A season ago, Notre Dame got off to a rough start. The Irish sat at just two and four. But a home matchup against Syracuse in early April changed everything. Notre Dame obliterated SU 22-6 in South Bend behind an eight-goal performance from Jake Taylor and a nine-point performance from Pat Kavanagh. ND would win its last six contests of the year to sit at 10-4 and 5-1 in the ACC. While some people would say that Notre Dame was still on the bubble, most Irish fans felt assured that ND was headed dancing for the 16th straight tournament. That was until one team was left to be announced in the tournament and Notre Dame's name had yet to be called. In the end, a decision was made that left the whole lacrosse world buzzing. Ohio State was the last team into the bracket, ending Notre Dame’s season.
Many around the lacrosse world sounded off at the apparent snub of the Irish both on Twitter and television. ESPN’s Paul Carcaterra voiced his opinion on the selection show immediately following the announcement. “I have a big time issue with Notre Dame being snubbed,” said Carcaterra. “In all my years, I have never recalled a time where there was a team that is in position for one of the at-large bids that could win a national championship. Notre Dame can win a national title.”
Leaving @NDlacrosse out of the tournament is an absolute joke. Complete joke. One of the worst decisions the selection committee has made.
— Anish Shroff (@AnishESPN) May 9, 2022
Clearly - watching games is not necessary to be on the committee.
Clearly, it was a shocking and sudden end to the 2022 campaign for the Irish. Flip the script to this year, and the selection decision has just added fuel to the fire. While head coach Kevin Corrigan tries to wipe the slate clean, he knows his players are hungry for revenge. “I’m not going to lie, I'm sure every one of our guys is motivated in a sense that was in that locker room at that moment,” said the ND head coach. “They are motivated by the disappointment and the reality that we hadn't convinced that committee.” Revenge was no more evident than when ND destroyed the last team into the field from a year ago, Ohio State, 16-3 just a few weeks into the new campaign. While the Irish did drop their conference opener to Virginia, it's been a fully motivated squad running onto the field in blue and gold behind the bagpipes in 2023.