Duke Announces 2016 Men?s Lacrosse Schedule

DURHAM, N.C.—Five preseason top 10 teams and nine of Inside Lacrosse's preseason top 20 highlight the Duke men's lacrosse challenging 2016 schedule as announced by head coach John Danowski Wednesday. The Blue Devils will host eight games overall and will face off against five NCAA Tournament squads.

The Blue Devils' opening weekend features a pair of home matchups against High Point and Lehigh, Feb. 12 and 14, respectively. Duke kicks off the campaign under the lights against the Panthers Friday night before returning to Koskinen to host former Blue Devils' standout Kevin Cassese's Lehigh squad Sunday afternoon. It's the second meeting for Cassese against his alma mater since he joined the Mountain Hawks in 2007.

A Feb. 20 matchup with 2015 NCAA Champion Denver highlights Duke's early season lineup. The Blue Devils and Pioneers have combined to win each of the past three NCAA titles and will square off for the second consecutive season in the Cobb County Classic in Kennesaw, Ga.

Duke stays on the road for a Feb. 27 contest at Jacksonville before returning home to play Mercer March 1. A fifth straight meeting with Harvard on Long Island awaits the Blue Devils March 5. Faceoff is set for 3 p.m., in Hempstead, N.Y. It will be a homecoming for all of Duke's Long Island natives.

Another former Blue Devil in Dan Chemotti returns to Durham with his squad two days later when Duke hosts Richmond March 7 at 7 p.m. It will be Chemotti's first matchup with the Blue Devils since the Spiders' inaugural season in 2013.

The Blue Devils' schedule begins to ramp up in the middle of March with top 20 opponents Loyola and Georgetown on the docket March 12 and 19, respectively. Duke travels to Baltimore for its annual battle with the Greyhounds and returns home to host a revitalized Hoya program.

Air Force visits Koskinen Stadium for a midweek game March 22 as the Blue Devils gear up for ACC play.

Conference action gets underway March 26 in Durham against Syracuse at 12 p.m. It will be the fifth meeting between the two teams as ACC foes with the Orange holding a 3-1 edge. Syracuse leads the overall series 9-5 after grabbing a pair of victories over the Blue Devils in 2015.

Rival North Carolina, preseason No. 5 is the next opponent to visit Koskinen Stadium. Duke's annual matchup with its Tobacco Road foe is set for April 1 at 6 p.m. The Blue Devils look to avenge last season's one-goal setback in Chapel Hill.

Duke closes out its ACC slate on the road against Notre Dame April 10 and Virginia April 17. The Fighting Irish are the preseason favorite in the ACC and nationally, while the Cavaliers come in at No. 7. The Blue Devils are 2-1 against the Irish as ACC foes and have beaten Virginia seven straight games and in each of the past 10 regular season meetings.

The Blue Devils close out their home schedule April 22 with Marquette at 7 p.m. The game will be a final tune-up for the ACC Championship in Kennesaw, Ga., April 30 – May 1. The tournament will be played at Kennesaw State with the fifth-place squad taking on Brown April 30.

The regular season concludes for the Blue Devils on the road at Boston University May 8.

Duke, coming off of a 12-6 season, lands in the No. 3 spot behind top-ranked Notre Dame and reigning NCAA champion Denver. The Blue Devils welcome back a wealth of talent, including the entire starting unit. Overall, Duke returns 81 percent of its scoring from a year ago as well as the core of the close defense.

The ACC will announce TV designations at a later date and the dates and times for home games should be considered tentative at this time.

Day	Month	Date	Opponent	Site	Time
Friday	February	12	High Point	Durham, N.C.	7 p.m.
Sunday	February	14	Lehigh	Durham, N.C.	1 p.m.
Saturday	February	20	Denver	Atlanta, Ga.	3 p.m.
Saturday	February	27	Jacksonville	Jacksonville, Fla.	1 p.m.
Tuesday	March	1	Mercer	Durham, N.C.	7 p.m.
Saturday	March	5	Harvard	Hempstead, N.Y.	3 p.m.
Monday	March	7	Richmond	Durham, N.C.	7 p.m.
Saturday	March	12	Loyola	Baltimore, Md.	11 a.m.
Saturday	March	19	Georgetown	Durham, N.C.	1 p.m.
Tuesday	March	22	Air Force	Durham, N.C.	7 p.m.
Saturday	March	26	Syracuse*	Durham, N.C.	12 p.m.
Friday	April	1	North Carolina*	Durham, N.C.	6 p.m.
Sunday	April	10	Notre Dame*	Notre Dame, Ind.	12 p.m.
Sunday	April	17	Virginia*	Charlottesville, Va.	5 p.m.
Friday	April	22	Marquette	Durham, N.C.	7 p.m.
Friday	April	29	ACC Semi Finals	Atlanta, Ga.	TBA
Saturday	April	30	ACC Consolation Game	Atlanta, Ga.	7 p.m.
Sunday	May	1	ACC Finals	Atlanta, Ga.	1p.m.
Sunday	May	8	Boston University	Boston, Mass.	1 p.m.

#GoDuke

Duke Announces 2016 Men?s Lacrosse Schedule

Related News

Related Videos

Duke information