It may be almost two months later than anticipated, but Duke will finally get the opportunity to play Stony Brook.
After the scheduled game between the two teams in February was cancelled due to inclement weather, the No. 6 Blue Devils head to Stony Brook, N.Y., to face off against the No. 16 Seawolves Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. The rescheduling gives Duke a rare midweek game, coming at a difficult time in the semester for its players.
“Originally, this game was scheduled for February,” head coach John Danowski said. “Because we rescheduled, because our flights were canceled, there was nothing we could do about that. This seemed to be the best date at the time….We expect [our players] to be studying on the plane, we expect them to be studying in the hotel, on the buses. That wouldn't be unusual for a trip like this and for the weekend.”
The Blue Devils (8-4) head into Wednesday’s matchup coming off a much-needed win against then-No. 6 Virginia Sunday that snapped a three-game losing streak and gave them the fourth and final spot in the ACC tournament. The team will look to continue building its momentum before the start of the tournament April 24.
“[The ACC tournament] is everything,” Danowski said. “The ACC tournament is something that every athlete at Duke—no matter what you play—you want to be part of that. You want a chance to win an ACC championship.”
Stony Brook (10-3) will be no easy matchup for Duke, though, as the Seawolves boast the fifth-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 14.7 goals per game. The potent offense—led by junior Brody Eastwood, who leads the country with 51 goals on the year—could cause trouble for a Blue Devil defense that has lacked consistency this season.
Although its offense may be the strength of the team, Stony Brook also has a stout defense that ranks tied for 23rd in the nation in scoring defense, allowing an average of 9.5 goals per game.
Duke is coming off of one of its better team performances of the year, especially on defense, limiting the Cavaliers to just eight goals Sunday. A key to that success was the play of redshirt freshman goalkeeper Danny Fowler, who corralled a career-high 18 saves in his first victory as a starter and will look to continue his improved performance Wednesday.
“[Fowler has] only played three games,” Danowski said. “The first two were a little rough, but he was certainly much better last week [against Virginia.]”
In addition to the emergence of Fowler in goal, sophomore attackman Jack Bruckner is also coming off the best game of his career, after registering seven goals against Virginia. Both Blue Devils received ACC Player of the Week honors for their efforts against the Cavaliers.
Star midfielder Myles Jones also broke a mild mid-season slump against Virginia, giving the Blue Devils five points on two goals and three assists. Steady production from the junior will be key not only against Stony Brook, but also moving forward into the postseason.
“I think Myles had a great week of practice last week and also the guys around him are playing better,” Danowksi said. “And that's a big part of what we do. Nobody is responsible for carrying the load—it's everybody.”
The improved performance of several individual players helped Duke defeat Virginia, but the squad must now translate that success into another cohesive 60-minute performance from both its offense and its defense against the Seawolves. If they can keep their intensity up, the Blue Devils will look to add another win before they close out their regular-season slate Saturday against Marquette.
Nick Martin contributed reporting.
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