HALFTIME: Duke 8, Denver 4

Top-seeded Duke has started to pull away from fifth-seeded Denver after the first two quarters of play in the NCAA semifinal at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Blue Devils' sophomore midfield tandem of Myles Jones and Deemer Class led Duke's first-half charge, combining for three goals on 10 shots before giving way to senior attackman Jordan Wolf. The Tewaaraton Award finalist ended the second quarter on a personal 3-0 scoring run to create breathing room for Duke.

Playing in place of the injured Josh Dionne, Kyle Keenan found the back of the net with 6:26 remaining in the second quarter to give Duke a 5-4 lead. Wolf took it from there, pushing the Blue Devil lead to 8-4.

Here are some observations from the first half:

• Jones and Class wasted little time getting in on the action. After Denver junior Wesley Berg gave Denver a 1-0 lead, Jones and Class scored 56 seconds apart to give Duke its first lead of the game. Class added another goal in the second quarter, but the duo shot a combined 3-of-10 in the opening 30 minutes.
• Wolf took a little longer to find the back of the net, misfiring on his first three shots. Duke's leading point-scorer did pick up an assist in the first quarter before picking up his first goal with 4:54 left before halftime, off the rebound from a shot by Jones. He tallied his second off of a Denver turnover, and finished off his first-half hat trick with 7.5 seconds left before halftime.
• The Blue Devils shot in bulk in the opening 15 minutes, getting 11 shots compared to Denver's four. Duke widened that margin in the second period and goes into the locker room with 25 shots on the afternoon.
• Faceoff specialist Brendan Fowler was up to his old tricks in the first half, winning eight of 14 draws to help Duke set up its scoring chances.
• Berg's two first-half goals give the junior 45 goals on the season for the Pioneers, good for the team lead.
• The Blue Devil defense found a rhythm as the second quarter wore on, shutting out Denver for the final 8:15 before halftime. Goalkeeper Luke Aaron collected two saves on Denver's 10 shots.
• All four Denver goals in the first half were unassisted.