SOUTH BEND —Ben Ramsey doesn’t just lead Notre Dame lacrosse onto the field to the sound of bagpipes, a skill he’s had to pick up this season.
The senior short-stick midfielder and team captain continues to guide the two-time defending national champions through an ever-winding road to potential history.
Up next for the unseeded Irish is Sunday’s quarterfinal matchup against fifth-seeded Penn State (11-4) in Annapolis, Md. The opening face-off is set for noon.
“I think we’ve found ourselves in a lot of ways,” Ramsey said ahead of the NCAA Tournament. “We’ve found ourselves to be really resilient, coming back in two big games (UNC and Penn). We’re trying to get a lot of our grit and dog back. That’s something we’ve dealt with all year.”
Those signature qualities were on full display in the first-round rout of No. 4 Ohio State on the road. In storming to a ninth straight postseason victory, the Irish climbed out of an early hole and finished out the 15-6 win with eight of the final nine tallies.
It was entirely fitting that Ramsey helped the turnaround with a rare goal during a stretch of six unanswered goals in the second period.
“He means everything,” sophomore midfielder Jordan Faison said of the 6-foot, 200-pound Ramsey. “He’s a leader, a captain, a guy you want to follow. A role model, both on and off the field.”
Those mood-setting strains of “Scotland the Brave” are only part of the motivation Ramsey provides his teammates.
“He gets on the field — very vocal,” Faison said. “He shows he’s a leader through his actions as well: the way he plays, the amount he gives to this team and this program. It’s something you want to follow. A great leader, a great guy.”
When Ben Ramsey was ‘caught napping’ vs. Ohio State
So goes the refrain around this proud program, one that slogged through an 8-4 prelude to the part of the year the Irish have come to dominate.
That runup included a 10-9 home loss to the Buckeyes back on March 8, when Ramsey had an up-close view of the tying and winning goals, the latter of which came with seven seconds remaining.
The coaching point for Ramsey after that point-blank shot sent the Irish to defeat?
“Pay attention,” coach Kevin Corrigan said.
The staff adjusted as well.
“Part of that, when I look back at that game, he played too many minutes that game,” Corrigan said. “He got caught napping a little bit at the end there. There’s a price to be paid for everything that you do, every decision that you make.
“Part of the price of us having him and having use of all the things that he can do is to make sure we don’t overplay him so he’s not at his best at the end of the game when we need him to be.”
Thomas Ricciardelli, the junior goalie in his first year as a starter, blamed himself for the deciding goal that day.
“I guessed on that last shot,” he said. “That was kind of on me. I definitely got a good look at it. Plays like that, I won’t let them happen again.”
With Ramsey riding opposing attackmen away from their preferred shooting angles, the Irish have been one of the sport’s stingiest defenses all year.
“He’s so good in every regard,” Ricciardelli said. “Him and the whole defense. They all play their individual roles super well, but Ben is just a Swiss Army knife. He could do whatever.”
On virtually any stretch of the 110-by-60 yard field.
“He can go out and guard,” Ricciardelli said. “You saw him a few times playing offense and scoring goals. It’s really nice to have a guy like that who’s just willing to do anything for the team.
“And he’s such a good captain for us. His voice is very powerful in the locker room, and the stuff that he says is very positive. Always encouraging us, never getting down on us. Great friend, great teammate and obviously a great player.”
Ben Ramsey is the ‘backbone’ of Notre Dame lacrosse defense
Fellow captain Chris Kavanagh, the team’s leading scorer and one of five Tewaaraton Award finalists, has a deep appreciation for Ramsey as well.
While Kavanagh and fellow senior attackman Jake Taylor were selected with the first two picks of the second round in last week’s Premier Lacrosse League draft, Ramsey went in Round 4 (28th overall) to the Boston Cannons.
“He’s been the backbone of the defense,” Kavanagh said. “Obviously, short stick D-middies don’t get a lot of praise, but they get attacked all game. I have a lot of respect for him and the short stick D-middie room because they don’t say much. They don’t complain.”
And in Ramsey’s case, the vocal leadership never drops off.
“He’s done a good job as a captain,” Kavanagh said, “the leader of this year’s team.”
Plucked from Palo Alto, Calif., where nearby Stanford is limited to club lacrosse, Ramsey is the product of two college athletes. Adam Ramsey, his father, played club lacrosse at Maryland, while his mother Rachael played field hockey at St. Michael’s College in Vermont.
“Ben’s a great leader,” Corrigan said. “He’s a great defensive player. He’s a versatile guy who can give us good minutes at both ends of the field. There aren’t a lot of guys like him in the college game.
“It’s evolved away from guys like that. We think he’s a bit of a throwback in that way. Love the versatility and love all the things he brings to the table for us.”
Heading into his 59th career game, Ramsey offers a captain’s perspective for a team trying to win the 2025 national title. As he’ll often remind his teammates, it’s not about the pressure of trying to pull off the first three-peat since Princeton in 1996-98.
“Complete different team, completely new team,” Ramsey said. “All we’re trying to do is just figure out this journey. We love our seed. We’re fired up whoever we get.”
That’s because Ramsey remembers so well the pain of his freshman year.
“Looking back to 2022, when we didn’t make the tournament my freshman year, that team would’ve been grateful to just get a shot,” he said. “We have that shot and we’re ready to take advantage of it, for sure.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Why Ben Ramsey means so much to Notre Dame lacrosse in its three-peat bid
Reporting by Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
