Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Georgetown on May 10, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 16
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Final
Men's Lacrosse
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Photo by: Michelle Pettit
Looking Back at Best of Duke - UNC Since 2007
3/26/2020 6:00:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Recent memories behind the longtime Tobacco Road rivalry
One of the best rivalries in college athletics, Duke and North Carolina were supposed to continue the rivalry, Thursday, March 26 at 7 p.m., on ACC Network. The two programs have met 75 times with UNC holding a 42-33 lead. The Blue Devils picked up ground in the series under head coach John Danowski, winning 15 of the previous 20 matchups.
There have been numerous memorable moments in both the regular season and postseason. Let's take this Thursday evening to look back on some of the best.
May 20, 2007 | No. 1 Seed Duke Advances to NCAA Semifinals; Upends North Carolina, 19-11
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Riding the Danowski-Greer Express, top-seeded Duke rallied from a 6-1 deficit to defeat eighth-seeded North Carolina, 19-11, in the NCAA quarterfinals in front of 10,438 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The win launched Duke into its first of what would be 10 championship weekend appearances under head coach John Danowski.
Zack Greer registered seven goals and three assists, while Matt Danowski chipped in four goals and six assists as the duo combined for 20 total points.
After the Tar Heels dominated the first 16 minutes of the game and led 6-1, Duke chipped away in the second quarter and trailed 8-5 at the break.
The final 30 minutes were all Blue Devils as they outscored North Carolina 14-3, holding the Tar Heels scoreless for a stretch of 16:18 en route to building a 15-9 advantage. Danowski and Greer had four goals and two assists in the 8-0 run.
April 26, 2009 | Three-Peat! Duke Beats North Carolina for ACC Championship
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—CJ Costabile, one year before he wrote his name in Duke lacrosse history books in Baltimore, showed he was going to be a problem for all future opponents. The freshman LSM tallied three goals and went 10-of-17 at the faceoff X to lead Duke to its third consecutive ACC Championship. It was the first time the program had won three consecutive ACC crowns.
"I would have to say that the ball was just going my way," Costabile said. "[Shane Walterhofer] is probably the best faceoff guy in the game right now when it comes down to it. I was really lucky to get some bounces going my way and my wings helping me out with the ground balls. I guess I just had a good day at the X more than anything."
Playing the opening 30 minutes at a blistering pace, the Blue Devils and Tar Heels went into the locker room tied 8-8. No team led by more than two in the first half as the two teams continued to trade goals. The longest stretch between scores in the opening quarters was the final 6:43 of the second quarter. A 7-2 run by the Blue Devils over a span of 14:35 in the third and fourth quarters proved to be the difference for Duke.
"[The pace] was a surprise, but it was so much fun," Quinzani said. "I turned to Ned [Crotty] a couple times and said 'They're scoring, we're scoring. This is how I remember playing in the heat of the battle last year.' It was just fun. The ball was flinging. They were making good plays. We were making good plays. I love playing like that."
April 26, 2013 | Duke Comeback Falls Short in 18-17 Thriller at UNC
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—The 2013 Blue Devils nearly rallied from a nine-goal deficit in one of the most memorable ACC Tournament games of the decade as No. 1 North Carolina won 18-17. Jordan Wolf led all Duke players with five goals and seven points overall.
The 35 goals were the most in an ACC Men's Lacrosse Tournament game, while Wolf's seven points were just one shy of tying the individual point record in ACC Tournament action. The loss ended Duke's nine-game win streak.
Trailing 15-6 with 11:31 left in the third quarter, the Blue Devils mounted a furious comeback to take a 17-16 lead with 6:12 remaining in the contest. North Carolina held Duke scoreless in the final 6:12 and added a pair of scores to come away with the thrilling victory. Josh Offit ignited the 11-1 run and Wolf had four goals in the spurt.
Duke's lead lasted just 1:11 as North Carolina's Jimmy Bitter tied the game with his third marker of the evening. After multiple timeouts by the Blue Devils and possessions by both squads, the Tar Heels came regained the lead on a Holman goal with 1:28 left to play.
North Carolina had a chance to make it a two-goal game with an empty net before junior close defenseman Henry Lobb stepped into block the shot. The Blue Devils picked up a loose ball with less than a minute to play needing one score. Duke managed a shot in the final seconds, but was unable to corral the ball as the horn sounded.
March 15, 2014 | Wolf Lifts Duke Over North Carolina in OT, 9-8
DURHAM, N.C.—Jordan Wolf, just over three years after he lifted Duke to victory over Maryland in overtime, scored 1:26 into overtime to propel the Blue Devils to a 9-8 victor over No. 4 North Carolina.
"I thought it was a terrific college athletic event," said head coach John Danowski. "It was a great crowd, two teams playing really hard and fans cheering for both teams. I just thought it was everything that is good about our sport. I thought it was a great display for college lacrosse."
Trailing 8-7 with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth period, Duke notched the equalizer when Kyle Keenan utilized a roll dodge on the right-hand side for his career-high third marker of the day at the 1:47 mark. The Blue Devils later had possession for the final 45 seconds of regulation, but the stingy Tar Heel defense did not surrender a shot attempt.
"I was just looking for the slide to come to me and I got my hands free," Keenan said. "The slide came and I had the opportunity to shoot. That last [goal] the ball came back around and I dodged both ways a couple times and just let it fly."
In overtime, Brendan Fowler won the faceoff, and following a Duke timeout, Wolf pushed the Blue Devils to their 17th win over North Carolina in the last 19 meetings. Fowler had won just six of his previous 18 faceoff battles with UNC's Stephen Kelly.
Wolf's overtime heroics capped a four-goal, one-assist performance for the Wynnewood, Pa., native. In goal, Luke Aaron was sensational with 15 saves, including five in the fourth period.
March 30, 2018 | No. 5 Duke Defeats North Carolina, 11-10
DURHAM, N.C.— It was a memorable night for multiple reasons as Justin Guterding totaled four goals and three assists to become the 13th player in NCAA history to reach the 300-point barrier and Duke emerged from the Battle of the Blues rivalry game with an 11-10 victory. Guterding had four goals and three assists in the victory.
Leading 4-1 early in the second quarter, North Carolina remained in front 9-8 heading into the final frame. The Tar Heels had the 9-7 lead on a 30-second goal from Chris Cloutier with 22 seconds, but a heads-up play by Brad Smith allowed Guterding to find Joe Robertson on the crease as time expired to make it 9-8.
With momentum swinging in the Blue Devils' direction, Smith knotted the game with an unassisted goal at the 13:27 mark. The Blue Devils took their first lead of the game just under two minutes later on Peter Conley's marker on a feed from Robertson.
Guterding stretched the lead to two goals at the 9:15 mark before the Tar Heels climbed back within one with 4:36 on the clock with a goal from Andy Matthews. North Carolina held possession late in the fourth quarter, but Duke blocked a shot by Chris Cloutier with 18 seconds remaining and, following a ground ball by Cade Van Raaphorst, the Blue Devils were able to run out the clock.
There have been numerous memorable moments in both the regular season and postseason. Let's take this Thursday evening to look back on some of the best.
May 20, 2007 | No. 1 Seed Duke Advances to NCAA Semifinals; Upends North Carolina, 19-11
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Riding the Danowski-Greer Express, top-seeded Duke rallied from a 6-1 deficit to defeat eighth-seeded North Carolina, 19-11, in the NCAA quarterfinals in front of 10,438 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The win launched Duke into its first of what would be 10 championship weekend appearances under head coach John Danowski.
Zack Greer registered seven goals and three assists, while Matt Danowski chipped in four goals and six assists as the duo combined for 20 total points.
After the Tar Heels dominated the first 16 minutes of the game and led 6-1, Duke chipped away in the second quarter and trailed 8-5 at the break.
The final 30 minutes were all Blue Devils as they outscored North Carolina 14-3, holding the Tar Heels scoreless for a stretch of 16:18 en route to building a 15-9 advantage. Danowski and Greer had four goals and two assists in the 8-0 run.
April 26, 2009 | Three-Peat! Duke Beats North Carolina for ACC Championship
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—CJ Costabile, one year before he wrote his name in Duke lacrosse history books in Baltimore, showed he was going to be a problem for all future opponents. The freshman LSM tallied three goals and went 10-of-17 at the faceoff X to lead Duke to its third consecutive ACC Championship. It was the first time the program had won three consecutive ACC crowns.
"I would have to say that the ball was just going my way," Costabile said. "[Shane Walterhofer] is probably the best faceoff guy in the game right now when it comes down to it. I was really lucky to get some bounces going my way and my wings helping me out with the ground balls. I guess I just had a good day at the X more than anything."
Playing the opening 30 minutes at a blistering pace, the Blue Devils and Tar Heels went into the locker room tied 8-8. No team led by more than two in the first half as the two teams continued to trade goals. The longest stretch between scores in the opening quarters was the final 6:43 of the second quarter. A 7-2 run by the Blue Devils over a span of 14:35 in the third and fourth quarters proved to be the difference for Duke.
"[The pace] was a surprise, but it was so much fun," Quinzani said. "I turned to Ned [Crotty] a couple times and said 'They're scoring, we're scoring. This is how I remember playing in the heat of the battle last year.' It was just fun. The ball was flinging. They were making good plays. We were making good plays. I love playing like that."
April 26, 2013 | Duke Comeback Falls Short in 18-17 Thriller at UNC
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—The 2013 Blue Devils nearly rallied from a nine-goal deficit in one of the most memorable ACC Tournament games of the decade as No. 1 North Carolina won 18-17. Jordan Wolf led all Duke players with five goals and seven points overall.
The 35 goals were the most in an ACC Men's Lacrosse Tournament game, while Wolf's seven points were just one shy of tying the individual point record in ACC Tournament action. The loss ended Duke's nine-game win streak.
Trailing 15-6 with 11:31 left in the third quarter, the Blue Devils mounted a furious comeback to take a 17-16 lead with 6:12 remaining in the contest. North Carolina held Duke scoreless in the final 6:12 and added a pair of scores to come away with the thrilling victory. Josh Offit ignited the 11-1 run and Wolf had four goals in the spurt.
Duke's lead lasted just 1:11 as North Carolina's Jimmy Bitter tied the game with his third marker of the evening. After multiple timeouts by the Blue Devils and possessions by both squads, the Tar Heels came regained the lead on a Holman goal with 1:28 left to play.
North Carolina had a chance to make it a two-goal game with an empty net before junior close defenseman Henry Lobb stepped into block the shot. The Blue Devils picked up a loose ball with less than a minute to play needing one score. Duke managed a shot in the final seconds, but was unable to corral the ball as the horn sounded.
March 15, 2014 | Wolf Lifts Duke Over North Carolina in OT, 9-8
DURHAM, N.C.—Jordan Wolf, just over three years after he lifted Duke to victory over Maryland in overtime, scored 1:26 into overtime to propel the Blue Devils to a 9-8 victor over No. 4 North Carolina.
"I thought it was a terrific college athletic event," said head coach John Danowski. "It was a great crowd, two teams playing really hard and fans cheering for both teams. I just thought it was everything that is good about our sport. I thought it was a great display for college lacrosse."
Trailing 8-7 with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth period, Duke notched the equalizer when Kyle Keenan utilized a roll dodge on the right-hand side for his career-high third marker of the day at the 1:47 mark. The Blue Devils later had possession for the final 45 seconds of regulation, but the stingy Tar Heel defense did not surrender a shot attempt.
"I was just looking for the slide to come to me and I got my hands free," Keenan said. "The slide came and I had the opportunity to shoot. That last [goal] the ball came back around and I dodged both ways a couple times and just let it fly."
In overtime, Brendan Fowler won the faceoff, and following a Duke timeout, Wolf pushed the Blue Devils to their 17th win over North Carolina in the last 19 meetings. Fowler had won just six of his previous 18 faceoff battles with UNC's Stephen Kelly.
Wolf's overtime heroics capped a four-goal, one-assist performance for the Wynnewood, Pa., native. In goal, Luke Aaron was sensational with 15 saves, including five in the fourth period.
March 30, 2018 | No. 5 Duke Defeats North Carolina, 11-10
DURHAM, N.C.— It was a memorable night for multiple reasons as Justin Guterding totaled four goals and three assists to become the 13th player in NCAA history to reach the 300-point barrier and Duke emerged from the Battle of the Blues rivalry game with an 11-10 victory. Guterding had four goals and three assists in the victory.
Leading 4-1 early in the second quarter, North Carolina remained in front 9-8 heading into the final frame. The Tar Heels had the 9-7 lead on a 30-second goal from Chris Cloutier with 22 seconds, but a heads-up play by Brad Smith allowed Guterding to find Joe Robertson on the crease as time expired to make it 9-8.
With momentum swinging in the Blue Devils' direction, Smith knotted the game with an unassisted goal at the 13:27 mark. The Blue Devils took their first lead of the game just under two minutes later on Peter Conley's marker on a feed from Robertson.
Guterding stretched the lead to two goals at the 9:15 mark before the Tar Heels climbed back within one with 4:36 on the clock with a goal from Andy Matthews. North Carolina held possession late in the fourth quarter, but Duke blocked a shot by Chris Cloutier with 18 seconds remaining and, following a ground ball by Cade Van Raaphorst, the Blue Devils were able to run out the clock.
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