Despite a late rally from the home squad, the Blue Devils dominated the Golden Eagles from start to finish for the third time in as many seasons.
Competing in the first annual HEAD Coaches Classic, No. 6 Duke made it look easy with a 15-8 win against No. 15 Marquette at Hart Park in Wauwatosa, Wis., Saturday afternoon. The Blue Devils jumped out to a 7-2 lead after the first quarter to remain undefeated all-time in matchups against the Golden Eagles, sporting an average victory margin of 11.3 goals across the three contests.
Duke dominated the field by spreading out its offensive attack to extend its winning streak to three games and make its three-game losing streak a thing of the past. The three victories all came in a grueling seven-day stretch against a trio of ranked opponents, including then-No. 6 Virginia and then-No. 20 Stony Brook.
Three straight goals in as many minutes by Marquette in the fourth quarter seemed to briefly give the hosts life for a potential rally. Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, Duke won the next faceoff and a goal from freshman Justin Guterding—assisted by junior Myles Jones—stifled any momentum built in the quarter. Another Duke goal from Jones just two minutes later made the score 14-8, ending any hope Marquette had of capturing the victory.
“We knew that they were never going to give up,” senior midfielder Tanner Scott told GoDuke.com after scoring three goals and adding an assist on the day. “Lacrosse is a momentum game, and they got some momentum there. [Head coach John Danowski] just said, ‘Play with some focus.’ Sometimes we lose focus and we just look to our leaders.”
In the last three games, the Blue Devils (10-4) have had a plethora of players find the back of the net. Saturday was no different, with six players registering goals and each of those players finding the back of the net multiple times.
Duke’s offense relies heavily on the starting attack—made up of Guterding, junior Case Matheis and sophomore Jack Bruckner—and the full unit continues to improve. Matheis now has 13 points in the last three games after registering just 12 in his first eight this season.
“We are just sticking to what we know and not being selfish as individuals and just playing together,” Scott said. “If we just make the easy plays, it makes our teammates better, and it just makes us look way better.”
Bruckner has 15 points in the same three-game span—including his seven-goal performance against Virginia—and Guterding now has a team-high 41 goals to round out the trio’s success.
With his first goal of the game in the eighth minute of play, Jones became the all-time leading point scorer among full-time Blue Devil midfielders, surpassing Jim Gonnella’s 145 career points. The Huntington, N.Y., native now has 149 career points following Saturday’s performance of three goals and one assist.
In the third year of their program, the Golden Eagles (10-4) could not stick with Duke throughout the course of the game. Despite 39 shots and 14 saves, Marquette hurt itself with costly turnovers and a lack of success at the faceoff X. The Golden Eagles won just 3-of-12 faceoffs in the second half and could not exploit the Blue Devil defense enough to claw their way back into the game.
“The defense is making progress each and every game,” Scott said. “I think that’s all that we can ask for at this point.”
Duke will ride the momentum of its three-game winning streak into the ACC tournament as the No. 4 seed and will meet top-seeded Notre Dame in the semifinals. The Fighting Irish topped Duke 15-10 April 4 in Durham, and the rematch will be the Blue Devils’ fourth chance this season to knock off the No. 1 team in the nation, having fallen short in their first three attempts.
The ACC tournament opening faceoff is scheduled for Friday at 5:30 p.m. at PPL Park in Chester, Pa.
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