Notre Dame Beats Syracuse 15-7, Advances to Monday's Title Game

Notre Dame beat Syracuse 15-7 on Saturday at Scott Stadium, and the Irish are headed to the NCAA national title game against Princeton. The win pushed Notre Dame into the championship game for the third time in four years and came with Syracuse held to a season-low seven goals.

Scott Stadium Start

Notre Dame opened fast and never let Syracuse settle. The Irish scored four times in the first 12 minutes for a 4-0 lead, then watched the No. 6 seed answer with three goals in the final two minutes of the first quarter to cut it to 4-3.

That was as close as Syracuse got. Notre Dame led 7-4 at halftime, then stretched the margin to 9-4 after scoring twice in the first nine minutes of the third quarter. Syracuse clawed back again with the last three goals of the third to make it 9-7, but the Irish closed the door in the fourth.

Josh Yago And The Finish

Josh Yago drove the attack with three goals and seven assists, giving him 54 points on the season with 31 goals and 23 assists. Brock Behrman added two goals and two assists, Will Maheras posted one goal and three assists, and Max Busenkell and Luke Miller each scored twice.

Thomas Ricciardelli backed that up with 14 saves, and Notre Dame won the special-teams battle as well. The Irish finished 5-for-6 on extra-man opportunities, scored once while down a man, and held Syracuse to 0-for-5 on its own extra-man chances.

Princeton Awaits Monday

Notre Dame scored three times during a two-minute non-releasable penalty on Syracuse in the fourth quarter, the burst that turned a tight game back into control. Princeton now waits at Scott Stadium for the title game Monday, May 25, at 1 p.m. ET on.