MENS' LACROSSE: Ulrich Sets Assist Record
By MIKE CONNOLLY
Spotts Writer
David Ulrich insists he is just one part of the Notre Dame men's lacrosse team and no more important than any other player.
"We've been playing great as a team all year," he said. "It really doesn't depend on how one person plays."
His head coach, however, disagrees. Kevin Corrigan knows how important the senior attackman who set the Notre Dame record for assists in a career against Butler is to this team.
"David has played great all year. His numbers haven't been what they have been in the past but sometimes the play doesn't come to you," Corrigan said. "We're not the team we are without David Ulrich. I am glad to see him get rewarded with the record today."
Ulrich did more than just break the career assist record against the Bulldogs. He thoroughly dominated and controlled the game in the offensive end. The senior from Baltimore scored three goals and dished off four assists to lead the Irish to a 12-3 win.
Despite his seven point effort, Ulrich doesn't even count this as his best game of the year.
"It's the most I have to show for it," he said. "But I thought my best game of the year was against Virginia and I only had one point."
Ulrich entered the game with 98 assists, two shy of Randy Crowley's record of 100 assists.
It didn't take long for Ulrich to begin his attack on 100. He hit junior Devin Ryan for a goal less than three minutes into the game to move within one of Crowley.
It took a little longer for Ulrich to tie the record but the 100th assist was certainly memorable. In a replay of a goal that was scored many times in their Maryland backyard,
David fired a pass from behind the net to his twin brother Todd who was waiting in front for an easy goal.
Ulrich didn't stop there, however. With 11:59 left in the fourth, passed to Jon Harvey who buried a shot past the Bulldog goalie to set the record for Ulrich.
Harvey and Ulrich hooked up again four minutes later for Ulrich's best assist of the day.
Coming off a timeout, two Bulldog defenders tightly guarded Ulrich at the edge of the box. He quickly juked to his right before slicing between the two defenders and breaking wide open toward the goal.
The remaining Bulldog defenders converged on Ulrich leaving Harvey wide open at the edge of the crease. Ulrich passed him the ball for an easy goal.
"A lot of times teams who are overly aggressive on the double teams will prevent you from going either left of right but they won't stop you from going up the middle," Ulrich said. "You just bait them into thinking you are going one way but then you cut back through the middle."
Ulrich nearly picked up several more assists late in the game but his passes sailed just wide or his teammates' shots clanged off the post.
"I was trying to break [the record] towards the end when I knew the game was in hand," he said. "I was trying to throw it to everyone. My buddy Tom [Glatzel] who usually hits everything I throw him, hit the goalie in the face mask and on the pipe."
All Sports Stories for Thursday, April 19, 2001
