May 11, 2008

by Jan Garrison, Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - There will be talk of the luck of the Irish in discussing sixth-seeded Notre Dame's heart-stopping, 8-7 overtime win over Colgate in the first round of the NCAA Division I men's lacrosse tournament Sunday.

But luck, alone, won't do.

Notre Dame never lost confidence after Colgate used a patient offense to build a 5-2 lead in the first half. Nor did the Irish panic after Raider attackman Kevin Colleluori scored his second goal to give Colgate a 7-5 advantage with just 3:45 remaining in the game.

Grit, not luck, allowed goaltender Joey Kemp and the Notre Dame defense to hold Colgate to just two goals in the second half and overtime. And it was Kemp's foot save of a Zack Craumer point-blank shot with 2:52 left in overtime that gave the Irish the final possession.

Nor does luck do justice to Peter Christman's laser of a game-winning shot that nestled in the upper right corner, through a window so small that Colgate goalie Tim Harrington said, "I didn't think he'd pull [the trigger]. He took a big chance. It was such a low-percentage shot. But it went right past me."

"It was an amazing shot," said Raiders' coach Jim Nagle. "He couldn't have put that any more in the corner."

The win allows the Irish (14-2) to move onto the NCAA quarterfinals at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y., where they will face the winner of the Syracuse-Canisus game. Colgate finishes the season 11-6 after making its first appearance in the tournament.

Maintaining its poise has been a theme for Notre Dame "all year long," especially at home, Christman said. Even when the Irish were hosting a game for the first time in 13 tournament appearances, making it the first Division I men's tournament game played in the Midwest. "We've won 18 - now 19 - home games in a row. We believe we can win here."

It was Colgate's plan to practice patience offensively and sag defensively, making the high-powered Irish change their tempo and take shots from farther out. Combine the plan with driving rain, temperatures in the 40s and a slick field, and it worked to perfection.

"We just played a terrible first half," Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan said. "They executed their plan and made us play their game. They knew what they wanted to do. Joey Kemp (eight saves) just baled us out."

For Nagle, it wasn't anything new. The Raiders have built this season on a patient, passing offense and a defense that closes off the inside. "That's who we are. That's what we do," he said.

But after some halftime adjustments and field conditions improved, the Irish offense got untracked. "We rely on our speed and dodging ability," Corrigan said. "It just wasn't a change-of-direction day. We just had to grind away. That made the game more exciting and the win more satisfying."

Notre Dame spread the wealth with eight different scorers. All six second-half goals were unassisted.

The Irish took 40 shots, but Harrington had 18 saves. "He really impressed me," Corrigan said. "When someone has 18 saves, you know they're doing something right. He was terrific today."

For Corrigan, the chief goal was to "survive to play another day. "

For Nagle, it was a disappointing loss. But he also appreciates what his team has accomplished over the past few weeks.

"A month, month-and-a-half ago, if you had offered me a win over Syracuse and taking Notre Dame to overtime in the tournament," he said, "I would have taken it."