Last season, Marist nearly handed the then-No.8 Blue Devils an upset before their matchup against then-No. 1 Virginia. Duke trailed the Red Foxes 9-7 heading into the final period, but a fourth-quarter rally propelled the Blue Devils to an 11-10 victory.
No. 17 Duke hopes to avoid a similar scare Monday at Koskinen Stadium.
“We’re definitely looking forward to getting another chance,” Marist senior Jack Doherty said. “Last year we had a really good game plan and we came in and kept it close. A lot of people thought that we should be happy with that, but we’re not going to be happy until we get the win.”
Doherty, who garnered All-MAAC honors in each of his seasons with the Red Foxes (5-0), scored five goals in last year’s game against the Blue Devils (5-4).
“[Jack Doherty] was clearly the best player on the field,” Duke head coach John Danowski said after last season’s matchup.
One of the sharpest shooters in the country, the attackman ranks 11th in the nation in shot percentage. He leads the team in scoring with 14 goals and has notched a hat trick in four of the five games that the Red Foxes have played this year.
Rounding out the starting attack line are fellow senior Connor Rice—a four-year starter—and freshman Joseph Radin. All three starters have already won MAAC weekly awards this season, which is a testament to their individual talents.
“There’s a lot of experience on that line, and [Jack and Connor] have played in a lot of big games,” Marist head coach Keegan Wilkinson said. “They have an awful lot of confidence and composure. It’s a great group for Joe to step right into.”
On the other end of the field, sophomore goaltender Dave Scarcello anchors the defensive unit. He earned the starting nod this season after beating the other three goalies on the roster—including junior Craig Goodermote, who recorded a career-high 19 saves against the Blue Devils last year—in an open competition for the starting position. Scarcello was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Week the past two weeks after holding Lafayette to five goals and keying the Red Foxes’ success against Towson, which Marist defeated 10-9 in a come-from-behind overtime thriller.
“I was really excited for the opportunity to start this year,” Scarcello said. “It has been a smooth transition because of how well our defense has been playing. They play with a lot of energy and are comfortable out there.”
The Red Foxes will need to bring that energy to Durham Monday. In recent games, the Blue Devils’s high-powered offense pulled off upsets against then-No. 4 Loyola and then-No. 6 North Carolina and blew out Towson 12-4.
“[Duke has] excellent shooters, so I’m always going to have to be ready in the cage,” Scarcello said.
Among these shooters is Duke freshman Case Matheis, who recently secured a spot on the starting attack line after junior Christian Walsh moved to the midfield. The rookie has adjusted well to the starting role, leading the Blue Devils against Towson Saturday with three goals and two assists.
While Duke beat the Tigers Saturday, Marist took down Detroit, its first conference opponent of the season, 11-8.
Both coming off Saturday matches, the Blue Devils and Red Foxes will have to compete on short rest.
“I told guys after the Carolina game that we were going to treat this weekend like the ACC Tournament with two games in three days and taking each game one at a time,” Duke head coach John Danowski said.
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