Opponent Preview: What to know ahead of Duke

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After falling to two top-10 opponents in its first three games, Syracuse defeated then-No. 2 Notre Dame 16-14 on Feb. 24.

The Orange trailed 10-6 at halftime but rallied behind a 6-1 third quarter to take a 12-11 lead. Olivia Adamson and Natalie Smith led SU’s comeback by scoring a combined six second-half goals. The pair leads Syracuse in goals with 13 each.

After picking up its first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season, No. 4 Syracuse gets another chance to collect a conference win. SU welcomes Duke to the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday. In its six games, the Blue Devils are 3-3 and have dropped all three of their matchups versus ranked teams.

Here’s everything you need to know before Syracuse (2-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) faces Duke (3-3, 0-1 ACC):

All-time series

Syracuse leads 8-2.

Last time they played…

Then-No. 2 SU defeated then-No. 15 Duke 16-10 on March 18, 2023. The win marked SU’s ninth straight win to start the season.

The score was tied 6-6 before the Orange went on a 7-0 scoring run in the third quarter. SU maintained its advantage in the final 15 minutes for the win.

In a game where Syracuse completely dominated the second half, Megan Carney led the Orange with five goals. Emma Tyrrell and Emma Ward each added three goals and two assists.

The Blue Devils report

Through six games, it’s been an up-and-down season for Duke. The Blue Devils started their season on the road, losing 10-9 to then-No. 9 Navy before defeating High Point. Then it returned home and dropped two of three games, falling to then-No. 13 Johns Hopkins and then-No. 19 Clemson. Most recently, Duke defeated Liberty 16-13 on Feb. 26.

The Blue Devils allow 13.17 goals per game, which ranks second-worst in the ACC. Led by head coach Kerstin Kimel, Duke has tried to combat this by using three different goalies, but its .368 save percentage is last in the conference.

In 2023, Duke’s goalie play plagued it too, struggling to a 1-8 ACC record. Last season, it sifted through three goalies and finished with the second-worst save percentage in the conference. On the offensive end, Duke returns Katie DeSimone and Lexi Schmalz, its top two scorers from 2023.

Cole Ross | Digital Design Editor

How SU beats Duke

For Syracuse to win, it must defend DeSimone. The attack has been named to the Tewaaraton Watch List in each of the last three seasons and leads the ACC in goals per game (4.83).

Duke has one more double-digit scorer than Syracuse and has proved its offense can attack opponents in multiple ways. If SU focuses too heavily on DeSimone, Caroline Debellis (13 goals) or Katie Keller (11 goals) could strike shots past Delaney Sweitzer too.

SU’s offense needs to attack early. In Duke’s three losses this season, it hasn’t come back to win when trailing at halftime. Last week, the Orange relied on a six-goal third quarter to defeat the Fighting Irish. That may work against Duke, but an early lead would give SU the momentum it needs to defeat the Blue Devils.

Stat to know: 33.2%

Duke’s defensive struggles has a 33.2% defensive efficiency rating, which ranks 92nd in Division 1, per Lacrosse Reference. In five of their six games, the Blue Devils have allowed 10 or more goals. Meanwhile, Syracuse’s 31% defensive efficiency ranks 19 spots higher than Duke’s.

Courtney Kaufman has played the most minutes of Duke’s three goalies this season and saves shots at a .365 rate. Meanwhile, Sweitzer has saved shots at a .400 rate and has faced three top-10 opponents while Duke has played none.

Player to watch: Katie DeSimone, attack, No. 4

DeSimone has displayed her scoring ability thus far, scoring five or more goals in four games. The senior has led the Blue Devils in goals each of the last three seasons and was named to the All-ACC second team in 2022 and 2023.

Along with her 29 goals, she has dished out seven assists, leading the ACC in points per game (6.0). Through her four seasons with the Blue Devils, Desimone has finished top two in assists twice and ranks second on the team in the category.