Kavanagh brothers power Notre Dame with 37% of lacrosse points

All stats as of April 29

Pat and Chris Kavanagh are leading No. 1 Notre Dame in dominant fashion this season, tallying 37 percent of the Irishโ€™s points. Since Chrisโ€™ freshman season in 2022, the brothers have accounted for at least 36% of Notre Dameโ€™s total points.

The star duo has once again led the Irish to the top of the polls, and the defending national champions are in a prime position to repeat entering the ACC Tournament.

Pat, the 2024 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, led the Irish with 53 points this season, and Chris was right behind him for the third straight season with 50. On April 27, in a matchup with Virginia, Pat broke Notre Dame’s all-time points record.

To illustrate the brothers’ dominance, in their second-to-last game of the regular season, the Kavanaghs either scored or assisted on 11 of the Irishโ€™s 14 goals in a win over North Carolina.

Both are top 20 in points per game in Division Iโ€“ just one of four duos ranked inside the top 25 to accomplish this feat.

The duo has led Notre Dame to the top of nearly every offensive category. The Irish rank first in scoring margin (only team winning by over six goals per game), first in shot percentage (.362), first in man-up offense (71 percent conversion rate, only team converting over 60 percent), second in points per game (25.18) and second in scoring offense (15.82).

Notre Dame holds one of the most potent offenses in the game, but the Irish have been familiar with what the Kavanaghs can do for their program for some time. Pat and Chris are the youngest of five Kavanagh brothers. The second-oldest brother, Matt Kavanagh, played for the Irish from 2013-2016, leading Notre Dame to their second national championship appearance in program history in 2014. Matt left South Bend second all-time in points before Pat knocked him down to third.

๐Ÿ†CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Every DI men’s lacrosse champion since 1971

Pat and Chris got their revenge for Matt last season, taking down Duke in the championshipโ€“ the same team that beat Matt in the 2014 title game. Pat returned to Notre Dame as a graduate student following his senior season with the hopes of continuing the Irishโ€™s run with his brother.

No. 1 Notre Dame will continue its quest to repeat on May 3, when it takes on No. 6 Virginia in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament.

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