Notre Dame Lacrosse: Previewing the 2020 men’s lacrosse season
By Matt Clark
The 2020 Notre Dame lacrosse team kicks off their season on Saturday, here is a preview of what to watch for this upcoming season.
A new season of Notre Dame lacrosse begins on Saturday, February 15th when the Irish matchup against the Cleveland State Vikings in what will be an inaugural matchup between the two teams. After finishing eighth in the nation last season following a 9-7 record, head coach Kevin Corrigan has his Irish team ranked 7th overall heading into his 31st season.
Last season ended with Notre Dame falling by one goal to Duke University in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Playing in a stacked ACC conference, the Irish will again face a difficult schedule this season as they look to return to their first championship game since 2015.
Kevin Corrigan has turned this program into one of the most elite in the nation, having brought the Irish to the tournament ranked within the top ten for the past nine seasons. With continued success in his recruiting efforts, the Irish are primed to extend their dominance to an even decade.
Midfielder Bryan Costabile is expected to play a crucial role after netting 42 goals for the Irish last season. He is the catalyst for the Notre Dame men’s team and is expected to be in contention for the Tewaarton Award given to the nation’s most outstanding lacrosse player.
In addition to boasting one of the best midfielders in college lacrosse, the Irish also have one of the stringiest defenses in the game as well, with experienced veterans Arden Cohen, Charlie Trense and Jack Kielty all returning to man the D-pole position for Notre Dame this season.
With a stacked roster, the Irish are also expected to lean heavily on returning starters attacker/midfielder Wheaton Jackoboice, Griffin Westlin, attacker Connor Morin and midfielder Morrison Mirer, as well as highly touted incoming freshman attacker Pat Kavanagh and goalie Liam Entenmann.
The Irish schedule is stacked again this season with 9 of their 12 games against top-20 ranked opponents including Virginia (2nd), Maryland (4th), Denver (9th), Duke (13th), Army (14th), Syracuse (5th), Ohio State (10th), Richmond (19th) and North Carolina (8th). In addition, Michigan received top 25 votes but fell just outside the rankings. The only other teams that the Irish will play that are unranked are Marquette and Cleveland State.
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A solid foundation of returning starters and the injection of a talented new recruiting class should have the Irish primed to contend for their first-ever National Championship. The March 19th matchup against number two ranked Virginia should be an early indicator of where this team is in regards to the elite programs in college lacrosse. Regardless, we look to be set for what will be another successful year of Notre Dame lacrosse.