Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Georgetown on May 10, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 16
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Final
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Photo by: Duke Athletics
A Comeback for the Ages; Duke's Next Men Step Up
4/26/2021 4:26:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Breaking Down Duke's Comeback Win
Notre Dame dominated action for three-plus quarters, but the Blue Devils persevered late in the game to ultimately emerge victorious in overtime. The win was an all-around team effort as Duke's 'ride and close' defense forced the Irish into mistakes, while the offense took advantage of its opportunities.
Trailing 12-7 after Notre Dame's Reilly Gray notched his first goal of the season with 8:41 left in the fourth quarter, it seemed unlikely Duke would be able to dig itself out of the five-goal hole, especially with how it had played the previous 52 minutes.
However, the Blue Devils defied the win probability charts as senior Nakeie Montgomery scored 29 seconds later to spark a 5-0 run that would force overtime. In the final 8:12, Duke pressured the Irish into three turnovers on clear attempts, allowed just one shot on goal and held them scoreless on extra man.
Duke's ride caused two of the Irish miscues with Joe Robertson recording one of his two caused turnovers in that stretch.
The Blue Devils took advantage and chipped away at the lead with a goal from Owen Caputo at 4:17 and then another from Montgomery with 2:31 remaining. From that point on though it was all Michael Sowers as he scored twice in 20 seconds to force overtime and then provided the winning pass for Cameron Mulé to finish fabulously for the win.
Duke Defense in ACC 4th Quarters
In Duke's four ACC victories this season, the Blue Devils have executed well down the stretch, especially on defense. Against the Orange, Syracuse had rattled off six goals in a span of 11:37 for a 14-13 lead, Duke kept Syracuse off the scoreboard for the final 7:10 of the fourth quarter to come away with the 15-14 victory. The following week, despite being unable to score in the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils held the nation's top-ranked offense to only one goal in the final stanza to force overtime.
On the road at Virginia, the Cavaliers scored 36 seconds into the fourth quarter, but couldn't find the goal again as Duke scored two unanswered to force overtime. After the Irish had had their way offensively for three-plus quarters, the Blue Devils buckled down in the last half of the fourth quarter in keeping Notre Dame scoreless for the final 10:36 of the game. Duke outscored Notre Dame 6-0 in that stretch and allowed just six shots in the period.
Overall, in Duke's four conference wins, the Blue Devils are holding opponents to fewer than nine shots in the fourth quarter and are outscoring opponents 10-7.
Next Men Step Up
"Next Man Up" has always been a mantra within the Duke men's lacrosse program. You never know when your name will be called to step up and make a play. This past Thursday night seniors Raines Shamburger and Mulé came in and provided everything Duke needed.
Shamburger, having played in 18 career games prior to the contest against Notre Dame, earned his first career start in the top-four matchup after Wilson Stephenson suffered an injury at Virginia the week prior. The Atlanta native finished the night on close defense with two caused turnovers as Duke held the Irish without a goal for the final 10:36 and 1-of-4 (.250) on extra man opportunities when they came in with a 68 percent success rate.
On the other end of the field, Mulé came off the bench in overtime when the players said they wanted to run a certain play on extra man that involved the senior attackman. The native of Dix Hills, N.Y., did everything he needed to do, including a one touch shot off a Sowers pass to win it for the Blue Devils.
PLL College Draft Tonight on NBCSN
The Premier Lacrosse League will hold the 2021 College Draft presented by Champion on Monday night at 10:30 p.m., on NBC Sports. Duke's Sowers and JT Giles-Harris both are regarded as first-round picks, with Sowers being tabbed as the possible No. 1 overall choice by Atlas.
In the inaugural college draft in 2019, Duke's Brad Smith went No. 9 to Whipsnakes, while Cade Van Raaphorst was the 11th selection by Atlas. John Prendergast rounded out the draft class at No. 24 by way of Archers.
Seven of the eight teams have first-round picks with Atlas having two – the first and the eighth. Tune in live at 10:30 p.m., on NBC Sports to see where the Blue Devils land.
Duke vs. UNC II
When Duke and North Carolina take to the field in Kenan Stadium on Sunday it will be yet another top-five battle with the Blue Devils coming in at No. 2 and Tar Heels at No. 3 in the latest polls. It will be the third time the rivals will face each other when ranked in the top three and the fifth time as top-five foes.
It will be the sixth straight top-five opponent Duke has faced, marking the first time in program history the Blue Devils have encountered such a daunting schedule. Duke is 4-1 in that stretch with all four wins coming by a single goal.
Both Duke and UNC are coming off hard-fought wins over Notre Dame last week. Duke is 4-1 in league action and a win would solidify the ACC title for the Blue Devils, while a Tar Heel victory would leave the two schools with a share of the title with matching 4-2 records.
It will be a matchup between the nation's No. 1 and No. 4 scoring offenses with UNC leading the way at 17.25 and Duke fourth at 15.31. In ACC rematches this season only Syracuse has been able to secure two wins against the same opponent – Virginia. All other two-game series have split as Duke and UNC and Syracuse and Notre Dame close out the league schedule this weekend.
Naso Continues to Forge Ahead
Rookie faceoff specialist Jake Naso continues to stay the course for the Blue Devils at the faceoff dot. He most recently went 15-of-29 (.517) and picked up 10 ground balls against Notre Dame's veteran pair in Kyle Gallagher and Charles Leonard.
The first-year draw man held his own against Gallagher and Leonard who have taken 1,193 (700-1193) and 619 (342-619) faceoffs in their respective careers, while Naso has lined up 275 at the dot. With 175 wins to his name, the St. Anthony's product ranks 13th among freshmen all-time in NCAA history. His .636 win percentage is fifth among freshmen. In Duke's three overtime games this season, Naso has won the faceoff twice.
With one game remaining in the regular season, Naso ranks second in the ACC and 12th nationally in win percentage.
NCAA Tournament Notes
With the NCAA Tournament in sight, a list of six sites have been selected to potentially host first-round games. The committee will decide on four after the selections have been made on May 9th.
The quarterfinals, as of now, are still set to be hosted by Notre Dame and Hofstra with the championship being held at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., on Memorial Day Weekend.
First-Round Site Options
#GoDuke
Notre Dame dominated action for three-plus quarters, but the Blue Devils persevered late in the game to ultimately emerge victorious in overtime. The win was an all-around team effort as Duke's 'ride and close' defense forced the Irish into mistakes, while the offense took advantage of its opportunities.
Trailing 12-7 after Notre Dame's Reilly Gray notched his first goal of the season with 8:41 left in the fourth quarter, it seemed unlikely Duke would be able to dig itself out of the five-goal hole, especially with how it had played the previous 52 minutes.
However, the Blue Devils defied the win probability charts as senior Nakeie Montgomery scored 29 seconds later to spark a 5-0 run that would force overtime. In the final 8:12, Duke pressured the Irish into three turnovers on clear attempts, allowed just one shot on goal and held them scoreless on extra man.
Duke's ride caused two of the Irish miscues with Joe Robertson recording one of his two caused turnovers in that stretch.
The Blue Devils took advantage and chipped away at the lead with a goal from Owen Caputo at 4:17 and then another from Montgomery with 2:31 remaining. From that point on though it was all Michael Sowers as he scored twice in 20 seconds to force overtime and then provided the winning pass for Cameron Mulé to finish fabulously for the win.
Duke Defense in ACC 4th Quarters
In Duke's four ACC victories this season, the Blue Devils have executed well down the stretch, especially on defense. Against the Orange, Syracuse had rattled off six goals in a span of 11:37 for a 14-13 lead, Duke kept Syracuse off the scoreboard for the final 7:10 of the fourth quarter to come away with the 15-14 victory. The following week, despite being unable to score in the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils held the nation's top-ranked offense to only one goal in the final stanza to force overtime.
On the road at Virginia, the Cavaliers scored 36 seconds into the fourth quarter, but couldn't find the goal again as Duke scored two unanswered to force overtime. After the Irish had had their way offensively for three-plus quarters, the Blue Devils buckled down in the last half of the fourth quarter in keeping Notre Dame scoreless for the final 10:36 of the game. Duke outscored Notre Dame 6-0 in that stretch and allowed just six shots in the period.
Overall, in Duke's four conference wins, the Blue Devils are holding opponents to fewer than nine shots in the fourth quarter and are outscoring opponents 10-7.
Next Men Step Up
"Next Man Up" has always been a mantra within the Duke men's lacrosse program. You never know when your name will be called to step up and make a play. This past Thursday night seniors Raines Shamburger and Mulé came in and provided everything Duke needed.
Shamburger, having played in 18 career games prior to the contest against Notre Dame, earned his first career start in the top-four matchup after Wilson Stephenson suffered an injury at Virginia the week prior. The Atlanta native finished the night on close defense with two caused turnovers as Duke held the Irish without a goal for the final 10:36 and 1-of-4 (.250) on extra man opportunities when they came in with a 68 percent success rate.
On the other end of the field, Mulé came off the bench in overtime when the players said they wanted to run a certain play on extra man that involved the senior attackman. The native of Dix Hills, N.Y., did everything he needed to do, including a one touch shot off a Sowers pass to win it for the Blue Devils.
PLL College Draft Tonight on NBCSN
The Premier Lacrosse League will hold the 2021 College Draft presented by Champion on Monday night at 10:30 p.m., on NBC Sports. Duke's Sowers and JT Giles-Harris both are regarded as first-round picks, with Sowers being tabbed as the possible No. 1 overall choice by Atlas.
In the inaugural college draft in 2019, Duke's Brad Smith went No. 9 to Whipsnakes, while Cade Van Raaphorst was the 11th selection by Atlas. John Prendergast rounded out the draft class at No. 24 by way of Archers.
Seven of the eight teams have first-round picks with Atlas having two – the first and the eighth. Tune in live at 10:30 p.m., on NBC Sports to see where the Blue Devils land.
Duke vs. UNC II
When Duke and North Carolina take to the field in Kenan Stadium on Sunday it will be yet another top-five battle with the Blue Devils coming in at No. 2 and Tar Heels at No. 3 in the latest polls. It will be the third time the rivals will face each other when ranked in the top three and the fifth time as top-five foes.
It will be the sixth straight top-five opponent Duke has faced, marking the first time in program history the Blue Devils have encountered such a daunting schedule. Duke is 4-1 in that stretch with all four wins coming by a single goal.
Both Duke and UNC are coming off hard-fought wins over Notre Dame last week. Duke is 4-1 in league action and a win would solidify the ACC title for the Blue Devils, while a Tar Heel victory would leave the two schools with a share of the title with matching 4-2 records.
It will be a matchup between the nation's No. 1 and No. 4 scoring offenses with UNC leading the way at 17.25 and Duke fourth at 15.31. In ACC rematches this season only Syracuse has been able to secure two wins against the same opponent – Virginia. All other two-game series have split as Duke and UNC and Syracuse and Notre Dame close out the league schedule this weekend.
Naso Continues to Forge Ahead
Rookie faceoff specialist Jake Naso continues to stay the course for the Blue Devils at the faceoff dot. He most recently went 15-of-29 (.517) and picked up 10 ground balls against Notre Dame's veteran pair in Kyle Gallagher and Charles Leonard.
The first-year draw man held his own against Gallagher and Leonard who have taken 1,193 (700-1193) and 619 (342-619) faceoffs in their respective careers, while Naso has lined up 275 at the dot. With 175 wins to his name, the St. Anthony's product ranks 13th among freshmen all-time in NCAA history. His .636 win percentage is fifth among freshmen. In Duke's three overtime games this season, Naso has won the faceoff twice.
With one game remaining in the regular season, Naso ranks second in the ACC and 12th nationally in win percentage.
NCAA Tournament Notes
With the NCAA Tournament in sight, a list of six sites have been selected to potentially host first-round games. The committee will decide on four after the selections have been made on May 9th.
The quarterfinals, as of now, are still set to be hosted by Notre Dame and Hofstra with the championship being held at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., on Memorial Day Weekend.
First-Round Site Options
- UAlbany's Fallon Field
- Denver's Barton Lacrosse Stadium
- Hofstra's Shuart Stadium
- Maryland's Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium
- North Carolina's Dorrance Field
- Virginia's Klockner Stadium
#GoDuke
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