When Duke’s main faceoff man and all-time ground ball leader CJ Costabile graduated last year, the All-American left a huge void in the Blue Devils’ midfield.
“He was the best player in the country last year. I learned a lot from him,” junior Brendan Fowler said. “I was hoping that I could carry some of what he taught me and what I have done previously into the season.”
Fowler, who has taken over Costabile’s responsibilities in the midfield, has exceeded all expectations so far this season.
In their time together, Costabile showed Fowler techniques that have elevated his ground ball game. Last season, Fowler scooped up 34 ground balls in 17 games. In the 10 games that the No. 13 Blue Devils have played this year, he already has 102 ground balls, including a career-high 13 in Duke’s win against then-No. 6 North Carolina. He ranks second in the nation in ground balls per game.
“CJ was great at picking up ground balls,” Fowler said. “I knew I would have to pick up a lot of ground balls to be successful, so that was something I stressed early in the preseason.”
In addition to picking up loose balls, Fowler boasts a 62.6 faceoff percentage this season. He has won the faceoff battle against nine out of of Duke’s 10 opponents this season. He struggled against No. 1 Maryland’s faceoff men, but his success against five ranked opponents—Denver, Notre Dame, Pennsylvania, Loyola and North Carolina—is a testament to his reliability at the faceoff X.
Costabile was Duke’s faceoff specialist last year, but Fowler was getting groomed for the role, taking 149 faceoffs for the Blue Devils. He won 90-of-149 for a 60.4 faceoff percentage.
Costabile broke his hand late in the season and played through it but did not take faceoffs at the start of the NCAA tournament.
“Brendan had a lot of experience coming in,” Duke head coach John Danowski said. “He has played in a lot of big games and played terrific when CJ got hurt. We were hopeful that Brendan could be the full-time guy. So far he has been extremely consistent.”
Danowski added that having the possession advantage—a result of strong faceoff play—allows Duke to relax on the defensive end. Although the Blue Devils play less defense than their opponents, Fowler contributes on that end of the field, working with the shortstick defensive midfielders daily.
“He has become a much better on-the-ball and off-the-ball defender,” Danowski said. “He’s much improved.”
Balancing lacrosse and academics isn’t the only major responsibility Fowler has on his plate at Duke. He is also a walk-on linebacker for the football team, and due to the time-consuming nature of the sport, he doesn’t participate in offseason lacrosse practices or scrimmages.
“I always try to get some stuff in during the week even if it’s not a lot of running around,” Fowler said. “In the fall I tried to come out and throw around with guys, do some faceoff work, nothing running so I don’t beat my legs up during football. Whenever I get the chance to get something done I got lacrosse work in.”
After injuring his collarbone in Duke’s 12-9 win against Syracuse in the opening round of the NCAA tournament last season and undergoing surgery in late May, Fowler spent the majority of his summer recovering for the football season. The work he put in during the offseason to prepare for the Blue Devils’ tough lacrosse schedule this year has paid handsome dividends, leading the team to signature wins against then-No. 4 Loyola—the reigning national champion—and then-No. 6 North Carolina so far this year.
Duke will need Fowler’s consistency as it looks to finish the year strong and make a deep postseason run.
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