No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 3 Duke Clash in Durham Sunday

Sunday, April 7

Durham, N.C.

12 p.m.

Duke University

Notre Dame

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Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 3 Duke Clash in Durham Sunday

4/5/2024 1:33:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Game Notes ACC Network Live Stats Tickets Digital Game Program

The Opening Faceoff

Duke, coming off a 10-day rest period, resumes ACC play against top-ranked Notre Dame. Faceoff is set for 12 p.m., April 7 at Koskinen Stadium on ACC Network. The Blue Devils will honor the 2014 NCAA Championship team during the weekend.
Duke and Notre Dame are meeting for the 32nd time overall and for the sixth time as top-five foes. The Blue Devils hold a narrow 16-15 edge in the series, but the Fighting Irish have won four straight, including last year's NCAA Championship.
Notre Dame comes to Durham ranked No. 1 in all three polls and sporting the nation's highest scoring offense at 16.57 goals per game. The Irish recently defeated Syracuse, 14-12. The starting attack unit accounts for just 7.14 of those goals per game. Will Lynch has been stellar at the faceoff dot, winning 61.4 percent of the restarts, while Liam Entenmann allows just 9.15 goals per game.
The Duke defense has been solid this season, holding teams to just 8.8 goals per game. The Blue Devils have held nine of the 12 opponents to under 30 percent shooting in a game, including each of the past five.
Duke hosts No. 2 Virginia next Sunday at 2 p.m., on ACC Network.

By the Numbers
949 - 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
2 - Duke's RPI after last weekend's game, behind only No. 1 Notre Dame
16.57 - Notre Dame's goals per game average, leading the country
8.83 - Goals allowed per game by Duke, leading the ACC and third nationally
15.58 – Goals per game average for Duke - third nationally
8.86 - Goals allowed per game by Notre Dame, fourth nationally
6 – Man-up goals for Dyson Williams, leading the national with two other players
8.14 - Jameison's goals against average, the lowest nationally
758 - Combined career points for Duke's attack trio of Brennan O'Neill (283), Josh Zawada (265) and Dyson Williams (210)
283 – Career points for Brennan O'Neill, fifth in Duke history and 17 from becoming the fourth Blue Devil to 300
.378 - Notre Dame's shot percentage for the season
.240 – Duke opponents' shot percentage for the season with only three shooting above 30 percent in a game this season

Series History

Duke and Notre Dame meet for the 32nd time overall. The Blue Devils hold the 16-15 edge in the series, but the Fighting Irish have won the past four matchups.
Duke last hosted Notre Dame at Koskinen Stadium in 2022, falling narrowly, 16-15. The Irish are 6-5 against Duke in Durham with the Blue Devils' last win coming in 2021 - a 13-12 overtime victory.

Duke And Notre Dame Meet As Top Five Foes

For only the sixth time in the two programs' storied histories, will Duke and Notre Dame face off in a top-five matchup. Notre Dame has the 3-2 edge with two of the wins coming last season.

DATE	DUKE RANK	ND RANK	RESULT
5/26/2014	3	5	W, 11-9
4/20/2021	1	5	L, 8-13
4/22/2022	3	2	W, 13-12 (OT)
4/8/2023	1	2	L, 12-17
5/29/2023	1	3	L, 9-13

What Gives

Sunday's matchup features two of the nation's top offenses and defenses. Both squads average over 15 goals per game and are giving up fewer than nine. The faceoff battle will be fierce with both specialists ranking in the top 10 nationally.
Duke's attack is averaging 12.25 points per game while Notre Dame's trio is at 13.24.

ND GPG	DU GAA	ND Shot%	DU Opp. Shot%
16.57	8.83	0.378	0.24
DU GPG	ND GAA	DU Shot%	ND Opp. Shot%
15.58	8.86	0.354	0.252
DU FO%	ND FO%	DU GB/GM	ND GB/GM
0.572	0.571	33.75	34.86

A Win Over Notre Dame Would...

Be head coach John Danowski's 470th career win
Be Danowski's 251st win at Duke
Be Duke's fifth top-20 win this season and second top-five win

Home Sweet Home

Duke had its 14-game home win streak snapped against Penn earlier this season.
Under head coach John Danowski, Duke is 147-26 in games in Durham. Duke has gone unbeaten at home four times since 2007.

Faceoff Battle Looming

Sunday's battle at the faceoff dot is one to watch as it features two of the top draw men in the country in Notre Dame's Will Lynch and Duke's Jake Naso. Lynch is third nationally in faceoff percentage (.641) while Naso is 10th (.615).
The duo has matched up against each other four times in the past two seasons with Naso playing six games overall against the Irish. When facing Lynch, Naso is 54-of-107 (.505). In the six outings against Notre Dame, Naso has taken all but two faceoffs, winning 54.6 percent of the restarts and picking up 55 ground balls (9.2/gm).

Year-by-Year for Lynch vs. the Blue Devils
2022¹: 19-of-35 | 2022²: 15-of-30 | 2023¹: 8-of-24 | 2023²: 12-of-19

Year-by-Year for Naso vs. the Irish
2021¹: 16-of-22 | 2021²: 15-of-29 | 2022¹: 16-of-35 | 2022²: 16-of-32
2023¹: 22-of-32 | 2023²: 10-of-24

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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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