Duke Travels to Denver to Face No. 8 Pioneers

The game will be televised live on Altitude TV, a regional sports network, which is available in a 10-state region. Fans outside of the broadcast area can watch on Denver's live stream, Pioneer Vision, for a fee.
Faceoff is set for 2 p.m., (ET) and 12 p.m., (MT) at Peter Barton Stadium.

SETTING THE SCENE

Duke heads west to Denver to take on the eighth-ranked Pioneers Saturday. The Blue Devils posted their first win last weekend at High Point, while Denver bested Air Force in its season opener.
It is the second of three consecutive road games for the Blue Devils and the first ranked opponent of the year.
Denver welcomes the Blue Devils for the 2020 opener at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.

THE SERIES HISTORY

The Blue Devils and Pioneers meet for the 14th time and for the 10th straight season. Duke holds a narrow 7-6 lead in the series, bu it is the Pioneers who have the edge in the 6-4 edge in the past 10 matchups. The Blue Devils have won two straight, but haven't won in Denver since 2003. Duke last played in Denver in 2017, a 14-9 setback.
Duke's senior class was a group of freshmen the last time the Blue Devils traveled to Denver. Six of the seniors saw action in the game.

BY THE NUMBERS

818 – Career wins between head coaches John Danowski and Bill Tierney

44. 5 – Shots per game average for Duke after two games

29.5 – Duke opponents' shots per game average

8 – Points in two games this season for junior Cameron Badour

7 – Points Badour had in all 11 of his games in 2019

.655 – Duke's faceoff percentage after two games, the best in the ACC and 11th nationally

26 – Goals needed for Joey Manown to become the 21st Blue Devil to reach 100 career goals

2 – Blue Devils – Braden Burke and Connor Drake – who earned their first career starts last weekend

3 – Duke rookies who have started at least one game in 2020 - Dyson Williams, Kenny Brower and Connor Drake

197 – Career points for BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Ethan Walker, sixth among active players

32 – Times Denver has lost at home since joining the Division I ranks fully in 1999

9 – Games the Pioneers have lost at home under head coach Bill Tierney

LAST TIME OUT

Eleven different Blue Devils scored at least one goal and 13 registered a point in Duke's 17-8 victory over High Point last Saturday.
Defensively, Duke allowed a pair of early goals in the opening two minutes before buckling down and keeping the Panthers scoreless for the remainder of the period. The Blue Devils allowed just six more goals, including none in the fourth quarter, over the next 58 minutes. Overall, Duke forced High Point into 23 turnovers for the game.
Jordan Ginder and Joe Stein were solid at the faceoff X, winning 15-of-24 restarts. Ginder picked up six ground balls. In goal, Andrew Bonafede saw his first action between the pipes, making six saves and allowing only four goals in 37 minutes of action.

THE BEST VS THE BEST

Saturday's matchup features two of the best head coaches in the game of lacrosse. Duke leader John Danowski and Denver boss Bill Tierney both have been coaching for over 30 years and currently sit at No. 1 and No. 2 on the Division I wins leaders chart, respectively.
The two head coaches have combined for 818 wins – Danowski with 413 and Tierney with 405 – and 11 NCAA Championships. Danowski is 10-13 all-time against Tierney during his career – 5-6 at Duke versus Denver and 5-7 at Hofstra against Princeton.

LAST TIME WE MET

Duke's Joey Manown scooped up a loose ball with eight seconds left and threw it in the goal to give the eighth-ranked Blue Devils a thrilling 10-9 comeback win over No. 5 Denver last year.
Duke, trailing 7-4 in the fourth quarter, outscored the Pioneers 6-2 in the final 12:37 to capture the upset victory at home. The Blue Devils built a 9-7 lead with 2:51 left, only to have the two-goal edge erased with only 19 seconds remaining and set up the exciting finish.
Goaltender Turner Uppgren was excellent between the pipes with nine saves, including three in the fourth quarter.

LOOKING AT DUKE

Duke dropped to 11th in the USILA poll this week following the victory at High Point.
Cameron Badour is the top scorer with five goals and three assists for eight points. CJ Carpenter has chipped in five goals and seven points overall, while Joey Manown and Dyson Williams both have four goals apiece. Duke's attack trio of Carpenter, Manown and Williams have 20 points overall.
A young defensive corps on defense continues to grow and held High Point to only eight goals this past weekend and to none in the fourth quarter. JT Giles-Harris is the anchor on defense, drawing the toughest matchup. He has five ground balls and two caused turnovers. Rookie Kenny Brower is the first true freshman to start on close defense since Giles-Harris.
Jordan Ginder and Joe Stein are solid at the faceoff X. They are winning 67 percent of the draws and have picked up 18 ground balls on 36 wins.
Turner Uppgren has started both contests and owns a 13.04 goals against average and a .357 save percentage. Andrew Bonafede came off the bench at High Point to make six saves in 36 minutes of action.

SCOUTING DENVER

Denver moved up to eighth in the polls after winning its season opener at Air Force, 13-7. The Pioneers, picked to win the BIG EAST, led 4-3 at halftime and 6-5 after three quarters, but outscored the Falcons 7-2 in the fourth to pull away for the win.
Freshman JJ Sillstrop had a big day, scoring five goals, while junior Jack Hannah had a goal and four assists for five points. Ethan Walker had two goals and three points.
The Pioneers held Air Force to 16 shots overall and forced the Falcons into 14 turnovers. Alec Stathakis won 16-of-21 faceoffs and picked up 12 ground balls and Jack Dibenedetto anchored the defense with three caused turnovers.
In goal, Cole French is back after starting just four games a year ago. He made nine saves in 60 minutes of action last weekend.

A WIN OVER DENVER WOULD

Be head coach John Danowski's 414th career win
Be the program's 584th overall victory
Make Duke 64-16 in the month of February

UP NEXT

Duke travels to Charlotte next weekend for a neutral site game against No. 6 Penn. Faceoff is set for 2 p.m., at Matthews Sportsplex.

Duke Travels to Denver to Face No. 8 Pioneers

Players Mentioned

Cameron Badour

Andrew Bonafede

Kenny Brower

Braden Burke

CJ Carpenter

Connor Drake

JT Giles-Harris

Jordan Ginder

Joey Manown

Joe Stein

Turner Uppgren

Dyson Williams

Duke information

Duke Travels to Denver to Face No. 8 Pioneers

Players Mentioned

Cameron Badour

Andrew Bonafede

Kenny Brower

Braden Burke

CJ Carpenter

Connor Drake

JT Giles-Harris

Jordan Ginder

Joey Manown

Joe Stein

Turner Uppgren

Dyson Williams

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Duke information