Before Saturday's game against No. 4 Maryland, No. 1 Duke's head coach Mike Pressler predicted the game would be a one-goal battle decided in the game's final minutes.
He was absolutely right.
After playing to a 7-7 regulation tie, the Terrapins won the face-off to start overtime and waited for the opportunity to strike. Attacker Xander Ritz took control of the ball on the right side of the field. When he reversed field behind the goal he lost his defender, giving him the chance to send a diving wrap-around shot past Duke goalie Dan Loftus for the 8-7 victory.
In a game marred by poor play and missed opportunities, Duke (3-1, 0-1 in the ACC) appeared flat against Maryland (2-0, 1-0) Saturday at Koskinen Stadium and never capitalized on good scoring situations.
"It's tough to say you're not ready for a Maryland game, but we weren't ready," attacker Matt Danowski said. "We weren't playing the way we normally play. We weren't playing with the heart we usually play with."
The Blue Devils came out strong, and built a 2-1 lead after the first period. But Duke quickly lost its advantage as the Terrapins-aided by Duke penalties-scored three quick goals in the opening minutes of the second quarter.
Ritz scored his second goal of the afternoon just 33 seconds into the quarter and then assisted two minutes later on Dan Groot's lone score of the contest. Maryland added its third goal in less than four minutes shortly after Brad Ross and Tony McDevitt were charged with penalties, leading to a two-man Maryland advantage.
Playing six on four, Ritz found himself wide open to the left of the goal with only Loftus to beat. He flicked an easy shot to the top-left corner to put the Terrapins ahead, 4-2, and finished the contest with a game-high five goals and six points.
"We had a lot of penalties," Loftus said. "I think both teams played a little sloppy in the first half. But you know what, it's an ACC game and that's what's going to happen when you play someone good. They're going to know our stuff and we're going to know their stuff."
At half, Pressler said he challenged his players' manhood in an attempt to get them to play harder, and the Blue Devils responded with a much more technically-sound second half.
With the score knotted at six after three quarters, Danowski tried to take over the game. He controlled the ball from the start of the period and ran from behind the right side of the net to create an opening. He then launched a laser-beam shot that beat Maryland goalie Harry Alford low to take a one-goal lead with 14:24 remaining in the game.
Danowski's goal would be Duke's last score of the afternoon, and the Blue Devil lead was short lived. Six minutes later, Joe Walters bounced a shot over Loftus' left shoulder to tie the game and force overtime.
Loftus ended the contest with a career-high 20 saves as he was constantly peppered with tough shots. Maryland had 42 shots on the day, while Duke totaled 30.
"He kept us in the game," Danowski said of Loftus. "I don't know how many saves he had-20 something-but he played unbelievable. He made some big plays and the way he chased on the end line was a momentum-turner for us. it could have been a lot worse if it weren't for him."
Despite Loftus' effort, penalties and failure to finish offensive opportunities ultimately doomed the Blue Devils. Duke was also handicapped in the second half without leading scorer Dan Flannery, who injured his shoulder at the 3:03 mark in the second quarter.
"It's one of the most intense rivalries in lacrosse-both teams played their hearts out today," Pressler said. "I didn't think it was a very good game as far as skills, but I think Maryland kind of brings that out of you. I was just disappointed because we didn't execute in the offensive end."
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