No. 1 Duke had to wait nearly two years for a shot at a NCAA tournament win after losing to Johns Hopkins in the 2005 National Championship, 9-8.
And by gametime Saturday, the Blue Devils were more than ready to play and win-despite a two-hour and one minute rain delay in the third period that stood in their way.
Behind Zack Greer's five goals and Matt Danowski's career-high seven assists, Duke (14-2) romped to an 18-3 victory over Providence (7-10) in Koskinen Stadium for its 10th straight win. Danowski also set the school record for career assists at 118, surpassing the previous mark of 114 by Tony Cullen, who played from 1978 to 1980.
"This is the most confident I've been out there this year," Danowski said.
Bolstered by one of the best players in the country playing at his best, the outcome for the Blue Devils was never in doubt. Even when Providence managed a goal late in the first period to pull within one, Duke did not waver and instead rattled off 15 unanswered goals.
With 11:34 left in the third quarter, Duke had already built up a 10-1 lead. The Blue Devils were frustrating the Friars, outshooting them 34-1, and forced numerous turnovers and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
"Top to bottom they've got guys who can shoot," Providence goalie Peter Littell said. "It did get to the point. where every time I turn around there's a guy right on top of me."
Although Providence could not stop Duke, the rain did.
The referees suddenly called the game due to inclement weather at that 11:34 mark.
While all but the most dedicated fans scattered, the players settled in the locker rooms, trying to stay mentally sharp and alert.
"There was some joke telling for a while-probably 20 minutes of joke telling, which is a skill that needs to be developed also," Duke head coach John Danowski said. "As a coaching staff, we just wanted to make sure there was some energy in there. We don't want guys taking naps or relaxing too much."
When Duke and Providence did manage to get back on the field, the Blue Devils continued their domination of the Friars. Duke aggressively attacked the net, with several goals coming off of players slashing to the net or sprinting toward the goal off a turnover.
The Friars could never maintain possession of the ball for longer than a few moments for most of the game. Providence's stall offense set up behind the net and waited for an opening to develop as the attackman lurked behind the net.
Unfortunately for the Friars, lanes never developed and the Blue Devils poking sticks knocked the ball away from them on nearly every possession.
"We wanted to invert and basically stall-hold the ball," Providence head coach Chris Burdick said. "But turnovers lead to transition, and we didn't want transition to be part of the game."
Those turnovers led to Duke getting off 47 more shots than Providence, and Blue Devils goalie Dan Loftus only had to make one save before leaving late in the third period.
"It's not what the score was [but that] we played right [and] we played with confidence and a certain sense of swagger," Matt Danowski said.
Duke will next face off against North Carolina Sunday at 1 p.m. in Annapolis, Md. Earlier in the year, the Blue Devils defeated the Tar Heels 9-7 March 17 and 13-9 in the ACC tournament semifinals.
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