This Sunday’s game between Duke and Syracuse features two traditional powerhouse lacrosse programs: The winners of the past three national championships and two of the top three teams in the country.
To top it off, both teams enter the game with seven-game winning streaks. The No. 3 Blue Devils (8-2) haven’t lost in more than a month, while the No. 1 Orange (7-0) have yet to lose a game at all this season. It’s fitting that such a showdown would take place in one of the nation’s largest arenas: New Meadowlands Stadium, the 82,500-seat home of the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets in Secaucus, N.J.
The game takes place as part of the Big City Classic, which features a triple-header involving four of the nation’s top-six teams.
Leading up to the game, head coach John Danowski said he is encouraged by the way his team is practicing and is looking at this game as a measuring stick.
“There has been a tremendous focus in practice and guys have worked really hard,” Danowski said. “For this game, we just want to go in and play. Let our guys run out there against the best in the country and see how we measure up.”
The Orange have proven to be the best in the country so far in this young season, and their defense is peaking just as they prepare to face the third-highest-scoring offense in college lacrosse. Syracuse has allowed a total of only 10 goals in its past two games, and those contests haven’t been played against easy competition. Syracuse defeated No. 7 Villanova 5-4 and emerged victorious from a thrilling 5-4 double-overtime game against No. 9 John Hopkins.
Leading the Duke attack against this formidable defensive unit are senior Zach Howell, who leads the team with 33 points and freshman Jordan Wolf, who sits one spot behind Howell with 28 points. Wolf has been especially hot lately, with 10 points in his last two games, including seven points against Georgetown in the Blue Devils’ thrilling come-from-behind victory two games ago.
To compete against the game plan against the feisty Orange defense, Howell stressed the importance of being prepared for Syracuse’s aggressiveness.
“They like to press out, they are an aggressive team and so everyone on the field needs to be ready,” Howell said. “[We cannot be] nervous and anxious when they start doing that to us.”
Duke will have extra motivation in this game, since the last meeting between these two teams took place in the semifinals of the 2009 National Championships, where Syracuse destroyed the Blue Devils 17-7 to end Duke’s title hopes.
“Personally, I try to improve on last games, not really thinking about that [2009] Syracuse game in particular,” Howell said. “But it is in the back of my mind how badly they beat us.”
If the Blue Devils knock off the Orange on Sunday and earn a chance to steal their No. 1 ranking, revenge will be sweet indeed.
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