Senior attack Alex Wharton sealed a 7-6 victory for the Irish over No. 17 Loyola (Md.) Saturday in Baltimore by scoring with 3:33 remaining in the season-opener for both squads.
The Irish used a variety of weapons offensively, finishing with a different player scoring each of the seven goals.
No. 10 Notre Dame started the first quarter strong, netting three scores before the Greyhounds tallied any. Loyola ended its scoring drought with an early second-quarter score courtesy of sophomore attack Collin Finnerty. After trading a few more goals, Notre Dame found itself ahead of Loyola 5-2 at the half.
The third quarter, however, was all Loyola's. The Greyhound attack scored three times to tie the game at five with one quarter remaining.
The Irish stopped the bleeding when freshman midfielder Zach Brenneman put one past Loyola freshman goaltender Jake Hagelin for a 6-5 Notre Dame advantage. Senior attack Shane Koppens fired right back and tied the game at six with fewer than seven minutes left in regulation.
"It was a good win," Irish senior goaltender Joey Kemp said. "[Loyola] is top-20. They will beat a lot of teams [this season]. It's a win, and it's a learning experience."
Junior midfielder Dan Gibson, sophomore attack Colin Igoe, junior attack Duncan Swezey and Wharton all recorded one goal and one assist for the Irish. Junior attack Ryan Hoff also netted a goal while sophomore attack Neal Hicks added an assist.
On the defensive side, Kemp made 13 stops for Notre Dame while picking up the victory.
"My performance was pretty good," Kemp said. "I give credit to my defense."
Koppens and junior attack Jake Wilcox led Loyola offensively. Koppens finished the game with one goal and three assists while Wilcox added two scores and one assist. Freshman attack Matt Langan and sophomore attack Cooper MacDonnell each netted one goal to aid the effort. In net, Hagelin finished with 11 stops.
The Irish play next on Sunday, beginning their home slate against Penn State at 1 p.m. in the Loftus Center.
Notes:
uLoyola held an advantage on total shots over Notre Dame with a final tally of 34-32. The Irish were slightly better in face-offs, however. They won nine of 17 attempts.
uNotre Dame has now won six straight season openers, a school record. The Irish have also beaten the Greyhounds in two straight openers. Last year, Notre Dame won in Loftus, 9-7.
