Notre Dame’s Two Lacrosse Titles—and Its Five NCAA Finals
Notre Dame won NCAA men's lacrosse titles in 2023 and 2024. See all five final results through 2026, plus the numbers behind its repeat championship.
Notre Dame has won two NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse national championships: 2023 and 2024. The Fighting Irish beat Duke 13–9 for their first title, then Maryland 15–5 to repeat. Their latest championship-game appearance ended in a 16–9 loss to Princeton in 2026, leaving Notre Dame with two wins in five NCAA finals through the 2026 season. These are men’s college field lacrosse results, not conference titles or women’s team results. NCAA championship history
Notre Dame’s NCAA championship-game results
Scores below put Notre Dame first, regardless of the winner. “Margin” is Notre Dame’s goals minus its opponent’s goals.
| Season | Opponent | Notre Dame score | Result | Margin | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Duke | 5–6, overtime | Runner-up | −1 | Baltimore |
| 2014 | Duke | 9–11 | Runner-up | −2 | Baltimore |
| 2023 | Duke | 13–9 | Champion | +4 | Philadelphia |
| 2024 | Maryland | 15–5 | Champion | +10 | Philadelphia |
| 2026 | Princeton | 9–16 | Runner-up | −7 | Charlottesville, Virginia |
Source: NCAA Division I men’s championship history, through 2026. A championship-game appearance counts whether the team wins or finishes runner-up; it is not the same as a Final Four appearance.
2023: The first national championship
Notre Dame’s 13–9 victory over Duke delivered the program’s first NCAA title under head coach Kevin Corrigan. The Irish finished 14–2 across the full season, including the NCAA tournament. It was their third final and their third championship-game meeting with Duke, following the losses in 2010 and 2014. NCAA championship history
2024: A repeat built on four decisive wins
The repeat season ended 16–1, with Pat Kavanagh setting a Notre Dame NCAA-tournament single-game record by supplying six assists against Maryland in the final. Chris Kavanagh scored five goals and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Notre Dame’s Pat Kavanagh biography; USA Lacrosse’s final report
The 10-goal winning margin matched Princeton’s 15–5 victory over Maryland in 1998; no intervening men’s Division I final had a margin that large. It was not an all-time largest-margin record. Notre Dame was also the first program to repeat in consecutive years since Duke in 2013 and 2014. NCAA championship history; USA Lacrosse
The dominance extended beyond championship Monday. Notre Dame beat UAlbany 14–9, Georgetown 16–11 and Denver 13–6 before defeating Maryland. Across those four NCAA tournament games, the Irish scored 58 goals and allowed 31: a calculated +27 goal differential, or +6.75 per game. Every win came by at least five goals. NCAA’s 2024 tournament results
2026: A return to the final, not a third title
Notre Dame reached its third final in four seasons but lost to Princeton on May 25, 2026, at Scott Stadium. The Irish led 3–0 before Princeton scored 11 unanswered goals to take an 11–3 halftime advantage. Notre Dame goalkeeper Thomas Ricciardelli made a season-high 19 saves in the defeat. Notre Dame’s championship recap; Ivy League’s final report
For scoring comparisons, the 2023 and 2024 title games produced 22 and 20 combined goals, respectively. Those totals describe the scoreboard; they are not combined player points, which include assists. Keep that distinction when comparing Notre Dame’s finals with the average scoring in an NCAA championship game.