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After Syracuse lost to Notre Dame 18-11 behind Pat Kavanagh’s nine-point performance in the Carrier Dome, SU’s Brett Kennedy said the solution was simple. Kavanagh hadn’t done anything that the Orange didn’t expect, the Syracuse long-stick midfielder said postgame on April 3 — the Orange’s defense was “outworked” by the UND star.

Head coach John Desko said that outing was as good as he’d seen the sophomore play, but he said Kavanagh’s abilities as the quarterback of UND’s offense was “no secret” coming into the matchup.

“We knew what he was going to do, and we just honestly didn’t stop it,” Kennedy said then. “Hats off to him, but we got to do better than that.”

But Saturday afternoon, in Syracuse’s rematch with Notre Dame, Kavanagh did it again.

The sophomore attack set a Notre Dame (7-3, 3-3 Atlantic Coast) record for the most points in a single game, finishing with 10-points that consisted of five goals and five assists. He operated from X for most of the game, alternating between dishing passes to cutters or charging the cage. Kavanagh scored or assisted on four of five consecutive goals during the Fighting Irish’s second-quarter outburst, one that earned them a lead they continued to build on throughout the second half.

He dissected a depleted Syracuse (6-5, 2-4) defense that was without starter Nick DiPietro and short-stick defensive midfielders Brendan Aviles and Dami Oladunmoye. Kavanagh drew slides in SU’s defense, ones that frequently came too late. By the end of Syracuse’s 22-8 loss on Saturday, Kavanagh had contributed to nearly half of the Fighting Irish’s goals.

“It’s what he does,” Desko said postgame. “He sees the field well, he understands their offense … quiet but tremendous day at five (goals) and five (assists).”

Postgame, Desko said that Mitch Wykoff — who first guarded Kavanagh — wasn’t beaten off the dodge often, attributing the attack’s success to Syracuse’s inability to switch and slide when necessary. And with UND down two goals in the opening minutes, Kavanagh used a pick set by his teammate to leave Wykoff behind. Kavanagh lofted a skip pass over Will Yorke’s head and into the stick of Griffin Westlin, who had uncovered near the far post. The pass through traffic set Westlin up for an easy goal.

“When the ball’s in his stick, you can just see the Notre Dame players working harder off the ball,” Desko said of Kavanagh postgame. “You know if they get open, he’s going to find them.”

Later in the first quarter, Kavanagh started at X once again, coming around the right side himself. He beat Cole Horan with a quick dodge and anticipated the slide from Syracuse’s short-stick defensive midfielder Peter Dearth. Kavanagh squeezed into a gap between the two and fired a shot as he got sandwiched from both sides. The goal gave UND a 3-2 lead moments after Kavanagh tried the same move against Grant Murphy but shot just wide.

Kavanagh also took advantage of scrappy play, too. When the ball was jarred loose at the edge of Syracuse’s crease and a mob of players swarmed in that direction, Kavanagh was there to scoop up the loose rebound. He flipped the ball — backhanded — between his legs and past Porter after taking contact from Murphy. The highlight-reel goal put UND up by 11 goals in the third quarter.

Pat Kavanagh’s five goals and five assists propelled UND over SU this afternoon. Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA Today Sports

He also capitalized on SU’s defensive struggles by getting to the ball first on numerous occasions. In the second quarter, amid Notre Dame’s run of six unanswered goals, Eric Dobson unloaded a deep shot that Porter denied. But the ball trickled just outside the crease, and SU’s defenders were slow to react. Kavanagh was there, right in front of the goal, to shovel it in on the rebound.

In the second quarter, down by four goals, Jakob Phaup won the faceoff and used a back-door exit to try and connect with Murphy on a pass toward his own net. Kavanagh lept in the passing lane and intercepted it, one of SU’s 16 turnovers, a mark that tied its second-most of the season.

Kavanagh spun, exploded downfield and beat Porter and an unprepared SU defense to stretch UND’s lead to five.

With Notre Dame’s cushion already more than comfortable and the game all but over in the third quarter, Kavanagh went back to X. With no pressure in his face, and Syracuse’s defense awaiting his move, Kavanagh took his time before finding former SU player David Lipka.

He did it once more a few minutes into the fourth period, this time connecting with Westlin to break the UND single-game record. He headed off the turf at Arlotta Stadium, and his team would go on to score twice more after his departure. But the budding sophomore attack and Tewaaraton Award nominee had already contributed to nearly half of his team’s goals.

“He’s terrific,” Desko said.

Published on May 1, 2021 at 4:53 pm

Contact Roshan: [email protected] | @Roshan_f16