Just arrived at Alumni Stadium in sunny South Bend, Ind. for this NCAA Tournament first round matchup between the Terrapin men’s lacrosse team and Notre Dame.
The venue, which belongs to the Fighting Irish soccer squads, is a glorified high school field. And with ESPNU in the house, there is no room for me in the press box. That means I’m in the bleachers. No worries though, I’m a man of the people.
Despite the underwhelming arena, it’s still a nice backdrop for this first round matchup.
The infamous Touchdown Jesus is in plain view behind the scoreboard, lending an authentic feel to this matchup. On my way over, the taxi driver told me that while the Motioning Messiah is generally associated with the golden domers, he is actually portrayed on the library outside the stadium. Cool.
One benefit of being in the stands is schmoozing with the Terp parents.
I was just chatting with defender Brett Schmidt’s mom. She told me some of the parents went to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart before the game to light candles for the Terps.Couldn’t have done that if the Terps drew Princeton in the first round.
South Bend seems to be a pretty religious place in general. The tiny airport had as many “prayer rooms” (1) as it did eating establishments.
One last note on the environment: Notre Dame needs a longer pregame playlist. I’ve been here 30 minutes and I’ve already heard Good Day by Nappy Roots at least twice. Step your game up, people.
In Terps of actual game notes, nothing major to report as of now.
Both goalies shared time warming up before the team came out. Coach Dave Cottle said the starter would be a “game time decision,” which would seem silly except that the eighth-year coach has proven his ability to waffle over any and every personnel decision. But he likely has a player in mind and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brian Phipps between the pipes for the opening whistle.
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