📉 WHAT'S WRONG WITH NOTRE DAME?

It might be time to sound the alarm in South Bend.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-2), who have won each of the past two NCAA Championships, have suffered back-to-back losses against Maryland (in Atlanta) and Ohio State (at home). Both losses were by just one point.

As a result, the Irish have dropped from No. 1 in the rankings — a spot they held for nearly a year — to No. 8 in The People’s Top 20.

During the two-game skid, Notre Dame has struggled to generate consistent offense. The starters at attack have combined for just one assist during the losing streak, and Tewaaraton Award hopeful Chris Kavanagh hasn’t had any. Without Pat Kavanagh playing the QB1 role, Notre Dame has initiated most of its offense through midfielders.

Ultimately, the inconsistency on offense comes down to Notre Dame’s personnel decisions at attack. The Irish began the season with freshman Brady Pokorny in the starting lineup, but he was benched and replaced by sophomore Brock Behrman for the Ohio State game. As that game went on, sixth-year senior Devon McLane ended up getting the most playing time alongside Kavanagh and Jake Taylor at attack.

Moving forward, Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan would be wise to stick with McLane in that third attack spot. He is an experienced player with 176 career points, including 45 points on last year’s National Championship squad. McLane had a goal and an assist in the loss to Ohio State.

Will Notre Dame bounce back? Let us know what you think by replying to this email!

🍊 Key Injury Update For Syracuse

Syracuse picked up a huge win over rival Johns Hopkins at The Dome on Sunday, and they did it without one of their best players, Finn Thomson, who spent the game on the sideline in a sling.

After the game, Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said Thomson will be “out for a while” (via Cooper Andrews of The Daily Orange):

With Thomson out of the lineup, sophomore Trey Deere started at attack. Although he did not record any points in the win, Deere’s grit was super impactful and helped ‘Cuse win multiple possession battles. He finished the game with five ground balls and a caused turnover.

Syracuse does not play this weekend, but look for Deere to potentially explode against Manhattan next Tuesday. He has a unique connection with star attackman Joey Spallina from their time together as box teammates in the OJLL and will be a key contributor for the Orange, at least until Thomson is healthy enough to return.

🤯 Was This The Play of The Year?

In a win over Villanova on Saturday, Penn goalie Emmet Carroll and defenseman Brendan Lavelle connected on a goal that may go down as the Play of the Year.

Click play on the video below and see for yourself…

Carroll’s between-the-legs assist and Lavelle’s full-field goal came in at No. 1 on SportsCenter Top 10 Plays the next morning. Penn went on to win this game, 11-8, securing the Farrell Cup and leveling their record at 3-3.

Carroll and Lavelle are both in their final season at Penn and will be top PLL Draft prospects at their respective positions later this spring.

📈 Malvern Prep Defeats McDonogh

In the first big high school matchup of the year, Malvern Prep (PA) hosted and defeated reigning MIAA Champs McDonogh (MD), 11-10, last Friday night. McDonogh was previously ranked No. 1 in USA Lacrosse Magazine’s preseason poll.

Check out this highlight reel, via Ben Heske of TLN’s Creative Network:

Malvern Prep jumped out to an early lead in this game, but McDonogh was able to battle back and make it a thrilling finish. McDonogh had two opportunities to tie the game in the final minute, but Malvern Prep’s defense stood tall down the stretch.

No. 1 ranked recruit Brendan Millon (Virginia commit, younger brother of McCabe) had a hat trick in the losing effort, but Malvern Prep goalie Heath Jones (Rutgers commit) won the day with 15 saves.

Malvern Prep has a solid case as the best high school team in the country.

📺 College Lacrosse on TV!

Here’s the men’s D1 slate and watch links for this week, via Inside Lacrosse (all times Eastern):

Tuesday, March 11:
FINAL — Bellarmine 19, Hampton 6
3 p.m. — Hobart at LeMoyne (NEC Front Row)
3 p.m. — St. John’s at Rutgers (BTN+)
4 p.m. — Canisius at St. Bonaventure (ESPN+)
5 p.m. — Queens at High Point (ESPN+)
7:30 p.m. — NJIT at Lafayette (ESPN+)

Wednesday, March 12:
4 p.m. — Robert Morris at Penn State (BTN+)
7 p.m. — Providence at Duke (ACCNX)

Come back Friday for the full weekend slate!