In a contest that Duke expected to come down to the wire, the Blue Devils destroyed perennial powerhouse Johns Hopkins in every facet of the game. But it wasn't necessarily because they were faster, quicker or stronger than the Blue Jays-although it often appeared that way.
From head coach John Danowski's offensive twists, to the much-improved man-down defense, to the face-off dominance against a program known for its draw prowess, Duke dismantled one of its fiercest rivals simply because it was better prepared than the Blue Jays.
"We practiced all week, we worked really hard, and we came out and executed everything perfectly," midfielder Ned Crotty said. "I haven't seen our team this happy in a long time. The way our team played today, this is by far and away our best game."
Danowski's coaching abilities shined when he implemented a new offensive look that frustrated Johns Hopkins throughout the first half. Normally, Crotty and the rest of Duke's midfielders initiate from up top. But, after scouting the Blue Jays on film, Danowski decided to invert his offensive set several times in an effort to exploit Johns Hopkins' weakness from behind the net.
With stars Matt Danowski and Zack Greer on the wings, the coach thought the Blue Jays' help defense would be reluctant to slide toward Crotty when he dodged from the back. The plan worked beautifully and got Duke rolling, as Crotty was able to juke past his defender, turn the corner around the crease and fire it past the goalie three times before intermission.
"We work all week on something and then to be able to implement it into the game and have it work is just a huge confidence boost," Crotty said. "The coaches did a great job all week mapping out our game plan.... It worked out pretty well."
After John Danowski's X's and O's helped give Duke an 8-4 lead at the half, his halftime speech incited a six-goal outburst in the third quarter that effectively ended Johns Hopkins' comeback chances. The Blue Devils talked about owning the first five minutes of the second half in an effort to shock and demoralize the Blue Jays, Matt Danowski said. And did they ever.
In the third period, Duke landed 77 percent of its shots on goal, won 5-of-8 draws and turned Johns Hopkins away on each of its three extra-man opportunities.
Most importantly, though, the Blue Devils created easy transition goals thanks to their exceptional pressure on the Blue Jays, who successfully cleared on just two of their eight attempts.
"It's something we pride ourselves on. Our defense does a great job on their end, and we try to carry it over by riding like the way we do," Matt Danowski said. "We're usually pretty pissed off when we lose the ball, and we want to get it back right away, so you can see that in the way we ride. It's just our personality. It's the way we do things."
"Duke puts an ungodly amount of pressure on you," Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala said. "We make a bad decision in a clear, we don't pick up a loose ball, we turn the ball over on an extra-man with a bad shot. This is a team where every mistake you make is magnified.
"We just fell in line with a lot of teams they've handled, and they handled us tonight."
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