University of North Carolina Athletics
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Notre Dame
No. 14 Notre Dame's Defense Excels As No. 10 Tar Heels Fall In Lacrosse
March 13, 2005 | Men's Lacrosse
March 13, 2005
CARSON, CALIF. - Fourteenth-ranked Notre Dame's defense limited Tar Heel first-team All-America Jed Prossner attackman to one goal and one assist Saturday night and freshman Joey Kemp made 13 saves in his first career start in goal as the Fighting Irish held off a rally by No. 10 North Carolina 9-7 in men's lacrosse action before 7,128 fans at the Home Depot Center. The game was the opener in a doubleheader of the inaugural First 4 Tournament. Georgetown defeated defending NCAA champion Syracuse 10-7 in the second game of the doubleheader.
Notre Dame led from start to finish on Saturday night behind the stellar play of Kemp in goal and three goals each by Michael Podgajny and Jim Morrison. Pat Walsh was the key feeder for the Irish (2-1) as he scored once but keyed Notre Dame with his four assists.
Senior attackman Mike McCall led the Tar Heels (1-2) with five goals, while sophomore attackman Ryan Blair had three assists. The Tar Heels were outshot by the Fighting Irish 38-36 and Notre Dame won the ground ball battle 44-34, including 14-1 in the opening quarter when the Irish bolted to a 3-1 lead they never relinquished. The Fighting Irish won 13 of 20 faceoffs, including all five in the first quarter.
The Irish jumped on top 2-0 and were never tied or headed by the Tar Heels. Morrison scored the first two goals for Notre Dame, both assisted by Walsh. McCall scored the first of his five goals for UNC with 4:04 to play in the first quarter but Notre Dame answered with an extra-man goal by Podgajny with 1:42 left in the first quarter and Morrison's third goal of the first half with 8:51 to go in the second quarter to lead 4-1.
Carolina was forced to play catch up the rest of the game and it is something the Tar Heels did valiantly but unsuccessfully. Goals by Bryant Will and Mike McCall cut UNC's deficit to 4-3 later in the second quarter but a goal by Podgajny with only 22 seconds left before intermission had the Irish up 5-3 at the half.
McCall cut the Notre Dame lead to 5-4 on an extra-man goal less than three minutes into the third quarter but a goal by Walsh with 2:24 to play in the period restored Notre Dame's lead to two goals.
Twice in the fourth quarter UNC cut the Notre Dame to a single goal, the last time with 3:24 to play on a goal by McCall. But Carolina could never get the equalizing tally. Brian Giordano scored an unassisted goal with 2:46 to play to put the Irish up 8-6 and then with Paul Spellman out of the cage to double team, Podgajny scored into an empty net to clinch the win for Notre Dame with 56 seconds left. Spellman finished with 12 saves in the goal for UNC.
McCall added a goal for UNC with six seconds to play but it was too late for the Tar Heels to make up the deficit they faced.
UNC needs to regroup and bounce back in a hurry as the Tar Heels play at Hofstra (0-3) Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Hempstead, N.Y. before returning home on Saturday, March 19 after a three-game road trip to play undeated Duke (6-0). The Blue Devils will likely be ranked No. 3 when the new U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll is released on Monday, behind only undefeated Johns Hopkins and unbeaten Virginia. Match time next Saturday at Fetzer Field will be 2:30 p.m.
