In Duke’s final contest before the ACC Tournament, the team’s ninth consecutive victory was accompanied by a slew of personal milestones.
The No. 7 Blue Devils (11-4) cruised past Rutgers 16-7 Saturday at Yurcak Field in New Brunswick, N.J.
Junior Jordan Wolf, who led all scorers with five tallies, became the 15th Blue Devil to notch 100 career goals. Classmate Brendan Fowler scooped up eight ground balls, typing CJ Costabile’s single-season record of 144. With two tallies apiece, freshman Deemer Class and senior Greg DeLuca recorded the first multiple-goal games of their careers.
Class was not the only freshman to earn points in Saturday’s contest. Myles Jones added two goals, and Case Matheis notched four assists on the evening.
“We got some terrific contributions from our freshmen,” Duke head coach John Danowski said. “We’re really happy with the play of our freshmen.”
Fowler posted a dominant performance at the faceoff X, winning 16-of-22 faceoffs against Rutgers sophomore Joseph Nardella, who entered the game ranked third nationally in faceoff percentage. The Scarlet Knights (2-12) are the first team on Duke’s schedule with a better faceoff man than Fowler. The junior came into the contest ranked fourth in the country.
Between the pipes, Rutgers freshman Kris Alleyne made 20 saves, and Duke’s goalkeepers combined for eight. The Scarlet Knights’ rookie goaltender stopped 55.6 percent of the Blue Devils’ shots on goal, but Duke’s high-scoring offense proved too difficult for Rutgers’ defense to overcome.
The Blue Devil defense, on the other hand, caused 10 turnovers and limited Rutgers to eight shots on goal in the opening half.
“Defensively, there was a much better focus,” Danowski said. “We communicated better. We got organized underneath the ball and played well as a unit.”
After trading goals with Rutgers to start the game, Duke went on a 4-0 run powered by two tallies from Class. The Blue Devils held the Scarlet Knights scoreless for 10:49 before Rutgers junior Benjamin Schwing ended the drought early in the second quarter. The Scarlet Knights found the back of the net just one more time in the period, but Duke tallied four more goals, building a 9-3 halftime advantage. Wolf scored two of the Blue Devils’ second-quarter goals.
Duke rattled off five consecutive tallies—including two from Jones—in the third period before Rutgers sophomore Rich Rambo ended the Blue Devil run. Wolf opened the final quarter with a pair of goals that extended Duke’s lead to 16-4. The Scarlet Knights scored the final three goals of the game, but their late push wasn’t enough to edge the Blue Devils.
“At the end of April, what you’re always looking for regardless of who you are playing next is: ‘Are you playing the right way? Are you learning the lessons from the games before and carrying them forward?’” Danowski said. “This week we did that.”
Duke hopes to continue on that track when it begins postseason play next weekend at the ACC Tournament in Chapel Hill, N.C. The third-seeded Blue Devils, who defeated North Carolina 10-8 during the regular season, will take on the second-seeded Tar Heels in the semifinal round of the tournament Friday. With its ninth straight victory in the books, Duke is entering the postseason with the longest active winning streak in Division I.
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