Notre Dame lacrosse: Irish lose 13-11 to 19th ranked Ohio State

The Notre Dame lacrosse team lost to 19th ranked Ohio State 13-11 on March 10th in what could be their final game of the season.

When the Notre Dame lacrosse team lost to 19th ranked Ohio State on March 10th, they likely assumed it was simply a three-game losing streak that would be a minor obstacle to overcome in their aspirations for a National Championship.

However, following the cancellation of all athletic activities by the NCAA as a result of the COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic, it may end up being how the Irish would close out an extremely abbreviated season.

The future is uncertain for all spring sports in the NCAA, with the effects of the coronavirus in their early stages. There is little certainty about what the overall effects of the pandemic will be in the United States or even the duration of the outbreak, which leaves the remainder of the spring sports season hanging in the balance.

Seniors Bryan Costabile and Brian Willetts and junior Wheaton Jackoboice all scored two goals in the game for the Notre Dame lacrosse team. Sophomore Griffin Westlin assisted on three goals, the second consecutive game achieving that accomplishment.

Tre Leclair led the Buckeyes with five goals and one assist, while attacker Reid Jackson scored three goals and added four assists in the contest. Josh Kirson made ten saves in the game for Ohio State and was the winning goaltender in the game.

If this was, in fact, the final game of the season for the Notre Dame lacrosse team, it is indeed unfortunate. It would effectively end the National Championship aspirations of an extremely talented Irish team only five games into the season.

Additionally, it keeps senior and Tewaarton Award candidate Bryan Costabile at 99 career goals, which prevents him from cracking the century mark, which would have made him only the second midfielder in school history to do so.

It would also end any hopes defenseman and fellow senior and Tewaarton Award candidate Jack Kielty had of securing the award as the nation’s best collegiate lacrosse player. If this is the final game of the year, it likely marks the end of a remarkable career for the Irish defenseman.

If the Notre Dame lacrosse season is in fact over, it will likely be the last time we see not only Costabile and Kielty play for the Irish, but also fellow seniors Stephen Chase, Tommy McNamara, Eric Restic, Auden Menke, Brian Willetts, John Zullo, Kyle Hyland, Matthew Blommer, Jacob Kanak, Keaton Komatz, Peter Gayhardt, and Charles Leonard, as well as graduate student Patrick Aslanian.

Notre Dame lacrosse fans hope this was not the last time that they have seen these players play for the Irish. It would certainly not be the way that they expected to end their collegiate careers. If it is the unfortunate end to their careers, we at Slap the Sign wish them the best in their future endeavors, as it has been an honor to cover them.