Notre Dame Fans Rejoice

On the NCAA Division 1 Lacrosse stage, there is a particular group of "heavies" that often dominate the brackets. Every so often a new contender makes their way to a final four or even the championship duel; however, more times than not, the emerging programs' success is short-lived and they soon fade back into obscurity. The 2010 national championship game proved to give way for a different type of emerging program.

Notre Dame lost to Duke by a heartbreaking sudden death overtime goal. If The Irish were to follow the typical trend, little would have been heard from them after their fifteen minutes of fame; they have since proven to be of a different breed, however. This year's 2011 season opener for ND was against none other than last season's national champs: Duke. A determined Notre Dame squad set their sights on victory, and achieved a commanding and convincing 12-7 win. Their success has all but slowed.

With the exception of an exhibition game against Team USA, thus far The Irish has posted an undefeated record. Currently they are ranked #2, and again proved their standing against Villanova last Saturday (April 1st), with a score of 12-8. The game began somewhat slow for The Irish. Villanova quickly pulled to a 4-1 lead.

Making the appropriate adjustments that a team of ND's calibre must be able to make, Kevin Corrigan's squad gained the lead in the second half. Once the floodgates opened, ND never looked back. Aiding in the victory, Freshmen attackmen Westy Hopkins, produced an impressive hat-trick advancing the team's record to 7-0.