No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 7 Maryland meet in a battle of the last two national champions in the NCAA men's lacrosse national championship game Monday.
Game time is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Notre Dame (15-1) is looking to repeat after winning its first national championship in 2022 under longtime coach Kevin Corrigan. The Irish lead the nation in goals per game (15.69), rank second in goals allowed (9.19), and beat No. 5 Denver 13-6 in the national semifinal. A national championship would reserve the Irish's spot among the greatest teams of all time.
Will No. 7 Maryland (11-5) get in the way? The Terrapins beat No. 6 Virginia 12-6 in the semifinals, but this is no underdog story. Maryland is a blue-blood lacrosse program looking for its fifth national championship. The Terrapins won national titles in 2017 and 2022 under coach John Tillman.
STREAM: Watch the NCAA men's lacrosse championship game live with Fubo (free trial)
A closer look at the men's lacrosse national championship game:
What channel is Notre Dame vs. Maryland on?
The national championship game, like the national semifinals, will be held at Lincoln Financial Field on Memorial Day. The game will be televised on ESPN at 12 p.m. ET.
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | Channel/Live stream |
| Mon., May 27 | No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 7 Maryland | 1 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
🚨 UPDATE 🚨
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) May 26, 2024
Due to expected weather conditions in the area, tomorrows #NCAAMLAX National Championship will begin at 12 PM ET. https://t.co/IeAHEoYe9B
Notre Dame vs. Maryland tournament history
This marks the sixth meeting between the Terrapins and Irish in the NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament. Maryland has a 3-2 advantage in those head-to-head meetings.
The last meeting was an overtime thriller in the 2021 NCAA tournament quarterfinals. Anthony DeMaio scored the game-winner for a 14-13 sudden victory. Here is a look at those past tournament matchups:
| YEAR | ROUND | SCORE |
| 1995 | Quarterfinals | No. 4 Maryland 14, Notre Dame 11 |
| 2009 | First round | Maryland 7, No. 7 Notre Dame 3 |
| 2010 | Quarterfinals | Notre Dame 7, No. 3 Maryland 5 |
| 2014 | Semifinals | No. 6 Notre Dame 11, No. 7 Maryland 6 |
| 2021 | Quarterfinals | No. 3 Maryland 14, No. 6 Notre Dame 13 (OT) |
Notre Dame players to watch
The Kavanagh brothers lead the offense from the attack. Chris Kavanagh leads the Irish with 76 points on 39 goals and 37 assists. Pat Kavanagh has 31 goals and 43 assists. Jake Taylor and Devon McLane have 39 and 36 goals, respectively.
Jordan Faison – a freshman midfielder who doubles as a receiver on the football team, has 21 goals and eight assists. Ben Ramsey is an All-American defensive midfielder for the Irish, too.
Maryland players to watch
Maryland has a balanced attack with five players with at least 30 points. Braden Erksa — who has 24 goals and 17 assists — has the most points. Daniel Maltz — who has 30 goals — is the leading scorer. Eric Spanos (25 goals, 14 assist) and Eric Malever (14 goals, 20 assists) have been productive, and Jack Koras has 22 goals and 10 assists. All-American Ajax Zappitello leads the defense.
Goalie matchup: Liam Entenmann vs. Logan McNaney
Entenmann – a 6-foot-3, 203-pounder for Notre Dame – is a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award. He has a .558 save percentage this season – and he was phenomenal in the semifinal victory against Denver with 12 saves.
Entenmann has a .578 career save percentage in the NCAA tournament. Last year, Entenmann had 18 saves and allowed just nine goals in the championship game. This year, Entenmann has a .528 save percentage in the tournament.
McNaney – a 5-10, 185-pound goalie for Maryland – also has led a national championship run. He has 17 saves and allowed seven goals in the 2022 national title game against Cornell. McNaney has a .511 save percentage this season, and that includes a .545 save percentage in this year’s tournament. He had eight saves in the semifinal victory against Virginia.
Notre Dame vs. Maryland prediction
Notre Dame beat Maryland 14-9 on March 3. Entenmann had 14 saves, and McNaney had nine saves. The goalie play will be a major factor, but the bigger concen for Maryland is slowing down that Notre Dame offensive machine.
The Kavanagh brothers are the facilitators, but McClane, Taylor and Faison scored 10 goals in that first matchup. Faison could be the X-factor player again. How much will Zappitello and the Terrapins' defense be able to disrupt the Irish's sets? Zappitello can be a game-changer on the defensive side.
Maryland had six different players score in that loss, and Maltz was limited to one goal. He will need to be more of a factor in this game. Keep an eye on Daniel Kelly, who had three goals against Virginia. Will the Terps have an out-of-nowhere-hero on the championship stage?
This should be another instant classic. Those five previous tournament games between the schools have been decided by an average of three goals per game. This will one will be closer, but the Irish hang on for their second straight national championship.
Prediction: Notre Dame 12, Maryland 10
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