Since head coach John Danowski took over at Duke in 2007, his teams have gone 25-7 against conference opponents. But Duke has gone just 1-5 against Maryland, its first opponent of the tournament, over the last four years. Last season, the Terrapins became the first team to defeat Danowski’s Duke squad twice in one season with their 9-4 victory in the national semifinals.
“They’re just really good,” Danowski said. “We’ve lost the last three, but they were the better team, certainly in March. That’s why it’s a great challenge. Certainly they’ve improved as well, but it’s a great opportunity to gauge how far we’ve come in six or seven weeks.”
If the No. 5 Blue Devils (11-3, 2-1 in the ACC) exorcise their demons against the Terrapins Friday in Charlottesville, Va., it will go a long way toward improving their postseason seeding and legitimacy as an NCAA championship contender. Despite the team’s eight-game winning streak, Duke has yet to put together consecutive solid performances. Coming off their best win of the year, a 13-5 drubbing of then-No. 1 Virginia in front of a large and hostile crowd, the Blue Devils have an opportunity to cement their identity with a win against No. 8 Maryland (7-3, 1-2). To do that, they must correct the mistakes that have haunted them in their recent matchups with the Terrapins.
In Duke’s two losses to Maryland last year, faceoffs and ground balls were the deciding factors. The Terrapins won 18 of 24 faceoffs from the Blue Devils in their 11-9 ACC championship victory and 11 of 17 in their NCAA tournament win. In both games, Duke also failed to collect as many ground balls as Maryland, an indicator that the Terrapins were more physical than the Blue Devils. While Duke had far more success in both categories in this season’s 10-7 loss to Maryland, Danowski is well aware of the threat the Terrapins pose in those areas.
“Their numbers are down,” Danowski said. “But we’re very wary that they’re very dangerous, and they’re very capable of dominating us at the faceoff X.”
To stymie that threat, the Blue Devils will turn to the uniquely multidimensional long stick midfielder C.J. Costabile.
“The faceoff is such an integral part of the game, of creating momentum, of stopping momentum,” Danowski said. “C.J. gives you this dual-edged sword in that he can certainly win a draw on his own, he can keep the ball alive for his teammates, the wing players, and if your opponent wins the faceoff, he can actually create a turnover. So he really is more... of a triple-edged sword.”
Costabile is best known for his game-winning goal just seconds into overtime in the 2010 national championship game, and his penchant for scoring is not lost on his coach, who trusts Costabile to make a big play when he sees a potential opportunity.
As good as he is as a scorer, however, his four goals and three assists are overshadowed by the team’s attack unit.
But Costabile, the fifth overall pick in the 2012 Major League Lacrosse draft, was named a third-team All American the last two seasons based largely on the strength of his defensive efforts.
Coming into the year, he was named a preseason first-team All-American. So far he has not disappointed, as he is currently on pace for his most productive season as a Blue Devil. Costabile is causing turnovers at the same rate as last year and winning faceoffs at a better clip than he has in any previous season. Most importantly, though, he is collecting ground balls at a pace of 6.64 per game, good for seventh nationally—best among players from major-conference teams—and a 40-percent jump from last year’s production.
Like Danowski, Costabile has always realized the importance of the ground ball from both a statistical and practical standpoint. As a statistic, ground balls collected represent the effort and physicality necessary to extract a loose ball from the scrum of sticks and players pursuing it. But Costabile is more concerned with the practical aspect of the ground ball—for him, ground balls represent an opportunity to ignite his team’s attack.
“They’re fun,” Costabile said of ground balls. “In order for your team to win, you have to have possession of the ball. I always kind of took on that role, just kind of like a macho role, if you will. I want to get the ground ball. I want to get it to our guys and let them do their thing.”
To beat a Maryland defense that leads the ACC in goals allowed by almost one goal per game, Duke will need to keep possession and get the ball into the hands of its scorers as often and as quickly as possible. That cannot happen without another strong performance from Costabile.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.