No. 4 Duke Rolls Past Air Force, 21-6

Saturday, March 7

USAF Academy, CO

3 p.m.

Duke University

6-0

Air Force

1-5

Duke

Air Force

Michael Ortlieb kicks leg up in celebration after a goal

Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 4 Duke Rolls Past Air Force, 21-6

3/7/2026 6:58:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score Box Score

COLORADO SPRINGS – Duke freshman attackman Michael Ortlieb scored three goals and handed out six assists for nine points to lead the fourth-ranked Blue Devils to a commanding 21-6 win at Air Force Saturday afternoon.

The Blue Devils remain unbeaten with a 6-0 record and have outscored their opponents 108-43 this season. Benn Johnston and Kyle Colsey both registered assists, while Colin McLane, Will Pedicano, and Austin Hicks collected their first career goals.

Defensively, Duke held the Falcons to six goals and to just 24 shots. Air Force had just one goal in each of the first three quarters before posting three in the final period.

How it Happened

The Blue Devil offense got off to a slow start in the first quarter with just a pair of tallies for a 2-1 lead after 15 minutes of action. Ortlieb connected with the Colsey for the first score 2:07 into the game and Liam Kershis finished an Ortlieb pass with 67 seconds left to put Duke up after one period.
Defensively, Duke kept Air Force to just six shots and forced five turnovers as the Falcons struggled at times on the clear. The Blue Devils forced two failed clears in the period, going 4-of-6.
The second quarter was all Duke as the Blue Devils outscored Air Force, 7-1, in the quarter for a 9-2 halftime lead. Duke kept Air Force off the board for the first 12:59 while adding six goals of their own. Ortlieb had two goals and two assists in the quarter and Connor Nolen.
The Falcons ended their scoring drought at 16:58 with a tally from Christian Schweiger. He finished his afternoon with three goals.
Duke tacked on four goals in the third, including a pair of solo efforts by Colsey, to extend the lead to 10, 13-3, with 10 minutes left to play. Air Force once again managed to beat Blue Devil goalie Patrick Jameison once in the stanza.
It was a team affair for the Blue Devils in the fourth as a trio of players notched their first collegiate scores. Pedicano turned a defensive effort into a transition goal, while Hicks finished a feed from Jack Pappendick and McLane capped the excitement with a diving finish on a pass from Owen Gaffney.
Cal Girard (7-of-13), Ben McCarthy (8-of-13) and Luke Engelke (3-of-5) combined to go 18-of-31 at the dot and pick up 13 ground balls. Mac Christmas was credited with two caused turnovers and four ground balls in yet another stalwart defensive performance by the Blue Devils.
Jameison posted 10 saves to just six goals allowed in 52 minutes of action. Matt Deedy had 10 stops for the Falcons.

Notes

Duke moves to 6-0 to start the season, the best start since the 2021 team started 10-0.
The Blue Devils have scored 20-plus goals in three different games this season, marking the most since the 1999 squad scored 20-plus goals four times.
Duke's 43 goals allowed after six games are the fewest by the Blue Devils in the first six games of a season since the 2008 squad gave up just 32 in the first six.
Michael Ortlieb's nine points are tied for the most by a Duke freshman in a game in the past 22 seasons. Justin Guterding also had nine points against Harvard in 2015.
Benn Johnston had his fourth hat trick of the season and the eighth of his career, while Ortlieb and Colsey both had their second outings with at least three goals.
For the fifth time in six games, Duke has held an opponent without a goal for at least 15 minutes.
In goal, Patrick Jameison recorded double-digit saves for the fourth time this season and 28th of his career.

Up Next

Duke travels to Farmingdale, New York, next weekend to take on Providence in a neutral site contest. Faceoff is set for March 14 at 1 p.m. Tickets are available here.

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

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