Duke took home its fourth ACC championship in six years by defeating Maryland 6-5 in the semifinals and then knocking off North Carolina 12-9 in the championship game.
In the Blue Devils' defensive struggle against the Terrapins, sophomore Josh Dionne led the way with three goals, including an unlikely scoop shot from the turf with just 1.2 seconds left in the first half.
In the championship game, Duke's offense doubled its output, led by a career-high six points (four goals, two assists) from sophomore attacker Christian Walsh. Walsh, who was named the most valuable player of the tournament, also contributed a goal in the Maryland game.
Fellow sophomore Jordan Wolf, who leads the team in points and assists with 55 and 27 respectively, garners the most attention of the team's three starting attackmen and was the only one named to the 2012 All-ACC team. But he was held to only one point against Maryland and was left off the All-Tournament team despite his two goals and two assists in the championship game.
Duke, which jumped two spots to No. 3 in this week's media poll, has received balanced scoring from its offensive unit all year. Still, it never hurts to give opponents another reminder that everyone on the attack is fully capable of being the go-to scorer on any given day.
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