Utah Lacrosse’s Magical Season Ends Against Notre Dame At NCAAs
May 13, 2023, 4:14 PM | Updated: May 15, 2023, 1:59 pm
The Utes have generally been a high-flying offensive team, but struggled to put up points against the Irish, falling to an early 8-0 deficit in the first quarter that they never were able to fully recover from. Notre Dame went on to win the game and advance in convincing fashion, 20-7.
Despite not having the storybook ending on the 2023 season, Utah has a lot to be proud of, and a great foundation to keep building the program heading into 2024.
Final Score: Notre Dame 20, Utah 7
Not the ending we wanted, but history was made this season. Be proud of this team, be proud of this program.
Team first, move forward together ❤️#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/Rmvy3hPG9Q
— Utah Lacrosse (@UtahLacrosse) May 13, 2023
Utah’s Meteoric Rise
Second-year head coach Andrew McMinn couldn’t be prouder of his fledgling program and how far they have come in a short time. The Utes have only been a part of the ASUN Conference for two years and have competed in two-straight conference championships, winning this year, and earning the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships to take on Notre Dame.
“It was incredible and so deserving for those guys with the work they’ve put in and how they’ve carried themselves throughout the year,” McMinn said. “It wouldn’t have been right if it didn’t culminate in that type of success. Of course, it doesn’t always work out that way, but these guys have carried themselves at such a high level on and off the field the entire season. It was very well deserving to say the least for every one of those guys out there to accomplish what they did.
Not the ending @UtahLacrosse wanted, but what a great season for a new team on the rise. Can’t wait to see how they continue to grow and evolve as a program in the coming years.#GoUtes #UteProud
— Michelle Bodkin (@BodkinKSLsports) May 13, 2023
Putting A Bow On Utah Lacrosse’s End Against Notre Dame
Utah took 37 shots, including 23 on goal against Notre Dame while also picking up 27 ground balls and nine caused turnovers in their loss to the Fighting Irish.
The Utes, while still very new to Division I lacrosse, have continued to improve drastically each of their five years of existence. 2023 saw Utah win 22 games over the span of the past two years along with 14-straight regular season ASUN games. Utah finished the season 12-5 overall along with its 9-0 ASUN record. The Utes’ 12 wins this year is a season record for the fledgling program.
Monday Mood 🏆 #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/dL92NlM2W6
— Utah Lacrosse (@UtahLacrosse) May 8, 2023
In just two seasons with the ASUN Conference, Utah has already won back-to-back regular season titles, while also winning the Conference Tournament one out of two years. The Utes’ 2023 roster consists mostly of underclassmen and juniors, making the outlook for a strong return in 2024 look very promising.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
