From: LAXPower.com —
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State men’s lacrosse team (7-6, 3-1 GWLL) closes out its regular season in the “Showdown in the Shoe” Saturday vs. Notre Dame. The Buckeyes and No. 3-ranked Irish (12-0, 4-0 GWLL) will meet at 11:00 a.m. in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, prior to the Ohio State football spring game.

The lacrosse game will be televised live around the state of Ohio on The Ohio News Network. Dan Fronczak and former Buckeye captain Anthony Kelly will call the action for ONN. A live webcast will be available for free through Buckeye Vision on OhioStateBuckeyes.com, with Ohio State student radio providing commentary. Live stats can be accessed through the men’s lacrosse schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

The doubleheader is part of the second annual Scarlet and Gray Days, which includes a three-game baseball series vs. Northwestern Friday-Sunday and a softball doubleheader Sunday vs. Oakland.

Eyes on the Buckeyes

This marks the second-consecutive season the Buckeye men’s lacrosse and football programs are hosting a doubleheader. The attendance at the lacrosse game last year was 29,601, setting the national regular-season and on-campus attendance records. By the end of the lacrosse game, more than 50,000 fans were in the ‘Shoe as the Buckeyes closed out a 20-13 victory over Denver.

On the Line

A Buckeye win Saturday over Notre Dame would give Ohio State a share of its second-consecutive Great Western Lacrosse League regular-season title. The team has four GWLL titles – 1999, ’03, ’04 and ’08.

League Ledger

Notre Dame is in first place in the GWLL with a 4-0 ledger, followed by Ohio State and Air Force at 3-1 each. Notre Dame has clinched at least a share of the title. A Buckeye win would give Ohio State a share of the regular season title. Ohio State, Notre Dame and Air Force already have clinched spots in the GWLL tournament May 1/3. The final spot is up for grabs between Denver and Quinnipiac, who are 1-3 each, and Bellarmine, who is 0-4.

If teams are tied the first tiebreaker is head-to-head. If teams still remained tied the next tiebreaker is goals allowed among teams that are tied. The league slate wraps up Saturday when Notre Dame travels to Ohio State, Bellarmine plays at Quinnipiac and Air Force hosts Denver.

Last Time Out

Ohio State split two games in Colorado last weekend, falling to Air Force in a snowstorm, 9-6, Saturday before rebounding to down Denver, 16-10, Sunday. Against the Falcons, despite a career-best 15 saves from junior goalie Brandon Freeman, Ohio State lost to Air Force, 9-6, in USAFA, Colo.

Air Force scored the only goal of the first quarter and after Ohio State took a 2-1 lead early in the second, the Falcons scored three in a row to take a 4-2 lead into halftime. The teams traded goals early in the third quarter to make the score 5-3. Ohio State then got goals from seniors Joel Dalgarno and Doug Ruhnke, who each had two goals in the game, to tie the game at 5-all with 9:20 left in the third. The Falcons then went on a four-goal run to pull away, including three tallies to close out the third quarter.

Playing its second road game in 24 hours, Ohio State dropped Denver, 16-10, at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium in Denver. Four Buckeyes had five points in the win. James Green had a game-high four goals and added an assist, Jeff Ryan and Mike Pires each had a hat trick and two assists and Dalgarno had a game-high four helpers, along with a goal. Ruhnke added two goals and an assist, while Mario Ventiquattro had two scores. Freeman had 14 saves in the cage in the win.

The Buckeyes trailed 3-1 in the first quarter before a five-goal run gave the squad a 6-3 lead early in the second quarter. The Pioneers were able to cut the lead to one (6-5) at 8:19 of the second, but the Buckeyes responded with three-consecutive goals to go into halftime up, 9-5. Denver drew within two early in the third quarter, but the Buckeyes outscored the Pioneers, 7-3, the rest of the way, including shutting DU out for the final 11:12.

Buckeye Bio

Ohio State is 7-6 this year and stands 3-1 in Great Western Lacrosse League play, with conference wins over Denver, Quinnipiac and Bellarmine and a loss at Air Force. The team is averaging 10.41 goals a game, while allowing 8.11. The squad averages 33.5 shots a game, giving up 34.8. The Buckeyes have converted 34 percent of their EMO chances (17 of 50) and have stopped 28 of 43 opponent chances (.651).

Senior Joel Dalgarno is first on the team with 29 goals, 22 assists and 51 points. Classmate Jeff Ryan is second in both goals (25), assists (15) and points (40). Junior Mario Ventiquattro stands third in both goals (18) and points (26). Sophomore Cheap Alli Online Mike Pires is fourth with 16 tallies and ranks fifth with 20 points, behind junior James Green, who has 23 points to rank fourth, including 14 goals and nine assists. Green is first with six EMO scores.

Junior Brandon Freeman has started all 13 games in the cage and has 135 saves, with 105 goals allowed, for an 8.36 goals-against average and .562 save percentage. Freeman is first with 36 groundballs, followed by senior Scott Matthews with 31.

In the Nation

In the NCAA statistics released this week, Ohio State ranked in the Top 25 in seven team categories: assists per game (11th/6.69), points per game (15th/17.15), scoring margin (16th/+2.31), scoring offense (18th/10.46), scoring defense (19th/8.15), saves per game (t-22nd/.11.08) and man-up offense (25th/.340).

Attackman Joel Dalgarno is fifth in points per game (3.92), tied for 11th in assists per outing (1.69) and tied for 22nd in goals per game (2.23).Jeff Ryan is 31st in points per outing (3.08). Goalie Brandon Freeman is 21st in goals-against average (8.36) and 20th in save percentage (.563).

In Columbus

Ohio State remained undefeated at home with its 8-2 win over Quinnipiac March 28, improving to 5-0 on the year. The team had three wins inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center (Detroit 21-1, Bucknell 10-9 OT, Fairfield 11-6) before downing Robert Morris, 19-13, March 13 and the Bobcats in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

Buckeyes vs. Irish

Ohio State trails the all-time series with Notre Dame, 21-25, and is looking to stop a five-game losing streak against the Irish. The Buckeyes’ last win over Notre Dame was March 31, 2004 in South Bend (9-8).

Last season, the teams met twice. In the regular-season finale April 27 the Irish won 17-12 on their home field. The teams faced off the next week in the GWLL tournament championship game, with Notre Dame winning, 9-2.

In Columbus, Ohio State leads, 11-10. The teams last met in Columbus April 28, 2007, when Notre Dame won, 12-6. Ohio State’s last win over the Irish in Columbus was April 6, 2003 (11-5).

Eye on the Irish

Notre Dame is 12-0 this year, the only undefeated team in Division I, with a 4-0 ledger in GWLL play to already clinch at least a share of the league regular-season title. The team won at Quinnipiac last Saturday (10-2) and returned home to down St. John’s, 12-2, last Sunday. The Irish rank first nationally in team defense, holding opponents to 6.08 goals a game while scoring 11.33 to rank 10th in the nation. The squad is in the Top 15 nationally in man-up offense (.400) and man-down defense (.737).

Duncan Swezey has a team-best 34 points and shares the assist lead with Peter Christman with 14 each. Grant Krebs has a team-high 24 goals and is tied with Neal Hicks (19g, 13a) for second with 32 points each. Ryan Hoff is second with 23 goals, followed by Swezey with 20. Andrew Irving has a team-best 41 groundballs. Trever Sipperly (.541) and Jake Marmul (.528) both rank in the Top 30 nationally in face-off win percentage. In net, Scott Rodgers leads the nation in goals-against average (6.11) and save percentage (.665).

Up Next

Ohio State will travel to Birmingham, Mich., for the Great Western Lacrosse League tournament, with the tourney champion earning the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.

* * * *

Notes from Notre Dame

The third-ranked Fighting Irish will travel to Ohio State for a key Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) clash on Saturday. The contest is slated for an 11:00 a.m. (ET) start at Ohio Stadium. Notre Dame enters play as the only undefeated team in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse with a 12-0 mark, while Ohio State is 7-6. The Irish are 4-0 in conference play and the Buckeyes are 3-1.

SHOWDOWN IN THE SHOE

Saturday’s ‘Showdown in the Shoe’ between the Fighting Irish and Buckeyes will precede Ohio State’s Scarlet and Gray spring football game … last season, Ohio State played host to Denver in front of 29,601 fans in the inaugural ‘Showdown in the Shoe’.

ABOUT THE IRISH

Notre Dame improved its record to 12-0 with wins over Quinnipiac (10-2) and St. John’s (12-2) last weekend … the Irish are enjoying the best start to a season and longest win streak in program history … Notre Dame ranks first nationally in team defense with a 6.08 goals-against average … the Irish are 10th in scoring offense (11.33) … Scott Rodgers ranks first among all Division I goalies in goals-against average (6.10) and save percentage (.665) … junior midfielder Grant Krebs has a team-best 24 goals … his 32 points are tied for second on the squad … senior attackman Duncan Swezey has a team-high 34 points on 20 goals and 14 assists … the 14 assists tie him for team-high honors along with junior midfielder Neal Hicks … Kevin Corrigan is in his 21st season as the head coach of Notre Dame … he has a 193-95 (.670) record during his Fighting Irish tenure.

ND-OHIO STATE SERIES NOTES

Saturday will be the 33rd meeting all-time between the Fighting Irish and Buckeyes … Notre Dame owns a 23-9 advantage against Ohio State … the Irish have won the last five meetings in the series, including two wins last season … Notre Dame topped Ohio State, 17-12, in the 2008 regular-season finale at Alumni Field and the Irish bested the Buckeyes, 9-2, one week later in the championship game of the inaugural GWLL tournament … the series between the two schools dates back to 1981 … Ohio State is the most commonly faced opponent in the history of the Notre Dame program … the Irish are 9-6 all-time at Ohio State … Notre Dame came away with a 12-6 victory during the last meeting in Columbus, which came during the 2007 season … the Buckeyes’ last win in the series was a 9-8 decision at Notre Dame in 2004.

THE LAST TIME

In the title game of the inaugural GWLL tournament, Notre Dame topped Ohio State 9-2 in Birmingham, Mich. … after the Buckeyes tied the game, 1-1, at the 12:01 mark of the first quarter, Notre Dame scored the game’s next four goals to claim a 5-1 lead at halftime … Ohio State cracked the scoring column for the second and final time with 5:01 remaining in the third quarter … the Fighting Irish went on another 4-0 run to close the game and capture the crown … Peter Christman, Ryan Hoff and Grant Krebs all scored two goals for the Irish … Notre Dame goalie Joey Kemp had an outstanding performance by making 18 saves in the win.

SCOUTING OHIO STATE

The Buckeyes are 7-6 overall and 3-1 in GWLL play … Ohio State is coming off a 16-10 win at Denver on April 19 … the Buckeyes fell at Air Force, 9-6, on April 18 … Ohio State’s other wins have come against Detroit (21-1), Bucknell (10-9 in ot), Fairfield (11-6), Robert Morris (19-13), Quinnipiac (8-2) and Bellarmine (11-7) … the Buckeyes have fallen to Navy (8-6), Penn State (11-5), UMBC (9-8 in ot), Colgate (9-4) and North Carolina (12-11) … Ohio State is 5-0 at home this season … the Buckeyes offense is averaging 10.41 goals per game, while the defense is giving up 8.11 a game … Joel Dalgarno leads the team in goals (29) and assists (22) … Jeff Ryan has 25 goals and 15 assists … Brandon Freeman has seen the majority of minutes in goal and carries a 8.36 goals-against average and a .562 save percentage … Ohio State returned seven starters and 33 letterwinners from last season’s squad that went 11-6 overall and 4-1 in GWLL play … the Buckeyes advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the first time in program history before falling to Duke, 21-10 … head coach Nick Myers is in his first season at the helm of the Buckeye program.

GWLL DOMINANCE

Notre Dame is 59-10 (.855) all-time in Great Western Lacrosse League regular-season play … the Irish have won 17 of their last 18 games against GWLL opponents … this is the 16th season for the GWLL … Notre Dame has gone undefeated in GWLL play on seven occasions … the last unblemished league mark for the Irish came in 2007 when they went 5-0 … Notre Dame has won 11 GWLL regular-season titles … the Irish have won the title outright seven times, while earning a share of the crown four times … last season, Notre Dame captured the inaugural GWLL tournament.

IRISH DEFENSE BEST IN THE NATION

The Notre Dame defense ranks first in the nation with a 6.08 goals-against average … that mark is on pace to eclipse the program-record mark of 6.66 from the 2007 season … this season, the Fighting Irish have held opponents to seven goals or fewer in nine games and have yet to allow more than nine goals in a single contest … the Irish had the nation’s fifth-best scoring defense in 2008 by allowing 7.04 goals per game … in 2007, Notre Dame ranked fourth nationally with the 6.66 mark.

BIG EAST AWAITS

The 2009 season will be the last for Notre Dame in the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) … the Fighting Irish will begin play in the BIG EAST Conference in 2010 … the six other conference schools that will participate in the newly-formed league are Georgetown, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse and Villanova … the teams will play a six-game single round-robin regular season schedule … the BIG EAST will apply for an automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA Championship field … men’s lacrosse will be the BIG EAST’s 11th men’s sport while the Conference conducts 13 women’s sports … Notre Dame already is a member of the BIG EAST in 23 other sports … Notre Dame has been a member of the GWLL since 1994 … the Fighting Irish have captured 11 regular-season GWLL titles in addition to winning the inaugural GWLL Tournament in 2008.

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