After losing its last two matches against ranked opponents, the regular season finale versus Virginia loomed large on Duke’s schedule.
Fortunately for the No. 9 Blue Devils, they rose to the challenge Saturday. Duke defeated No. 6 Virginia 13-11 at Koskinen Stadium, earning its fifth conference title in the last seven seasons and ninth overall.
“From the first day you walk onto campus here, when you first get the job, you feel the power of the conference,” head coach John Danowski said. “To be a part of it, we’re very proud… and to be fortunate enough to have some success means a lot.”
The Cavaliers (8-4, 1-2 in the ACC) broke the ice in the game, with midfielder Colin Briggs notching the contest’s first goal. Briggs, who led his team in goals scored Saturday with four, faced additional offensive pressure because star attacker Steele Stanwick did not play due to a calf injury.
The Blue Devils were not intimidated by Virginia’s quick start, however, and responded with three unanswered goals, two of which were put in by senior Zach Howell. Duke finished the first period with a strong 6-3 lead.
“It was important for us to set the tempo today back at home and get back on the right track,” junior midfielder Robert Rotanz said.
Despite the quick start, the next period was not quite as easy for the Blue Devils (10-4, 3-0). The Cavaliers slowly worked themselves back into the contest and went into halftime down by only one goal. They netted the equalizer to start off the third period, evening up the match for the first time since it was 1-1.
Yet, they would never take the lead, in large part due to an offensive explosion from Rotanz.
After Rhamel Bratton scored the tying goal for Virginia, Duke tossed in four consecutive scores to jump back out front. Rotanz notched three of those and added a fourth at the start of the fourth quarter, finishing the regular season with 18 goals, placing him third highest on the team.
“One of the things we always tell our guys is that at any time, it could be your day,” Danowski said. “We feel like we have a tremendous amount of balance on the team, and a tremendous number of people who can make plays. Today happened to be Rob’s day, and we’re delighted with his progress.”
The victory and regular season title means that the Blue Devils will have the No. 1 seed at next weekend’s conference tournament at Koskinen Stadium. In the first round, they will play none other than Virginia, a rematch of last year’s semifinal matchup when the Cavaliers came out victorious.
“We love playing Virginia, playing back at home and playing well at home,” Rotanz said.
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