With two minutes left in overtime, Georgetown University men’s lacrosse captain and senior attackman Aidan Carroll had the game in his hands.

Carroll stutter-stepped his way around the left side of the Notre Dame net, trying to shake off a short-stick matchup to increase his shooting angle. Just as Carroll positioned himself in front of the net, he quickly protected his stick to avoid a desperate over-the-head check. 

All was clear for Carroll to take a step-down shot past Notre Dame All-American goalie Liam Entenmann’s hip for a historic upset.

With that goal, the No. 19 Hoyas (2-2) stunned the reigning NCAA champions Fighting Irish (2-1), 11-10, for the program’s first victory against a top-ranked program since 2008. Georgetown prevailed behind a lockdown defensive effort that limited Notre Dame’s star players and several clutch scores, capitalizing on the Fighting Irish’s penalties.

Head Coach Kevin Warne, who notched his 100th career win on the day, said he was proud of the team’s strong presence against a star-studded Notre Dame lineup.

“I’m very, very proud of the guys, and it was in a great environment against a great opponent,” Warne told The Hoya. “I was really pleased with how our team fought back and prepared to walk out of there with the victory.”

Following a ranked win over the University of Pennsylvania (2-1) despite some early season struggles, the Hoyas now faced an explosive Notre Dame offense that had averaged 23 goals over its last two games — and Georgetown’s defense rose to the occasion, holding the Fighting Irish to just one goal in the first quarter. 

Georgetown first-year goalie Anderson Moore, in just his fourth collegiate start, set the tone early, making back-to-back saves. Later in the quarter, sophomore defenseman Charlie McGurrin delivered a sensational check that left Notre Dame star attackman Chris Kavanagh without a stick in his hands, further reinforcing their physicality on defense. 

Both offenses struggled to maintain possession, combining for an unusually high 14 turnovers in the first quarter alone. Nonetheless, graduate midfielder Graham Bundy Jr. opened the scoring for the Hoyas with a rocket of a shot from distance nine minutes into the quarter. The team followed that score with 2 goals to finish with a 3-1 lead at the close of the first quarter.

Notre Dame rallied back to a tie early in the second quarter, but Georgetown answered back behind senior midfielder Chase Llewellyn, who had 2 goals in the contest. He caught an errant pass right in front of the crease, quickly dumping it in the net to secure a 4-3 halftime lead.

The second half began with another goal from Bundy Jr. However, Notre Dame responded with a tandem of goals that tied up the game 5-5. Georgetown then regained the lead via a score from sophomore attackman Patrick Crogan, who face-dodged his defender on his way to burying his fourth goal of the season with 6:25 remaining in the period. 

The third quarter eventually closed with the Fighting Irish tying the game once again at 6-6, setting the stage for an exciting finish. 

Due to numerous mistakes from both teams’ defenders, the fourth quarter was rife with penalties. In the first half of the quarter alone, Georgetown conceded 3 goals while down a man as a result of 3 penalties, unable to hold off the potent Notre Dame offense while a man-down.

Fortunately for the Hoyas, they were able to keep the game close, going goal-for-goal with the Fighting Irish behind scores by Carroll and fellow senior attackman TJ Haley. 

Then, with 5:50 remaining on the clock, the Irish committed a costly mistake, receiving a two-minute, non-releasable penalty that set the Hoyas up a man. Junior attackman Cade Caggiano quickly capitalized by converting a skip pass from Bundy Jr. in front of the goal.

On that goal, a Notre Dame defenseman also cross-checked Caggiano in his neck, providing Georgetown with yet another man-up opportunity. Once again, the team took advantage. This time, Haley — the program’s all-time assists leader — sent an outstanding pass through multiple defenders to Carroll, who scored just outside the crease in diving fashion. With three minutes to go, the Hoyas now had a 10-9 lead.

“We have a couple of plays that we go to, and it was gorgeous — share the ball, look for the best shot,” Carroll told The Hoya. “We were just looking for the best shot possible, instead of the first look.”

Unfortunately, with under a minute remaining, the ball was in Notre Dame’s three-time All-American attackman Pat Kavanagh’s stick, and he made a nifty move to tie the game with 39 seconds remaining. 

After a Fighting Irish faceoff win, Pat Kavanagh had another chance to score, but first-year defenseman Ty Banks played terrific defense to force a turnover. 

Heading into the sudden-death overtime period, it was anyone’s game. 

Notre Dame won the faceoff and promptly called a timeout to draw up a play, but the Georgetown defense did not budge. A save by Moore transitioned the Hoyas to offense, where Carroll then sealed the deal.

“I think Graham Bundy would’ve rather me just throw it up to him to finish off the game, but I think either works,” Carroll joked.

In their outstanding performance, the Hoyas defense held the talented Kavanagh brothers to just 4 total points. Heading into this game, they had combined for 24 points across two contests in this young season. With the upset, Georgetown avenged their 15-8 home loss to the Irish last year. 

The offense saw significant contributions from multiple players. Haley led the team in points with 1 goal and 3 assists, while Bundy added 3 points of his own with 2 goals and 1 assist.

Then, of course, there was Carroll, who tallied his third consecutive hat trick. After seeing limited playing time earlier in his collegiate career due to injuries and team depth, he has quickly become a vital cog in the offensive unit.

“We thought, coming into this season, he had the potential to be a breakout superstar, and he has certainly done that,” Warne said. “I’m very, very proud of him for his path and his journey.”  

Other players who saw increased playing time in the win included Llewellyn, Caggiano and senior defenseman Seamus Foley, who each stepped up as important contributors throughout the game.

“It’s cool to see those guys thrive in those situations — in the big games against the best players,” Carroll said.

Georgetown looks to continue its regular season march at home against Brown (0-3) on March 2. Even with much of the season ahead, Carroll and the rest of the Hoyas have their eyes set on greater ambitions.

“This just shows to us, honestly, that we can compete with anyone.”