No. 2 Duke Closes Regular Season at North Carolina Saturday

Saturday, April 27

Chapel Hill, NC

12 p.m.

Duke University

North Carolina

Duke vs. UNC Men's lacrosse lined up across from each other before first faceoff

Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 2 Duke Closes Regular Season at North Carolina Saturday

4/26/2024 9:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse

Game Notes ACC Network Live Stats Tickets

The Opening Faceoff

Duke closes its regular season slate Saturday at North Carolina. Faceoff is set for 12 p.m., on ACC Network. The Blue Devils are coming off a bye week after defeating No. 2 Virginia, 18-12, April 14.
Duke and North Carolina are meeting for the 81st time overall. The Tar Heels have a slight 43-37 edge in the series, but the Blue Devils are 4-1 in the past five and 6-4 in the previous 10 matchups.
North Carolina enters the game 6-7 overall and 0-3 against league foes. The Tar Heels average 12.15 goals per game and are 1-5 at home. Owen Duffy headlines the offense with 4.50 points per game, but missed last week's game. Logan McGovern is on his heels with 3.62 points per game, while Dominic Pietramala has 28 goals. Collin Krieg anchors UNC in goal with a 10.33 GAA. Faceoff specialist Brady Wambach leads the ACC with a 61 percent success rate.
The Duke defense has been solid this season, holding teams to just 9.50 goals per game to lead the ACC. The Blue Devils have held 10 of the 14 opponents to under 30 percent shooting in a game, including six of the past seven.
A win puts Duke in the ACC Tournament as the No. 3 seed. A loss leaves the Blue Devils dependent on the result between Notre Dame and Virginia.

By the Numbers
972 - Career faceoffs won by Jake Naso - the most in Duke history, one of nine in NCAA history to reach the 900-win benchmark and seventh overall in NCAA history
6.25 - Average margin of victory in Duke's four wins since 2021
5 & 5 - Goals and assists away from Brennan O'Neill becoming the second Blue Devil and fourth player in NCAA history to have 200 career goals and 100 career assists.
7.93 - Goals per game average for Duke's starting attack unit
.545 – Man-up percentage in the past four games, scoring on 6-of-11 opportunities
.333 - Duke's EMO - 7-of-21 - in the first 10 games of the season
9 – Man-up goals for Dyson Williams, tied for the most nationally
9.03 - Patrick Jameison's goals against average, first in the ACC and fourth nationally
780 - Combined career points for Duke's attack trio of Brennan O'Neill (290), Josh Zawada (273) and Dyson Williams (217)
290 – Career points for Brennan O'Neill, fourth in Duke history
16.00 - Goals per game average for UNC in its six wins
9.33 – Goals per game average in the Tar Heels' six setbacks

Series History

Duke and North Carolina are meeting for the 81st time since the first meeting in 1952. The Tar Heels hold a 43-37 edge in the series and a 38-26 lead in regular season matchups. Duke is 4-1 in the past five meetings and 6-4 in the past 10. The Blue Devils' last loss in Chapel Hill was in 2021.
Duke's average margin of victory in the past three wins is eight goals. The Blue Devils have held North Carolina to 8.33 goals per game since the 2021 setback.
¡ Brennan O'Neill has 22 points from 14 goals and eight assists against North Carolina, while Dyson Williams has 15 goals. Jake Naso sports a .583 win percentage at the dot against the Tar Heels.

Duke on the Road

The Blue Devils are 3-1 in true road games this season. Duke is 60-26 in road matchups under head coach John Danowski. Since 2007, Duke has gone unbeaten in away games just twice - 2009 and 2010. Since 2007, the Blue Devils are 7-4 in Chapel Hill.

A Win Over North Carolina Would…

Be head coach John Danowski's 471st career win
Be Danowski's 252nd win at Duke
Clinch a spot in the ACC Tournament for Duke
Be the fourth straight win over the Tar Heels

ACC Postseason Scenarios

A win Saturday clinches the No. 3 seed for the Blue Devils with a 2-2 overall record. Duke would play No. 2 seed Syracuse in the ACC Semifinal.
A loss to the Tar Heels could mean the Blue Devils miss ACC postseason play depending on the outcome of the matchup between Virginia and Notre Dame.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's lacrosse, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMLAX".

Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

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