Ravens Insider: Mike Preston: No. 3 Duke men’s lacrosse bounces back with 11-7 win over No. 8 Denver at Spalding | COMMENTARY

ExtremeRavens · March 24

No. 5 Syracuse beat No. 3 Duke by six goals on Wednesday, and it was clear Sunday that the Blue Devils were eager to redeem themselves.

It took a while before they hit their stride but Duke eventually did, pulling away for an 11-7 win against No. 8 Denver before a crowd of 2,111 at Archbishop Spalding’s Whittles Field in Severn.

As expected, it was a physical and highly competitive game until the Blue Devils scored four goals in the final 4:14 to secure the win. That 10-4 loss to Syracuse wasn’t the only motivating force, but it was a factor.

A big factor.

“We always want to hit the field after losing,” Duke attackman Brennan O’Neill said. “We don’t want to dwell too much on the loss but we want to learn from our mistakes. We want to show each other that one loss doesn’t define us but neither does one win. We don’t want to get too high or get too low, we have to stay on an even keel.”

O’Neill paced Duke (9-2) with three goals and midfielders Benn Johnston and Max Sloat and attackman Dyson Williams each had two. Midfielder Joshua Carlson and Michael Lampert had two apiece to lead Denver (6-2).

The Blue Devils took control of the game in the final minutes as O’Neill, attackman Josh Zawanda and Williams scored goals. Williams came on an extra-man opportunity and scored to put Duke up 10-6 with 1:30 to go. O’Neill scored an empty net goal with 29 seconds remaining to complete the scoring.

But the story of this game wasn’t Duke’s offense but rather its defense, which limited Denver to only one goal and 14 shots in the first half. The Blue Devils, led by long poles Henry Bard, Kenny Brower and Jake Wilson, long stick midfielder Tyler Carpenter, and goalie Patrick Jameison, have held the opposition to only 20 goals in their past three games.

Jameison is only a freshman and had nine saves Sunday. This Duke team might be different from the Blue Devils of the past, which were known more for their high-powered offenses.

“Every team is unique, every team is different,” Blue Devils coach coach John Danowski said. “In preseason you have a vision of what you want to be, but you don’t know until you play the games. We’re growing and adjusting to what we’re becoming. Our goalie has started to stand up as a freshman and no one really expected that.”

March 24, 2024: Duke Blue Devils supporters celebrate a goal scored during the second half of an NCAA men's lacrosse game against the Denver Pioneers, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette) — Duke supporters celebrate a goal scored during the second half of Sunday’s game at Spalding. The Blue Devils beat Denver, 11-7. (Terrance Williams/Freelance)

Danowski also did a good job of neutralizing Denver faceoff specialist Alec Stathakis. The Blue Devils put two long poles on the wings and he won 12 of 22, sometimes outrunning his Duke counterparts to loose balls.

But Denver couldn’t win all the scrums, which allowed the Blue Devils to slow the transition game. It was a typical Duke versus Denver game, a physical matchup between two teams that weren’t going to back down.

“They are big, athletic and very physical,” O’Neill said. “It was one of those games you knew you had to grind it out and that was expected before the game.”

There weren’t many other differences between the two teams except Denver failed to score on three extra-man situations. Pioneers goalie Malcolm Kleban played as well as Jamieison and finished with 10 saves.

The Blue Devils, though, led 3-0 at the end of the first quarter and went ahead 4-0 on a goal by Johnston two minutes into the second. Denver finally scored on a shot from attackman Cody Malawsky with 8:05 left in the quarter, but Duke maintained the three-goal lead going into the half.

March 24, 2024: Duke Blue Devil players stretch during pre-game warm-ups before an NCAA men’s lacrosse game against the Denver Pioneers, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Denver Pioneers players workout during pre-game warm-ups before an NCAA men’s lacrosse game against the Duke Blue Devils, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Denver Pioneers players walks off the field during pre-game warm-ups before an NCAA men’s lacrosse game against the Duke Blue Devils, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Duke Blue Devil players walks onto the field before an NCAA men’s lacrosse game against the Denver Pioneers, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Duke Blue Devils Max Sloat (15) handles the ball against Denver Pioneers Jake Edinger during the first half of an NCAA men’s lacrosse game, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Duke Blue Devil players celebrate a goal scored by Max Sloat during the first half of an NCAA men’s lacrosse game against the Denver Pioneers, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Duke Blue Devils Brennan O'Neill controls the ball and scores a goal during the first half of an NCAA men’s lacrosse game against the Denver Pioneers, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Duke Blue Devils Kenny Brower (29) looks to pass the ball against Denver Pioneers JJ Sillstrop (5) during the first half of an NCAA men’s lacrosse game, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Denver Pioneers Mic Kelly (21) handles the ball against Duke Blue Devils Tyler Carpenter during the first half of an NCAA men’s lacrosse game, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Denver Pioneers Malcolm Kleban (53) attempts a shot as Duke Blue Devils Henry Bard (5) defends during the first half of an NCAA men’s lacrosse game, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Denver Pioneers Cody Malawsky (17) scores a goal against several Duke Blue Devil defenders during the first half of an NCAA men’s lacrosse game, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Denver Pioneers players celebrate a goal scored by Cody Malawsky during the first half of an NCAA men’s lacrosse game against the Duke Blue Devils, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Duke Blue Devils Jack Gray (20) passes the ball during the first half of an NCAA men’s lacrosse game against the Denver Pioneers, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Duke Blue Devil and Denver Pioneers players compete for the loose ball during the first half of an NCAA men’s lacrosse game, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Denver Pioneers Ty Hussey (28) controls the ball as Duke Blue Devils Aidan Maguire (23) defends during the second half of an NCAA men’s lacrosse game, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Denver Pioneers Stephen Avery (50) looks to pass the ball as he’s defended by several Duke Blue Devils during the second half of an NCAA men’s lacrosse game, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
March 24, 2024: Duke Blue Devils Brennan O'Neill (34) handles the ball against Denver Pioneers Jack DiBenedetto (31) during the second half of an NCAA men’s lacrosse game, in Severn. (Terrance Williams/for Capital Gazette)
Duke players celebrate a goal scored by Dyson Williams in the second half of Sunday's game against Denver at Spalding in Severn. (Terrance Williams/Freelance)
Fans watch as Duke men's lacrosse takes on Denver at Spalding on Sunday. (Terrance Williams/Freelance)
Duke supporters celebrate a goal scored during the second half of Sunday's game at Spalding. The Blue Devils beat Denver, 11-7. (Terrance Williams/Freelance)