The atmosphere Tuesday afternoon at Koskinen Stadium for the matchup between No. 1 Duke and St. Joseph's was nothing like the emotional one in the stadium last weekend.
In the end, it did not matter.
Led by Zack Greer's seven goals, the Blue Devils took an early lead and then used a second-half spurt to close out an emphatic 18-4 victory.
The Hawks (0-4) entered the game coming off three losses to top-25 teams, and Duke (4-0) put on an inspired performance against a team it was supposed to beat.
"In this day of internet and knowing people's records and statistics, the guys can look and say, 'Geez, they are 0-3 and we are 3-0, and this is what the outcome should be,'" head coach John Danowski said. "But something that every team has to realize is that you earn your stripes. [St. Joe's] just doesn't have the experience, but it's a great winning lesson for our team."
Matt Danowski opened the scoring early on after the Blue Devils had killed off a power play, and midfielders Brad Ross and Greer notched goals to make the score 3-0 in the first 15 minutes. But Duke struggled to extend its lead in the second quarter, and the teams went into the locker room with the Blue Devils leading 6-2.
Duke came out in the second half looking like a much more composed, passionate side, though, and the final score reflected it.
"We threw the ball away a lot in the first half, but in the second half we settled down a little bit and were able to work the ball a little better," Greer said. "They were physical and worked hard, and we knew they would play that way, but we just had to get back to our game in the second half and that worked for us."
While Greer provided the bulk of the scoring, several other players recorded at least one goal. These came mostly in the fourth quarter, when Matt Danowski and Greer sat out while other players got a chance to contribute.
"I wasn't at all surprised that so many different players scored," John Danowski said. "One of the things we preach right from the beginning here is that everybody can make a play and everyone is capable. We want to be really unselfish and able to move the ball, and that's one of the things we're trying to do."
Duke came into the game averaging just less than 15 goals a game and exceeded that number Tuesday, but its defense and goalkeeping were more impressive against the Hawks.
"That has really been a focus for us," Danowski said about keeping the ball out of goalie Dan Loftus's net. "We've been trying to work on the defensive end and play better defensively. [Loftus] only played eight games as a starter last year so he is still feeling his way, and he gets better every time out."
The Blue Devils will next take on Loyola at the First 4 Tournament in San Diego this weekend, and they will enter the competition in a confident mood.
"This was a great mid-week game where we probably would have been practicing, but instead we got to work and get better for the rest of the season," Greer said.
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