SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Down 12-7 to No. 9/12 Duke early in the second half No. 6/7 Notre Dame’s season was hanging by a thread. The Irish answered the call and finished the game by scoring the final six goals to complete the comeback win by a score of 16-14 in front of a raucous Arlotta Stadium.
The win gives Notre Dame a share of the ACC title, as they finished conference play with a record of 5-1, tied with Virginia. The Irish finished the regular season strong, winning six straight games to close in convincing fashion.
The attack was led by junior Jake Taylor, who scored six goals on just eight shots to pace the offense. Pat Kavanagh turned in a five-point performance, scoring a goal and adding four assists. The four assists push his season total to 39, breaking his own program record of 38 for most assists in a season.
Eric Dobson carried the attack in the fourth, scoring all three of his goals in the final frame to notch his third straight hat trick. Quinn McCahon also had a notable afternoon in the midfield, scoring two goals and adding two assists.
Notre Dame goalie Liam Entenmann finished the day with 12 saves, giving him double figures in 11 of 12 games this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Pat Kavanagh found Taylor midway through the first frame for the game’s opening goal and the Irish managed to outscore the Blue Devils 4-2 in the opening 15 minutes of play.
Duke controlled the second quarter, scoring the first five goals to take a 7-4 lead with just under nine minutes left in the half. The Irish quickly responded with three goals in a span of just over two minutes to level the game at 7-7. However, Duke was able to finish the half in a flurry, scoring the final four goals to take an 11-7 lead into the break.
The Blue Devils tacked on a goal in the opening minute of the third quarter to open up a five-goal advantage at 12-7, their largest of the afternoon. Notre Dame goals from Morrison Mirer, Bryce Walker and Chris Kavanagh trimmed the deficit to three at 13-10 but Duke’s Nakeie Montgomery scored with under two minutes left in the third to push the lead back to 14-10.
After the goal from the visitors it was all Irish the rest of the game. Taylor scored his fourth of the day with just under a minute left to cut the Duke lead to 14-11 heading into the final frame.
Notre Dame’s ride suffocated the Blue Devils’ clearing chances, causing three failed clears and giving the Irish the majority of the possessions in the fourth quarter. The pressure resulted in Notre Dame outscoring Duke 5-0 in the quarter to complete the comeback with a 16-14 win. All five Irish goals were scored by the combination of Taylor and Dobson.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
Taylor continues his prolific goal scoring since becoming a starter six games ago. He led the team with six goals, his second-highest output of his career. The junior was ultra-efficient with his shooting on the day, as his six goals came on just eight shots. The attackman now has 25 goals over his last six games, all coming in Notre Dame victories.
STAT OF THE GAME
After a rough first half, the Irish defense locked in and stifled the Duke attack, allowing just three goals over the final 30 minutes of play. Notre Dame didn’t allow a single goal in the fourth quarter and managed to outshoot Duke 17-3 in the final frame.
NOTRE DAME NOTES
- The Irish finish the season with six straight wins.
- Notre Dame has won three of the last four matchups against the Blue Devils and improves to 4-2 against Duke when playing at Arlotta.
- The Irish attack has scored 16 or more goals in five of the last six games.
- Pat Kavanagh recorded 12 points in the two meetings with Duke this season
- Kavanagh now has 64 points on the season, matching his total from last season, and has a program-record 39 assists.
- With five points on the day Kavanagh now has 144 in his career, moving into 10th place in the program records for career points.
- Dobson has scored 10 goals over his last three games, marking the first time in his career he has recorded a hat trick in three consecutive contests.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame will find out its postseason fate at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 8, as the NCAA Selection Show will air live on ESPNU.
— ND —
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Comeback Complete: Irish Win Thriller Over Duke – Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Official Athletics Website - Notre Dame Athletics
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