Opponent Preview: What to know about No. 4 Duke
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Since its overtime loss against then-No. 4 Army on Feb. 28, No. 6 Syracuse has been on a roll. First Joey Spallina scored a career-high seven goals in a win against High Point. Then the Orange picked up their first top-five win under head coach Gary Gait, defeating then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins 14-13. Syracuse followed up the win with a dominant second-half performance against then-No. 20 Delaware, resulting in a 14-6 victory.
Owen Hiltz led the way with a season-high six goals — the second most in his career— while Spallina added five points (one goal, four assists). On defense, Will Mark registered a season-high 17 saves and earned ACC defensive player of the week.
After three straight wins, Syracuse faces its biggest test yet in No. 4 Duke. Last year, the Blue Devils were the national runners-up and, led by reigning Tewaaraton winner Brennan O’Neill, have started 2024 hot. The game is the first of just four Atlantic Coast Conference games for Syracuse after going 1-4 in conference play last year.
Here is everything to know about No. 4 Duke (8-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) before it faces No. 6 Syracuse (7-2, 0-0 ACC):
All-time series
Syracuse leads 14-9.
Last time they played…
Following a 19-12 loss to then-No. 4 Virginia, Syracuse traveled to Durham for its regular season finale against then-No. 2 Duke. Despite remaining competitive throughout the game, the Orange fell 18-15. After Luke Rhoa tied the game at six in the second quarter, Duke scored four straight to take control.
Spallina led the way with two goals and three assists while the Orange had eight other goalscorers. Faceoff duo Jack Fine and Johnny Richiusa went just 13-for-35 at the X in the loss.
The Blue Devils report
Despite being No. 4, Duke is arguably the most complete team in the country. With the country’s top offense, a top-five defense and an established faceoff specialist, it’s hard to find a weakness on Duke’s roster.
Duke’s explosive offense often overshadows an elite defense that allows just 8.78 goals per game, the fourth-best mark in the country. In its last game, Duke held then-No. 16 Richmond’s offense — which averaged 14.25 goals — to just three. The Blue Devils rank third in the country in forced turnovers per game with 11 — the best mark in the ACC.
At the faceoff X, Duke is just as strong. Jake Nasso has won 62.2% of his faceoffs this year and led the ACC in faceoff percentage last season. Though, Naso is coming off his worst performance since last season’s national championship game. Against Richmond, he went 7-for-16.
How Syracuse beats Duke
O’Neil is going to get his against Syracuse. Last season, the attack had four goals and two assists in each outing. O’Neill is too good to keep quiet for an entire game, so Syracuse should try and shut down Duke’s secondary options in Josh Zawada and Andrew McAdorey.
In what should be a tight game, Syracuse will also have to finish strong. In its losses to Army and Maryland, SU failed to close out games in regulation, resulting in two overtime losses. But the Orange have turned around their second-half play as of late.
An eight-goal third quarter propelled SU to victory against Johns Hopkins and on Saturday it outscored Delaware 8-1 in the second half. If the Orange can remain composed and not turn the ball over in key situations it could have a shot at defeating Duke.
Fernanda Kligerman | Design Editor
Stat to know: 17.89
Duke enters its matchup with Syracuse as the best-scoring offense in the country with 17.89 goals per game. The Blue Devils registered at least 20 goals in four games this season, highlighted by a 23-goal outing against Jacksonville on Feb. 23. Duke has only scored less than 15 goals twice this season with its lowest scoring total (12) coming in a loss to UPenn on March 1.
The Blue Devils have seven players who have scored at least 10 goals this season. Dyson Williams is their leading goal scorer with 3.44 goals per game, the fifth most in the country.
Player to watch: Brennan O’Neill, attack, No. 34
As the reigning Tewaaraton winner, O’Neill is the best player in college lacrosse. In 2023, he recorded 55 goals and 42 assists over 19 games. This season has been much of the same. Just nine games in, O’Neill has 29 goals and 19 assists. Standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 250 pounds, O’Neill is a lot to handle physically.
O’Neill can hurt Syracuse in multiple ways. He can use his body to muscle his way inside along with using his speed and power to rip shots from distance. The Orange have faced talented attackers this season, but O’Neill is the cream of the crop.
