Basketball season is over in Queens, but the men’s lacrosse team staged its own version of March Madness on Saturday.
St. John’s upset top-ranked Notre Dame, 12-10, on Saturday at Arlotta Stadium on South Bend, Ind., for the program’s first-ever victory over the No. 1 team in the nation and first win at Notre Dame in the program’s short history. The 20th-ranked Red Storm improved to 7-2 on the year — with three wins coming over ranked foes.
“I’m very proud of our effort today,” St. John’s coach Jason Miller said. “We prepared well this week, and it showed on the field. We had a great effort at the faceoff X, on the ride and in groundball battles and the scoreboard reflected that at the end of the game.”
Kevin Cernuto led the Johnnies attack with four goals and three assists, which tied a career-high in points. Cernuto recorded his fifth hat trick in his last six games and has accumulated 23 goals and 12 assists on the year. Kieran McArdle added three goals and two assists, Colin Keegan scored another two goals and finished with two goals and an assist of his own.
Goalie Jeff Lowman registered 13 saves, nine in the first half, and moved into second on the school’s all-time saves list with 582. Senior captain Dillon Ayers picked up six groundballs and forced two turnovers.
St. John’s has now won four straight games, the longest winning streak in the Big East. The streak began when Miller shaved his head for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a charity for children with cancer.
zbraziller@nypost.com