After Duke fell to Maryland in the ACC championship game, it couldn’t hurt to get a confidence boost going into the NCAA Tournament.
A 10-6 victory over Jacksonville (5-9) Saturday saw six different Blue Devils score as the team finished its season on a high note. The victory was Duke’s twelfth of the season, to secure the sixth consecutive season in which the Blue Devils have won 12 or more games.
In spite of the tough loss to the ACC rival Terrapins, No. 8 Duke (12-5) showed on Saturday why they are expected to make a deep run in the upcoming postseason. After trailing by one goal early in the first period, Duke proceeded to score seven unanswered goals over a stretch of nearly 26 minutes, building a large lead that would not be relinquished. Josh Offit keyed the Duke run with two goals, while five other players added a tally apiece.
The Blue Devils saw great individual efforts on both ends of the field, with senior Sam Spillane scoring a career high three goals and sophomore goaltender Dan Wigrizer recording 14 saves to pace the Duke onslaught. Duke’s defense came to play in support of Wigrizer, as the Dolphins’ six goals are tied for the least allowed by the Blue Devils this season.
Duke held a distinct advantage in ball control throughout the contest, keyed by a 12-7 edge in faceoff wins and the upper hand in ground balls won 48-42. This was a marked change from the ACC championship defeat, in which the Blue Devils won just six of 24 faceoffs.
All that’s left for the Blue Devils is the NCAA Tournament bracket, which is set to be released on May 8th on ESPNU.
— from staff reports
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