After a failed comeback against Loyola resulted in the team's first loss of the season a week earlier in San Diego, No. 4 Duke returned to North Carolina and successfully rallied to defeat No. 13 North Carolina 9-7 Saturday in Chapel Hill.
The Blue Devils (5-1, 2-0 in the ACC) looked disorganized early against the Tar Heels (6-2, 0-1), but they were able to regroup and execute late in the game in order to defeat their rivals for the fourth straight time.
"This is a good win over a good team," head coach John Danowski said after the game. "We didn't play particularly well in the first half, but we hung in there and made some plays after halftime."
The Blue Devils took their first lead of the contest on Matt Danowski's third goal of the game 42 seconds into the fourth quarter, putting them up 8-7. Duke rounded out the day's scoring with an insurance goal from Ned Crotty with 2:56 left. After the Blue Devils scored just once in the game's first 23 minutes, Crotty's goal capped off a 7-1 scoring streak that allowed them to complete their comeback bid.
"We were more patient in the second half offensively," John Danowski said. "Even though we were down, we were more patient. Hopefully, that will hold us in good stead down the line."
Much like their first-half performance against Loyola in which the Blue Devils trailed 5-1, Duke fell behind UNC 6-1 with less than seven minutes to play before the break. The Blue Devils racked up five and a half of their six penalty minutes, lost eight of 10 face-offs and gave up 18 shots in the first half, allowing the Tar Heels to jump out to their early lead.
"We didn't play very well," Danowski said. "I'm not sure we could have started off any worse. We were thankful it was only 6-1. It could have been much worse."
After a Matt Danowski goal brought the score to 6-2, freshman Max Quinzani scooped in a goal after UNC goalie Grant Zimmerman deflected another Matt Danowski shot with 38 seconds remaining in the half.
Following an unforced Tar Heel error, Duke quickly took to the offensive again as the period drew to a close. Danowski passed the ball across the face of the cage to a streaking Zack Greer, who dumped the ball into the net with only one second left. When Brad Ross won the opening face-off of the second half and scored within six seconds, Duke finally felt comfortable and settled down, only trailing 6-5.
After a rough start, John Danowski believed the three-goal streak was indicative of his players' more balanced approach.
"There's a difference between playing emotional and enthusiastic," John Danowski said. "Maybe the guys played too emotional because it was the Duke-North Carolina game, and they wanted to win the game in the first two minutes."
After squandering a late lead against Loyola, the Blue Devils not only defeated UNC with stoic play but also with stingy defense. Goalie Dan Loftus allowed two Greyhound goals in the final 1:13 of the Blue Devils' first loss, but prevented the Tar Heels from scoring in the last 27 minutes of Saturday's game.
Duke will attempt to build momentum when it plays at home against No. 1 Cornell Tuesday at 7 p.m.
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