Duke Climbs to No. 8; Hosts Jacksonville Tuesday

Cameron Mule dodges against a Jacksonville defenseman

Photo by: David Welch

Duke Climbs to No. 8; Hosts Jacksonville Tuesday

3/9/2020 4:23:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

The Blue Devlis and Dolphins Face Off at 6 p.m. on ESPNU

Game 8
No. 8 Duke (5-2) vs Jacksonville (3-2)
March 10, 2020 | 6 p.m. | ESPNU
Durham, N.C. | Koskinen Stadium

SETTING THE SCENE

Duke moved to 5-2 on the year with a 13-10 win at No. 11 Loyola - its third top 20 win of the season. The Blue Devils are playing their third of six games in the month of March.
Jacksonville is 3-2 on the year after beating Hampton, 18-1, to move back above .500.

THE SERIES HISTORY

Duke and Jacksonville are meeting for the 10th time overall. The Blue Devils are unbeaten at 9-0 and winning by an average of 8.67 goals per game. .
The Blue Devils and Dolphins first faced off in 2010 - Jacksonville's inaugural season and have met every year but 2015. Duke is averaging 16 goals per game versus the Dolphins.

BY THE NUMBERS
3.43 – Goals per game average for rookie Dyson Williams, third in the ACC and first among all freshmen nationally

.571 – Williams' shot percentage after seven games, first in the ACC and eighth among all Division I players

5.0 – Goals per game average for Williams in the past three games

15 – Points for Cameron Badour through seven games this season

7 – Total points for Cameron Badour in 12 games last season

.366 – Duke's shot percentage through seven games, second in the ACC and sixth nationally

8.67 – Average margin of victory in Duke's nine meetings with Jacksonville

8 – Points from Duke's second midfield line at No. 11 Loyola

16 – Points from the second midfield of Leadmon, Quigley and Montgomery in the previous six games combined

14.86 – Goals per game average for Duke, the 11th highest in the country

9.60 – Goals against average for the Dolphins, the 15th best in the nation

6.86 – Ground balls per game for Jordan Ginder, the highest average in the ACC and 22nd nationally

LAST TIME WE MET

Led by Joe Robertson's five goals overall, No. 2 Duke outscored Jacksonville 9-2 in the second half to post a 15-8 road victory against the Dolphins. The Blue Devils held the Dolphins scoreless for the final 22:47 of the game to secure the win.
Brian Smyth provided a big spark to Duke, winning 17-of-23 draws and scoring a pair of goals. He also picked up 14 ground balls. Reilly Walsh finished with a goal and three assists, while Joey Manown netted his second straight hat trick.
Turner Uppgren finished the day with nine saves, including five in the second half.

DEFENDING HOME TURF

Koskinen Stadium has treated the Blue Devils well over the years, being the home to countless memorable moments.
Since 2007, Danowski teams are 115-23 at Koskinen, an 83 percent success rate. This year's group of seniors is 26-5 all-time in Durham.

LOOKING AT DUKE

Duke is 5-2 and ranked eighth after a top-15 win last weekend. The Blue Devils' balanced offense is led by freshman Dyson Williams with 28 points (24g, 4a). Sophomore Owen Caputo has 20 points and Joey Manown has 17 points. Twenty-two Duke players have at least one goal.
A young defensive corps continues to grow and gel. JT Giles-Harris is the anchor on defense, drawing the toughest matchup. He has 19 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers. Rookie Kenny Brower is the first true freshman to start on close defense since Giles-Harris. Senior Walker Scaglione and sophomore Frank Marinello both have started on close defense as well.
A host of short stick defensive middies and long poles bolster the improving defense. Terry Lindsay is a four-year starter, while Blake Leischow is back for his second season as regular in the SSDM role. Matt Chmil and Jake Caputo are the newcomers to the role, while Braden Burke and Tyler Carpenter shine in the LSM role.
Jordan Ginder and Joe Stein are solid at the faceoff X. They are winning 55 percent of the draws and have picked up 59 ground balls on 108 wins.
Turner Uppgren has started five contests and owns a 13.05 goals against average and a .444 save percentage. He most recently posted a season-high 15 saves at Loyola. Andrew Bonafede earned his first start versus Furman and has 20 saves and an 8.66 goals against average and a .476 save percentage. He is 3-0 in games this season.

SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE

Jacksonville arrives in Durham with a 3-2 record after its 18-1 win over Hampton Friday. The Dolphins have setbacks from Detroit Mercy and Utah.
Evan Tyler is the goal scorer for Jacksonville with 15 tallies and 23 points overall. Jack Dolan is the facilitator, dishing a team-best 12 assists and Jacob Greinder complements the pair with 12 goals and four assists. The Dolphins are averaging 13.80 goals per game.
Dixon Smith is the top takeaway man with 10 caused turnovers and 12 ground balls. Preseason All-SoCon picks Zack Deaken and Jordan Young have combined for 10 caused turnovers and nine ground balls for a defense that allows just 9.60 goals per game.
At the faceoff X, Nathan Kapp and Alex Giovinco split duties. Kapp is 33-of-69 (.478) and Giovinco 21-of-66 (.470). In goal, Hunter Sells has played in four games and owns a 10.42 goals against average and a .519 save percentage. Adam Baker went the distance in the win at Marquette, making six saves.

ON TARGET

After shooting just 28 percent in the season opener against Air Force, Duke has steadily improved and jumped to .366 to rank second in the ACC and sixth nationally.
The Blue Devils have shot at least 35 percent in the previous four games, including an impressive 41 percent against Richmond.
Three individuals are ranked in the top 57 nationally in shot percentage with Dyson Williams at .571. Owen Caputo is .429 and Joey Manown .419. Duke is one of five teams to have three players ranked in the top 57 in shooting percentage. Cornell, North Carolina, Robert Morris and Princeton are the other four.

WILLIAMS' SCORING PACE

At his current pace of 3.43 goals per game, Dyson Williams will finish regular season play with 51 tallies in his rookie season. Williams has five hat tricks for the year and is averaging five per game over his previous three outings.
The 51 rank tied for 11th in Duke single-season history and is one shy of Justin Guterding's 52 as a freshman in 2015.

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