Duke Faces Florida in NCAA Championship Quarterfinals

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 15 Duke women's lacrosse team will face fourth-seeded Florida in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship Thursday at 2:30 p.m. inside Donald R. Dizney Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

In the first and second rounds of the tournament, Duke posted commanding wins over James Madison (17-10) and fifth-seeded Virginia (17-9). In both games, the Blue Devils' offense was led by graduate Callie Hem, who totaled 15 goals over the two games.

Notes
29-22 – Blue Devils' overall NCAA Championship record
7-9 – Duke's record in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship
1-0 - The Blue Devils' record when facing Florida in the NCAA Championship
1-0 - Duke's mark when playing in the NCAA Championship in the state of Florida
17 - Duke's NCAA Championship quarterfinal appearances
7 - Blue Devils NCAA Championship semifinal appearances
2015 - Duke's last NCAA Championship semifinal appearance
2 - Consecutive years Duke has made it to the tournament. The Blue Devils have been on the big stage four out of the past five years
11th - Top-20 opponent the Blue Devils are facing this season
15 - Duke's double-digit scoring stretch to open the season - tying the program record for most games with 10 or more goals
6 - Road victories for Duke this season - the most since six in 2022
6 - Conference victories for the Blue Devils - the most since six in 2022

NCAA Championship History

In program history, the Blue Devils are making their 23rd appearance in the NCAA Championship.
Under the direction of head coach Kerstin Kimel, Duke boasts a 29-22 overall record on the big stage.
Thursday's matchup will mark Duke's 17th quarterfinal appearance. Duke owns a 7-9 record in those contests.
The Blue Devils have seven semifinal appearances, going 0-7.
Duke last made the semifinals in 2015.
Duke owns a 1-0 record when playing NCAA Championship games in the state of Florida.

NCAA Championship Record Watch

Eva Pronti's seven-assist performance in the first round against James Madison is tied for third in NCAA Championship tournament history for most assists in a single game.
Pronti owns 12 assists in the NCAA Championship after the first two rounds, which ties for fourth place in NCAA Championship history (record: 16).
Callie Hem's eight-goal outing against James Madison is tied for second place in the NCAA Championship single-game goals record.
Hem has scored 15 goals in the NCAA Championship so far, which ties her for eighth in NCAA Championship history (record: 31).

Duke Versus Florida

Duke and Florida meet for the second time in NCAA postseason play, with their only previous matchup also coming on the big stage. The Blue Devils earned a 12-9 victory over the Gators in the 2015 NCAA quarterfinals in Gainesville, Fla.

Scouting the Gators

Florida boasts a 19-2 overall record and finished with a 5-0 mark in conference games.
The Gators claimed the Big 12 Championship this year, earning their 11th straight conference tournament title and 12th in program history.
Gianna Monaco is the Gators' leading goal scorer with 71 markers.
Frannie Hahn is Florida's best distributor, dishing 58 helpers.
On the defensive end, Theresa Bragg leads the Gators with 29 caused turnovers.
In the cage, Elyse Finnelle has 95 saves this season for a .477 save percentage.

Up Next

If the Blue Devils advance, they will face either top-seeded North Carolina or Princeton May 23 in the NCAA Championship semifinals inside Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. It would mark Duke's eighth semifinal appearance in program history.

For more information on Duke women's lacrosse, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "DukeWLAX".

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