The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team has been incredible this season. Through eight games, they sit at 7-1 and are ranked No. 2 in the country with a chance to become No. 1 if they earn a win on Saturday against No. 1 North Carolina. A lot has helped the Irish get to this point, and one of the main contributions is the Irish are able to find offensive production. One of those underrated pieces is sophomore midfielder Matt Jefferey. The reigning ACC freshman of the year has 8 goals and 5 assists so far this season, exceeding his totals from last season in both aspects. He has picked up a point in all but one of the games this year and has 4 goals in the past 3 games.
Jefferey’s strength is his ability to dodge, and that was put on display with the assist he picked up against former No. 2 Richmond last Saturday, April 4. He put together a fantastic dodge which forced other defenders to commit to blocking him in order to not let him take a shot. Because of that, he was able to find a wide-open graduate attack Josh Yago who converted on the shot attempt, the third goal in the 8-0 run the Irish put together to start the game.
That first quarter of the Richmond game was the main reason they were able to overcome the Spiders, and it was especially meaningful for the Irish because of their matchup a week prior. The Irish were defeated by the Virginia Cavaliers largely because they were shutout in the fourth quarter.
When speaking with Jefferey, he said the offense has “definitely felt that, you know, misconnection of not being able to score at certain times during the game, and then going on different runs.”
“But I feel after that game, we realized, took a look back, and tried to figure out where our weaknesses are and where we need to improve, and I think it starts right off in the beginning of the game,” he continued.
The Irish have started fast a couple of times this year, but nothing compares to what they were able to do in that Richmond game, and that first quarter shows the potential of the Irish to be one of the best offenses in the country. Jefferey also highlighted how the unit is less star-focused than previous years.
“I think our whole entire offense is very talented, and each player has the ability to score and make plays, and I feel like that ability to have six guys all working around, moving together, working in unison throughout the offense has definitely shown a lot more this year,” Jefferey said.
Certainly, after the loss of the entire starting attack from last season, Notre Dame was going to need guys to step up. Every offensive player that plays regular minutes, whether at attack or midfield, has been able to contribute heavily this year which brought the Irish success this season. Jefferey said the defense’s talent has supported the offense and play at a high level this year.
“I think it gives us confidence knowing that our defense has got our backs at all times, knowing that if we turn the ball over, go a little bit aggressively to the cage and don’t get that scoring opportunity, we know that our defense has our backs,” Jefferey said. “The best lacrosse teams are always well-rounded, and the Irish have certainly shown that ability so far this year.”
Although junior wide receiver Jordan Faison may be the more well-known player that played both football and lacrosse for the Irish, Jefferey has taken a similar route. The Cheshire, Connecticut, native was on the depth chart at wide receiver this past season as well, and he cited his football skills have aided him as a lacrosse player in many ways.
For Jefferey, football helps him from an “overall physicality standpoint, building endurance over the fall and strength and building up speed.”
“I feel like I’ve gained a lot of different ways of dodging [and] using my abilities, and in the football realm of going in different routes, running different routes and just tracking the ball in a different way than lacrosse,” Jefferey continued.
Several of those elements have been very apparent in Jefferey’s play this year. Near the end of the Ohio State game, when the Irish were up by 1, he jumped to catch a long pass to keep the ball inbounds and got hit incredibly hard by an Ohio State defender. Jefferey hit the deck, but then got up a split second later, still having possession of the ball in his pocket and dodged through five different defenders to keep the play alive.
Additionally, he talked about his ability to dodge, and not only did his assist in the Richmond game make that clear, but the way his goals have been scored also is clear evidence of that as of his 8 goals this season, 7 have been unassisted, showing that he’s been able to create a lot of his opportunities himself.
Irish head coach Kevin Corrigan offered very high praise for Jefferey as well, referring to him as a “party starter” for the team.
“He’s a guy that can kind of beat his matchup and make the defense move a little bit, and everybody’s job gets a little easier when the defense is moving,” Corrigan said. “He’s a competitive guy. He puts himself out there every game.”
Later, Corrigan joked, “Sometimes I wish he’d put himself out there less. He’s taken a beating because he just puts himself right in the mix, but that’s who he is.”
Heading into the game against North Carolina, the Irish are going to need the whole team to play at their highest level. If the offense is going to succeed in their search for top spot in the nation, Jefferey is going to need to continue displaying the excellence he has made his trademark in his time for the Irish.
