Everything to know ahead of No. 7 Syracuse’s bout vs. No. 12 Duke
Syracuse hits the road to play its penultimate regular season contest at No. 12 Duke. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
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Until last week, Syracuse was playing its best lacrosse under Gary Gait. The Orange had won six straight games after suffering back-to-back defeats to then-No. 6 Maryland and then-No. 15 Harvard in February. SU’s hot streak came to a screeching halt against No. 1 Cornell, falling 17-12.
The result came a week after SU’s 14-9 demolition of then-No. 5 Notre Dame. The Orange had a chance to cement themselves against the best team in the country, but didn’t come up with enough plays to take down the Big Red. Syracuse is now in the home stretch of the regular season with its penultimate matchup against No. 12 Duke.
The Blue Devils have been inconsistent throughout this season. They hold solid nonconference wins over No. 13 Michigan and No. 11 Richmond but also suffered losses to No. 2 Princeton and No. 16 Denver. Duke is also winless in Atlantic Coast Conference play. It was blown out by No. 9 Notre Dame 14-7 and suffered a one-goal loss to No. 5 North Carolina on April 12. The Blue Devils enter their matchup with Syracuse desperately needing a boost to their NCAA Tournament resume, while the Orange look to cement their place in the postseason.
Here’s everything to know about No. 12 Duke (9-4, 0-2 ACC) before No. 7 Syracuse’s (9-3, 2-0 ACC) final road game:
All-time series
Syracuse leads 15-10.
Last time they played …
Syracuse and Duke met in the ACC Semifinals on May 3, with the Blue Devils blowing past the Orange 18-13. Duke came out firing, building a 5-0 lead within four-and-a-half minutes, and Syracuse never recovered. At one point, SU got within three, but Duke controlled most of the game. It was a complete 180 from the regular season meeting, where SU held the Blue Devils to their lowest goal total since 2012.
Andrew McAdorey stole the show with five goals, starting the game at attack rather than midfield. Brennan O’Neill added six points (four goals, two assists), and Dyson Williams scored four goals. Duke’s offense overpowered Will Mark, who saved one of nine shots he faced, before getting benched for Jimmy McCool. Mark’s 11.1% save rate was a career-worst.
The Blue Devils report
Duke didn’t just lose O’Neill, Josh Zawada and Williams — who combined for 224 points in 2024 — but primary close defender Kenny Brower graduated, too. All of them were major contributors on a team that was the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament before getting upset by No. 7 Maryland in the quarterfinals.
This year, Duke isn’t nearly as explosive. Its offense went from averaging nearly 15 goals per game to just over 12, the second-lowest mark in the ACC. Maryland transfer Eric Malever has been a good addition with a team-leading 51 points, but nobody else has more than 33.
Duke’s midfield can do plenty of damage, with two physical dodgers in Max Sloat and Benn Johnston. Because the Blue Devils lack firepower at attack, defenses often put long poles on Sloat and Johnston, slowing them down at times. Sloat is still second on the team with 33 points.
The Blue Devils’ strength comes from their backline. Even though they’re fourth in goals allowed in the ACC, the defense still surrenders fewer than 10 per game. Duke’s defense is also trending in the right direction. On April 5 against Boston University, it allowed just seven goals, and last week held North Carolina’s potent offense to eight.
How Syracuse beats Duke
Syracuse can’t afford to go on scoring droughts like it did against Cornell. At times, SU’s offense looked potent — especially when it scored four goals over the final 5:33 of the third quarter — yet it also went on droughts of over seven minutes, 10 minutes and 15 minutes.
Offensive coordinator Pat March needs to put the ball in Joey Spallina’s stick more often. Playing Spallina off-ball against Notre Dame worked. The junior scored four goals on ND’s Shawn Lyght, one of the best defenders in the country.
Facing Cornell was a different story. The Big Red held Spallina to just one goal as he rarely initiated Syracuse’s offense from X. That has to change against Duke. The Orange need the ball in their best player’s hands against an elite defense.
Stat to know: 24.8%
Per Lacrosse Reference, Duke turns the ball over on 24.8% of its possessions, which is the third-best rate in the country. The Blue Devils have kept their turnovers under 12 in just two games this season. As a team, they’re averaging nearly 15 giveaways per game, including a season-high 22 versus BU a couple of weeks ago.
Player to watch: Benn Johnston, midfielder, No. 19
Johnston was expected to have a breakout sophomore season in an expanded role, but things haven’t gone entirely as planned. The No. 4 recruit in the 2023 class, per Inside Lacrosse, has scored 22 goals, one more than his total from last season, though he hasn’t been nearly as efficient. As a freshman, 55.6% of Johnston’s shots went on goal, scoring on 33% of them. Those numbers have dropped to 48.6% and 31.4%, respectively.
Johnston’s struggles have been prevalent during Duke’s last four games, where he’s unleashed 31 shots and scored six goals. Standing at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, Johnston is a lot to handle. With his physicality and ability to get downhill, the Orange will likely put a long pole on him.
