#3 Maryland (4-0) vs. #6 Notre Dame (2-1)
When & where: 12 PM EST • Noon • Arlotta Stadium • South Bend, IN
TV: ESPNU • Chris Cotter, Paul Carcaterra
Betting odds: Maryland +2 • O/U: 23.5 (DraftKings)
Maryland is coming off yet another dominant win over a top-15 team and now, they’re set to travel to South Bend, Indiana to take on the defending champs and sixth-ranked Notre Dame, looking to avenge last season’s triple-overtime loss against the Irish.
Maryland is coming off a 13-7 win over Princeton in a game they controlled from the jump. Faceoff man Luke Wierman dominated from the dot going 20-for-23 on faceoff wins which was a large reason Princeton was never able to go on a run. Top that off with a dominating defense and that is a great recipe for success.
Notre Dame are the defending national champions and until last week, they looked to be one of the favorites to make it to Memorial Day and the national championship game once again. Georgetown beat Notre Dame by taking long possessions on offense and not turning the ball over much which kept Notre Dame out of transition. Notre Dame’s offense is at its best when teams are scrambling on defense which happens a lot when in transition. On offense, Notre Dame is led by a pair of brothers in Pat and Chris Kavanagh. Pat was a Tewaaraton Award finalist last season and is already up to 15 points in three games this season, totaling three goals and 12 assists. Chris is tied for second on the team in total points scored with 13 off of eight goals and five assists.
While the Kavanaghs will be the main focus for Maryland, two players to watch out for on Notre Dame’s offense are Eric Dobson and Jordan Faison. Faison is a two-sport athlete as he also plays football for Notre Dame as a wide receiver. Faison is a very fast and quick midfielder who tends to isolate his defender and try to run by or dodge them, and he does so fairly well either getting himself an open shot or causing a slide and getting someone else on the offense an open shot. Dobson is a massive 6-foot-5, 235-pound midfielder who has a very powerful shot and uses his size to get open and bully his defenders. If Dobson has any room he will rip it and it will be very hard to see his shot because of how powerful it is. Nick Redd and Eric Kolar will need to have one of their best games ever this weekend if they want to slow down this Notre Dame offense.
On defense for Notre Dame, they are led by all-American goalie Liam Entenmann. Entenmann is saving the ball at a 51% rate so far this season and has not looked like his usual self so far. If Entenmann is on his game, it will be a very hard time for the Terps offense to score much this weekend. Outside of Entenmann, Notre Dame is led defensively by Ben Ramsey and Chris Conlin. Ramsey is a stout short-stick defensive midfielder who will look to shut out the Terps’ top two offensive midfielders while Conlin is a close defender and will look to shut down the Terps attack unit. More than likely, Conlin will be matched up with Braden Erksa for the Terps. If so, expect Erksa to use his speed and quickness to try and get open and set himself up for open shots. If the Terps want to win, they must copy Georgetown’s offensive blueprint from last week. Take long possessions and do not settle for bad shots or turn it over. If the Terps can take care of the ball and keep it out of Notre Dame’s offensive side of the field, I like their chances at pulling off the road win.
The game is set to face off at 12 PM EST and will air on ESPNU.
Prediction: Maryland, 11-10
This game will be a very physical and emotional game with both teams being very defensive-minded and there being so much history between both programs. The face-off and the ability to clear the ball will be very important this weekend. If Wierman is able to dominate at the dot and the Terps can keep the ball out of Notre Dame’s side of the field, they should be able to pull out the win. However, it will not be easy with Notre Dame looking to prove they are still one of the teams to beat in the country. No matter who wins, I see this game going to overtime because of how good and hungry both teams will be on Sunday. But due to Maryland having a good history of winning at Notre Dame, I like the Terps’ chances of winning.
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