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Men's Lacrosse

Opponent preview: What to know about No. 2 Duke

Josh Shub-Seltzer | Staff Photographer

The No. 4 Orange will play their second ACC game of the season and their first road game of the year against the No. 2 Blue Devils.

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Watching the rivalry between Syracuse and Duke when he was younger was one of the reasons goalie Drake Porter came to SU. Gettysburg transfer and defender Mitch Wykoff said the words “Duke week” have been echoing throughout the program since the first practice of the week, words that carry a “different energy” heading into SU’s first away game.

“Everybody’s fired up, it’s a scary sight to see,” Wykoff said on Tuesday ahead of his first Syracuse-Duke matchup. “I wouldn’t (want to) be on the other side of the field.”

The No. 4 Orange (4-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) will play their second ACC game of the season and their first road game of the year against the No. 2 Blue Devils (8-0, 0-0) on Thursday in Durham, North Carolina. The Orange are coming off three consecutive games against unranked opponents Vermont, Stony Brook and Holy Cross.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Blue Devils before Thursday night’s game: 



All-time series

Syracuse leads 13-6

Last time they played

When the two teams met at Cicero-North Syracuse High School in 2019, Brendan Curry missed his first 11 shots before burying his 12th to lift Syracuse to a 9-8 overtime victory over No. 2 Duke. The win kept Syracuse alive in the conference title race as the Orange climbed back from a four-goal deficit at halftime and three-goal one in the fourth quarter. 

Head coach John Desko called it a “bit of a sloppy game,” but Syracuse came alive in the final frame when it needed to. The Orange found the net just three times in the first 51 minutes, but Curry’s overtime goal in the last minute of play rescued SU and cemented its 9-8 win.

The last three meetings between the two teams have been decided by a single goal, with the matchups in 2019 and 2017 going into overtime.

The Duke report

The Blue Devils returned 10 seniors from the 2020 season to build Inside Lacrosse’s preseason No. 1 team. Duke lost the No. 1 spot to North Carolina in the fifth week of the season, though both teams currently sit at 8-0. Thursday’s Syracuse-Duke matchup will mark the Blue Devils’ ACC opener after defeating ranked opponents Denver, High Point and Richmond. 

Duke’s most notable player is Princeton transfer Michael Sowers, who was averaging an NCAA-high 9.1 points per game before the 2020 season was cut short, two points more than any Division I player since 2011. This season, he has 44 points through eight games.

Sowers, who briefly showed interest in transferring to Syracuse, chose Duke partially because of its one-year graduate program, Desko said. 

“Probably, if Michael Sowers had said he wanted to go to Syracuse, I don’t think I’d say no,” Desko joked on Tuesday.

The Blue Devils added No. 1 Class of 2020 recruit Brennan O’Neill — Syracuse’s Owen Hiltz is No. 2. Desko emphasized Duke’s experience when mentioning the 15 graduate students on its roster.

The Blue Devils also have a deep midfield, one that’s included 10 to 11 players this year, according to Desko’s scouting report. The Blue Devils likely won’t go that deep against the Orange in a close game, but having those various options available — with experience this year — could prove challenging for Syracuse’s backline. 

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How Syracuse defeats the Blue Devils

A win over the Blue Devils starts with the Orange’s backline. If Syracuse’s defensive unit can limit the offensive production of Sowers, O’Neill and senior attack Joe Robertson, the Orange will have a good shot at a win. Duke may have depth at midfield, but Syracuse has the best first-line midfield in the country.

The Orange may look to invert their offense via Curry and Jamie Trimboli like they’ve done through their first five games. Curry said Tuesday that the Orange don’t like to predetermine too much and will play off what Duke shows them, but SU has begun to perfect its invert package, using it as a go-to when the shot clock is winding down or when the offense gets a favorable matchup, Curry said. 

A strong defensive game and a big outing from Porter in goal, paired with Syracuse’s All-American midfield, would likely propel SU to an upset win over No. 2 Duke.

Stat to know: 65.6%

Faceoff specialist Jake Naso has won 65.5% of his faceoffs, a clip that ranks in the top-15 in the nation. In comparison, Syracuse’s Jakob Phaup has a 59.3% winning percentage this season. In what might likely become another close Syracuse-Duke matchup, the winner will need to win the majority of their faceoffs. Desko said that both offenses thrive on having the ball for extended periods of time, and there’s “going to be a battle” when it comes to faceoffs. 

When Duke does lose faceoffs, the Blue Devils apply a lot of pressure to prevent opponents from clearing the ball into the offensive end of the field, Desko said.

“They’re just not going to let them have it easily. They’re going to press out, so we’ve worked on that this week also,” he said.

Player to watch: Brennan O’Neill, freshman, attack

The freshman attack ranks No. 1 in the Class of 2020 recruiting group. So far in 2021, he’s scored 22 goals and added five assists through eight games, the most goals and the third-most points among the Blue Devils.

O’Neill is a strong, powerful attack at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, but he’s also a very elusive dodger. Desko said he’s been watching the lefty play for a few years, emphasizing that the Orange need to let him go to the right and try to take away the left but adding that he’s seen O’Neill score a couple right-handed goals.

The freshman will prove to be a tough matchup for the Orange, and he and Sowers are just starting to get things going, which Desko said will make the duo that much more dangerous.





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