eye on. Irish goalie John Kemp will be tested.

Team capitan Nicholas Beattie will be back for the first time since a leg injury against Duke the first game of the year. The Irish look re-energized and ready to go.

Score Prediction-

Notre Dame 10, Viginia 8.

The Irish will most likely be trailing at halftime, but I fully expect for them to pull out the victory.

The winner of the Notre Dame-Virginia contest will face the winner of the quarterfinal tilt between Loyola and Denver in the semifinals on Saturday, May 26 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

Game-time: 12pm ET

Location: PPL Park (Philadelphia, PA)

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Apr 1, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; St. Johns Red Storm midfielder Ryan Fitzgerald (3) drives to the goal against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Big City Classic at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

The loss ended Notre Dame’s 10-game win streak. The Irish were the tournament’s #1 seed, while the Red Storm is the 4th seed.

The Irish entered the last quarter down 8-3. However, like usual, the Domers made a surging comeback. Goals from Ryan Foley, Westy Hopkins (twice), and Con or Doyle gave Notre Dame had a chance with just under 3 minutes remaining. Unfortunately, the Red Storm locked it down and won the game.

“We didn’t clear the ball well; we didn’t get ground balls and didn’t cash in on our opportunities in the first half. We spent a lot of time on defense,” said Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan. “Our team has a no-quit attitude. They have proven that all year long. We didn’t represent ourselves well in the first half and that is not who we are.” -und.com

Notre Dame had 20 shots on goal compared to 15 for St. John’s. Junior goalie John Kemp made 7 saves for the Irish, while Jeff Lowman had 13 saves for the Red Storm.

What’s next? The Irish will now wait for the 2012 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship drawings, which will be announced at 9:00 pm ET this Sunday on ESPNU.

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