The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team came into the 2020 season ranked 8th in the nation. They squared off against Cleveland State University in their first game of the season, defeating the Vikings easily by the score of 17-7, scoring 13 unanswered goals at one point in the contest.
Following the defeat of Cleveland State, Notre Dame would jump from the 8th ranked team in the nation to the 6th ranked team. After the jump in rankings, the team would face off against a 17th ranked Richmond team that had also jumped two spots in the national rankings prior to the contest.