Opponent preview: What to know about No. 2 Duke, Syracuse’s final opponent of the season
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Syracuse lost for the first time in three weeks last Saturday, falling to No. 4 Virginia 19-12 on the road. The Cavaliers jumped out to a 6-0 first-quarter lead and outshot the Orange 60-37. SU tried to rally, getting within five late in the third quarter, but couldn’t overcome the early deficit. Alex Simmons and Cole Kirst combined for seven goals to lead the Orange’s attack.
With the loss — and no Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament — SU now has a 0.0% chance of making the NCAA Tournament, per LacrosseReference. Its next opponent, No. 2 Duke, has a 100% chance, making Saturday’s matchup in Durham, North Carolina more about pride than anything else.
Here’s everything to know about Duke (11-2, 4-1 ACC) before Saturday’s matchup:
All-time series
Syracuse leads 14-8.
Last time they played
The Orange hosted Duke on March 5 in what would become a thrilling back-and-forth affair inside the JMA Wireless Dome. SU got out to a 3-0 lead, and had a 5-1 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The Devils rallied, though, and only trailed by two at the half.
Kirst and Jackson Birtwhistle scored two quick goals to open the third quarter, but Duke proceeded to rattle off six unanswered goals — including two from Brennan O’Neill, who finished the afternoon with a game-high four — to take a 12-10 lead.
Kirst and Finn Thomson scored within 55 seconds of each other to tie the game and force overtime, but Duke’s Charles Balsamo notched an unassisted goal with less than a minute left in the OT period to win it for Duke. The defeat was Syracuse’s third straight. The Blue Devils applied heavy pressure on Will Mark all game, outshooting SU 66-32, behind strong ground ball (44-27 advantage) and faceoff (21-9) performances. Mark finished with a season-high 22 saves.
“The effort by the defense and Will was extraordinary, we had pressure on them all night long,” head coach Gary Gait said postgame.
The Blue Devils report
Duke has been one of the nation’s best teams this season, and is a strong contender for the national championship after not qualifying for the NCAA Tournament last year. After a one-goal loss to Jacksonville in February, the Blue Devils reeled off eight straight wins before falling at Notre Dame on April 8. In its last game two weeks ago, Duke beat Virginia 15-14. Following this game against Syracuse, the Devils will host Merrimack in a tune-up game ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Devils have the nation’s sixth-most efficient offense, per LacrosseReference, and rank fifth in goals per game (15.23). A week after having their hands full with Xander Dickson and Virginia’s top-ranked scoring offense, the Orange’s defense will have another difficult test with Duke’s attack, led by O’Neill, a third-team All-American last season. O’Neill leads the Blue Devils with 65 points and is their best passer. Only senior Dyson Williams has more goals than him with 41.
Defenseman Kenny Brower, an Inside Lacrosse third-team preseason All-American, has guarded opponents’ top attacks for three straight years now and has helped goalie William Helm allow only 11 goals per game this season. Helm, though, has given up at least 14 goals in each of Duke’s past three games.
How Syracuse beats Duke
Syracuse improved at X last Saturday, but its early struggles contributed to Virginia’s sizable first-quarter lead. Unfortunately for the Orange, they’ll face a difficult test — again — on Saturday. Duke ranks fifth nationally, and first among ACC schools, in faceoff percentage (61.4%). Junior Jake Naso has only finished under 50% once this season, and went 21-for-30 against Syracuse in March.
Repeatedly pressed on the issue, Gait has said he’s just hoping Johnny Richiusa or Jack Fine can get comfortable and find some momentum. SU hopes one of them can find some magic on Saturday if it wants to have the ball enough to keep up with Duke’s offense.
When the Blue Devils have the ball, the Orange have to keep a close eye on O’Neill and Williams. UVA’s top scorers slipped through the cracks on multiple occasions, setting up easy goals. And when Syracuse gets the ball, it’ll just have to do what it does best: fire shots and score. The Orange’s offense hasn’t been the problem this season, but they just haven’t had the ball enough to win.
Stat to know: 21.2%
Duke recorded its worst shooting performance of the year (21.2%) the last time it played Syracuse. Of the 66 goals the Blue Devils sent toward goal, only 14 found their way past Mark. Still, they had the ball so much that they squeaked out a road win. Limiting the Devils’ time with the ball on Saturday will be key for SU to emerge with a win.
Player to watch: Brennan O’Neill, attack, No. 34
A three-year starter and the 2021 ACC Freshman of the Year, O’Neill has made a name for himself as one of the nation’s best players. He led Duke with 53 goals and 21 assists last season, and ranks 9th nationally in points per game this year.
O’Neill has registered a hat trick in each of his three career games against Syracuse. Finding a way to contain his passing and scoring has to be a priority for an Orange defense that gave up 19 goals last Saturday, their second-highest total allowed all year.
