Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Georgetown on May 10, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 16
/
Final
Men's Lacrosse
12
vs Georgetown
16
Photo by: Peyton Williams for Duke Athletics
Looking Back at Some of the Best of Duke vs. Syracuse
3/22/2020 12:00:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Lasting memories behind the newly formed ACC rivalry
Duke vs. Syracuse has been one of the best rivalries in lacrosse in recent years with six of the previous 10 games being decided by a single goal and three going into overtime.
Sunday, March 22 was supposed to be the 20th meeting between the two storied programs, but since it won't be played, we wanted to run back five of our favorite games and moments in recent memory.
May 27, 2013 | Duke vs. Syracuse 2013 – NCAA Championship
The Blue Devils entered the 2013 NCAA Championship game a winner of 13 of its previous 14 games and sporting the best faceoff specialist in Brendan Fowler and one of the most potent offenses in college lacrosse that season.
Syracuse was the tournament's No. 1 overall seed and featured the talented duo of JoJo Marasco and Kevin Rice on offense and the stalwart backstop Dominic Lamolinara between the pipes.
The Orange jumped out to a 5-0 lead after 15:42 with Rice and Marasco providing the feeds for the scoring.
Not really how a head coach scripts starting a national championship game, but under the guidance of the methodical and calm John Danowski, Duke clawed its way back by scoring six of the next seven goals to tie the game early in the third quarter. Fowler and a balanced offense were the key for the Blue Devils there, using five different goal scorers during the stretch.
"Nobody scripts being down 4-0 or 5-0, and inside I think we were all freaking out," said Danowski. "But Jake Tripucka's first goal I think allowed everybody to relax a little bit. Having Brendan Fowler at the faceoff X certainly doesn't hurt anybody's confidence when he trots out there."
The defense, meanwhile, settled in and four second-half goals, while the Blue Devil offense racked up 11, including seven straight over a span of 6:59. Duke outscored the Orange 16-6 in the final three quarters.
Fowler won 20-of-28 faceoffs and picked up 14 ground balls en route to earning the tournament's Most Outstanding Player Award. Jordan Wolf posted four goals and two assists and Josh Dionne had a hat trick. The senior midfield duo of Tripucka and David Lawson had four goals and two assists and Kyle Turri made 10 saves.
March 23, 2014 | Class Nets 10 Points as Duke Downs Syracuse, 21-7
Exactly 300 days removed from Duke upending No. 1 Syracuse in the 2013 NCAA title game, the Blue Devils and Orange faced off as ACC opponents for the first time. And a memorable one it was for Duke men's lacrosse fans as the Blue Devils were unstoppable on that day in a 21-7 rout of the Orange.
Deemer took the Orange to "Class" that day, scoring 10 points from six goals and four assists in the dismantling of Syracuse. Myles Jones and Jordan Wolf added five more goals apiece.
The 21 goals for Duke were the most scored in ACC play since a 22-tally performance against NC State March 1, 1973.
Despite the dominating performance, head coach John Danowski wanted to be sure his team remained grounded.
"Your fear is don't let this game be the peak of a season," said head coach John Danowski. "Allow this game to show you the possibilities if you practice well, prepare well and play right. We don't want this game to define us. We need to learn from this and we need to grow and get better and be very critical of ourselves at this point."
The Blue Devils remained grounded, hit a bump in the road against Syracuse in the ACC semifinals, but ultimately went on to win the program's third national title and second straight.
March 26, 2016 | Cohan's OT Goal Lifts Duke Past Syracuse, 16-15
Played in front of 3,571 fans at Koskinen Stadium, Duke and Syracuse electrified the crowd with a 16-15 overtime thriller that went in favor of the Blue Devils. It was a collection of phenomenal individual performances and overall grit from every Blue Devil that lifted Duke to victory that afternoon.
"As a group I've never been more proud of a group of guys," said head coach John Danowski. "To be down by five goals against Syracuse – a team that's having a great year so far – and to come from behind and keep playing and playing together. I've never been more proud of a group in my career."
Senior Deemer Class was exceptional that day, scoring seven goals and handing out two assists, to lead the charge on offense. Classmate Chad Cohan was the hero with the overtime tally 53 seconds into the extra period. It was his third goal of the day.
Duke trailed 11-6 at halftime and 14-10 to start the fourth quarter, but a 5-0 spurt in the final stanza pushed the Blue Devils into the lead for the first time of the afternoon. Syracuse tied it up with 3:29 left to play, sending the game to overtime.
Kyle Rowe won his 18th faceoff of the day, picked up his 13th ground ball, and put it in Jack Bruckner's stick. The junior attackman then found Cohan in front of the net for the overtime winner.
The win capped an emotional day as Duke remembered former Blue Devil Jimmy Regan who passed away nine years prior on tour as an Army Ranger in northern Iraq.
"Jimmy Regan means the world to our program," Danowski said. "He is the ideal Duke man. He is who we hope to be on our best day."
May 1, 2016 | A Unique Finish in the 2016 ACC Championship Game
The 2016 ACC Championship started in normal circumstances, but the finish was anything but.
A day after a thrilling overtime win over Notre Dame in the semifinal, Duke took the field at Kennesaw State in search of its eighth ACC title.
The Orange and Blue Devils traded goals in the early going with Syracuse holding the narrow 6-5 lead at the half.
Syracuse built its lead to three goals in the third quarter before Duke went on a 3-1 run to make it a 9-8 contest in the fourth quarter. Then the rain came in sheets, sending the two teams into a three-hour weather delay.
As the rain poured down at Fifth Bank Stadium, the field couldn't drain fast enough, leaving the surface unplayable and forcing the teams to make a decision on how to finish the game.
After meetings with coaches, officials and ACC representatives it was decided the game would move to an adjacent turf field across the street from the stadium. Airing on ESPNU, the relocation meant it was no longer possible to show the finish to the contest on TV. However, social media came to the rescue and with the voice of Paul Carcaterra and the Duke men's lacrosse Twitter account, the game could be watched live via Periscope.
The extended break did not go in Duke's favor as Syracuse outscored the Blue Devils 5-0 in the final 7:10 to come away with its second straight ACC title. Not the way Duke had hoped it would end, but a memorable experience nonetheless.
March 25, 2017 | No. 5 Syracuse Edges No. 11 Duke in Overtime, 12-11
Duke took a five-game win streak into the Carrier Dome against the No. 5 Orange in 2017. The contest featured a matchup of two of the best faceoff men in the game with Duke's Kyle Rowe and Syracuse's Ben Williams as well as a talented Syracuse offense up against a stalwart Blue Devil defense.
The game did not disappoint the 7,000-plus people in the stands. Featuring six ties and four lead changes, neither team ever held more than a two-goal advantage during the 60 minutes. Ultimately, Syracuse triumphed 40 seconds into overtime on a Jamie Trimboli goal.
Duke led 6-5 at the half, but Syracuse won the third quarter 3-0 to take an 8-6 advantage into the final 15 minutes. The attack unit of Jack Bruckner, Justin Guterding and Joey Manown combined for four of the game's next six tallies to push the Blue Devils back into the lead, 11-9.
With the home crowd behind them, Syracuse rallied back and tied the game with 1:26 remaining. A defensive stand gave the Blue Devils a couple chances for the winner in the final minute. Bruckner fired the final shot of regulation, missing wide after a good defensive effort from Syracuse.
#GoDuke
Sunday, March 22 was supposed to be the 20th meeting between the two storied programs, but since it won't be played, we wanted to run back five of our favorite games and moments in recent memory.
May 27, 2013 | Duke vs. Syracuse 2013 – NCAA Championship
The Blue Devils entered the 2013 NCAA Championship game a winner of 13 of its previous 14 games and sporting the best faceoff specialist in Brendan Fowler and one of the most potent offenses in college lacrosse that season.
Syracuse was the tournament's No. 1 overall seed and featured the talented duo of JoJo Marasco and Kevin Rice on offense and the stalwart backstop Dominic Lamolinara between the pipes.
The Orange jumped out to a 5-0 lead after 15:42 with Rice and Marasco providing the feeds for the scoring.
Not really how a head coach scripts starting a national championship game, but under the guidance of the methodical and calm John Danowski, Duke clawed its way back by scoring six of the next seven goals to tie the game early in the third quarter. Fowler and a balanced offense were the key for the Blue Devils there, using five different goal scorers during the stretch.
"Nobody scripts being down 4-0 or 5-0, and inside I think we were all freaking out," said Danowski. "But Jake Tripucka's first goal I think allowed everybody to relax a little bit. Having Brendan Fowler at the faceoff X certainly doesn't hurt anybody's confidence when he trots out there."
The defense, meanwhile, settled in and four second-half goals, while the Blue Devil offense racked up 11, including seven straight over a span of 6:59. Duke outscored the Orange 16-6 in the final three quarters.
Fowler won 20-of-28 faceoffs and picked up 14 ground balls en route to earning the tournament's Most Outstanding Player Award. Jordan Wolf posted four goals and two assists and Josh Dionne had a hat trick. The senior midfield duo of Tripucka and David Lawson had four goals and two assists and Kyle Turri made 10 saves.
March 23, 2014 | Class Nets 10 Points as Duke Downs Syracuse, 21-7
Exactly 300 days removed from Duke upending No. 1 Syracuse in the 2013 NCAA title game, the Blue Devils and Orange faced off as ACC opponents for the first time. And a memorable one it was for Duke men's lacrosse fans as the Blue Devils were unstoppable on that day in a 21-7 rout of the Orange.
Deemer took the Orange to "Class" that day, scoring 10 points from six goals and four assists in the dismantling of Syracuse. Myles Jones and Jordan Wolf added five more goals apiece.
The 21 goals for Duke were the most scored in ACC play since a 22-tally performance against NC State March 1, 1973.
Despite the dominating performance, head coach John Danowski wanted to be sure his team remained grounded.
"Your fear is don't let this game be the peak of a season," said head coach John Danowski. "Allow this game to show you the possibilities if you practice well, prepare well and play right. We don't want this game to define us. We need to learn from this and we need to grow and get better and be very critical of ourselves at this point."
The Blue Devils remained grounded, hit a bump in the road against Syracuse in the ACC semifinals, but ultimately went on to win the program's third national title and second straight.
March 26, 2016 | Cohan's OT Goal Lifts Duke Past Syracuse, 16-15
Played in front of 3,571 fans at Koskinen Stadium, Duke and Syracuse electrified the crowd with a 16-15 overtime thriller that went in favor of the Blue Devils. It was a collection of phenomenal individual performances and overall grit from every Blue Devil that lifted Duke to victory that afternoon.
"As a group I've never been more proud of a group of guys," said head coach John Danowski. "To be down by five goals against Syracuse – a team that's having a great year so far – and to come from behind and keep playing and playing together. I've never been more proud of a group in my career."
Senior Deemer Class was exceptional that day, scoring seven goals and handing out two assists, to lead the charge on offense. Classmate Chad Cohan was the hero with the overtime tally 53 seconds into the extra period. It was his third goal of the day.
Duke trailed 11-6 at halftime and 14-10 to start the fourth quarter, but a 5-0 spurt in the final stanza pushed the Blue Devils into the lead for the first time of the afternoon. Syracuse tied it up with 3:29 left to play, sending the game to overtime.
Kyle Rowe won his 18th faceoff of the day, picked up his 13th ground ball, and put it in Jack Bruckner's stick. The junior attackman then found Cohan in front of the net for the overtime winner.
The win capped an emotional day as Duke remembered former Blue Devil Jimmy Regan who passed away nine years prior on tour as an Army Ranger in northern Iraq.
"Jimmy Regan means the world to our program," Danowski said. "He is the ideal Duke man. He is who we hope to be on our best day."
May 1, 2016 | A Unique Finish in the 2016 ACC Championship Game
The 2016 ACC Championship started in normal circumstances, but the finish was anything but.
A day after a thrilling overtime win over Notre Dame in the semifinal, Duke took the field at Kennesaw State in search of its eighth ACC title.
The Orange and Blue Devils traded goals in the early going with Syracuse holding the narrow 6-5 lead at the half.
Syracuse built its lead to three goals in the third quarter before Duke went on a 3-1 run to make it a 9-8 contest in the fourth quarter. Then the rain came in sheets, sending the two teams into a three-hour weather delay.
As the rain poured down at Fifth Bank Stadium, the field couldn't drain fast enough, leaving the surface unplayable and forcing the teams to make a decision on how to finish the game.
After meetings with coaches, officials and ACC representatives it was decided the game would move to an adjacent turf field across the street from the stadium. Airing on ESPNU, the relocation meant it was no longer possible to show the finish to the contest on TV. However, social media came to the rescue and with the voice of Paul Carcaterra and the Duke men's lacrosse Twitter account, the game could be watched live via Periscope.
The extended break did not go in Duke's favor as Syracuse outscored the Blue Devils 5-0 in the final 7:10 to come away with its second straight ACC title. Not the way Duke had hoped it would end, but a memorable experience nonetheless.
March 25, 2017 | No. 5 Syracuse Edges No. 11 Duke in Overtime, 12-11
Duke took a five-game win streak into the Carrier Dome against the No. 5 Orange in 2017. The contest featured a matchup of two of the best faceoff men in the game with Duke's Kyle Rowe and Syracuse's Ben Williams as well as a talented Syracuse offense up against a stalwart Blue Devil defense.
The game did not disappoint the 7,000-plus people in the stands. Featuring six ties and four lead changes, neither team ever held more than a two-goal advantage during the 60 minutes. Ultimately, Syracuse triumphed 40 seconds into overtime on a Jamie Trimboli goal.
Duke led 6-5 at the half, but Syracuse won the third quarter 3-0 to take an 8-6 advantage into the final 15 minutes. The attack unit of Jack Bruckner, Justin Guterding and Joey Manown combined for four of the game's next six tallies to push the Blue Devils back into the lead, 11-9.
With the home crowd behind them, Syracuse rallied back and tied the game with 1:26 remaining. A defensive stand gave the Blue Devils a couple chances for the winner in the final minute. Bruckner fired the final shot of regulation, missing wide after a good defensive effort from Syracuse.
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
A
/ Men's LacrosseDuke Men's Lacrosse: Excellence on and off the field defined
Friday, August 29
Duke Men's Lacrosse Recruiting Video
Friday, August 29
Andrew McAdorey Media Availability 5-7
Wednesday, May 07
John Danowski Media Availability 5-7
Wednesday, May 07
