DUKE 16-7, FINAL: Tucker Virtue closes out the scoring for the Blue Devils, who move to 3-2.
DUKE 15-6, 4:20: The teams have traded goals, with Catalino scoring on the extra man opportunity for Duke. Michael Hutchings just slashed through the left side of the Holy Cross defense to add to Duke's highest scoring total of the young season.
DUKE 13-4, 10:38: Crotty scores a beautiful goal from behind the cage, bringing the ball back up the right side and whipping it past Harrison. The Blue Devils are firing on all cylinders now and will halt their losing streak at two while sending the Crusaders to 0-3 on the season.
DUKE 12-4, 12:19: Quinzani scores on an underhanded shot just over 45 seconds later. I've lost count, but I'm pretty sure that's six goals for Quinzani, who is Duke's most experienced attackman and has been the go-to guy offensively this afternoon.
DUKE 11-4, 13:06 4th: Zach Howell and Catalino score two huge goals just 15 seconds apart, giving Duke a 7-goal cushion and likely sealing the Blue Devils' third victory of the year.
DUKE 9-4, END 3rd: Holy Cross had a flurry of attempts in the final minute, but they were all unable to find the back of the net. The best chance may have been Colin Flood's shot off the post. The Crusaders have been able to keep Duke from pulling away so far, but Duke controlled the fourth quarter against Maryland Saturday. We'll see if the Blue Devils can continue that trend when it matters -- when they have a lead.
DUKE 9-4, 9:01: The Crusaders answer. They aren't going away anytime soon. Duke could use a run here to quash any thoughts of a Holy Cross comeback.
DUKE 9-3, 9:453 rd: Holy Cross scored for the first time since the first quarter, but Quinzani countered less than two minutes later with his fifth goal of the game. Crotty tacked on another at the 9:54 mark, and Duke has opened up its biggest lead of the contest.
DUKE 7-2, HALFTIME: Duke didn't put as many balls in the net in the second quarter as it did in the first, but that doesn't mean the Blue Devils didn't come close. Crotty had a bounce shot that went just high, Mike Catalino hit the left post at the 8-minute mark, and CJ Costabile managed a tough shot while falling down, only to have it saved by the Crusaders' Jimmy Harrison. Thanks to their dominance of time of possession, however, the Blue Devils did not surrender any goals to the Crusaders that period and, as a result, enter the break up five. It's been a solid all-around performance so far by the Blue Devils. They don't seem to be letting their first losing streak since 2004 affect them, and they certainly aren't overlooking the winless Crusaders. Look to see if Duke keeps up the aggressiveness in the second half and can put away Holy Cross early.
DUKE 7-2, 2:45: Quinzani notches his fourth goal of the day, taking a Constabile pass and cashing in for Duke's 7th goal. The Blue Devils have been in possession for most of this quarter, and Holy Cross has had very few scoring chances. Their best opportunity may have just occurred -- they hit the post.
DUKE 6-2, 5:14 2nd: Duke had several great scoring opportunities in the first half of the second quarter, but it just couldn't quite convert. Crotty, Costabile and Catalino all had near misses.The Blue Devils finally put one in with just over 5 minutes remaining, though, as Justin Turri receives the pass from Crotty and scores. That's Crotty's third assist of the afternoon.
DUKE 5-2, :40.6: Stephen Coyle finishes off a Duke fastbreak by taking a Crotty feed and putting it into the net. The Blue Devils are playing well wearly, and that goal suggests that their old run-and-gun days may not be completely dead. The Blue Devils end the first quarter with a 5-2 lead. They have to be pleased with their offensive output after failing to hit double figures in their last three games. At this pace, they'll hit 10 before the second half starts.
DUKE 4-2, 2:41: Holy Cross' Eddison Parsenese swings around the Duke cage, putting a shot over the left shoulder of Schroeder.
DUKE 4-1, 4:25: Will McKee scores to put Duke up by 3.
DUKE 3-1, 6:01: The game is only nine minutes old, but Quinzani already has a hat trick. The junior attackman just bounced a shot through the legs of a Holy Cross defender and into the net. Crotty gets the assist. One story to watch today -- and the rest of the season-- will be how Crotty adjusts to becoming an attackman. If he an Quinzani can develop some chemistry, they coud form a very potent attack.
DUKE 2-1, 9:36: Chris Smerty receives a pass fe Marchant just outside of the crease and rifles a shot over the shoulder of Duke goalie Rob Schroeder. Holy Cross is starting to control time of possession after the Blue Devils had refused to give the ball up for the first 3-4 minutes.
DUKE 2-0, 11:49: Duke just held the ball for nearly three minutes -- Holy Cross never gaining possession -- and finished the possession with a Quinzani wraparound goal. Just 18 seconds later, Quinzani scored again from 8 feet in front of the cage, giving the Blue Devils an early 2-goal lead.
PREGAME: We've got about five minutes before the Blue Devils face off against Holy Cross on the turf field behind Koskinen (does this field have an actual nam? I want to say just West Campus Fields, but that seems too simple). The game's been moved from Koskinen after yesterday's snowstorm. There are a decent number of people in the stands, especially considering the weather -- although it isn't as cold as I had anticpated. Then again, that could just be because I'm wearing about five layers, as the Internet says it's a brisk 33 degrees in Durham right now. (But it'll be 70 by Saturday!) It's also really bright out here and therefore very difficult to see my monitor, so I apologize in advance for any typos.
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