In Duke's eight consecutive trips to lacrosse's Championship Weekend, the Blue Devils have shaken off early-season losses to build momentum that has propelled them through postseason run after postseason run. But as ACC play winds down, it appears Duke is still yet to hit its stride.
In a rematch of last year’s NCAA Championship game, No. 1 Notre Dame exacted its revenge against No. 7 Duke, topping the Blue Devils 15-10 Saturday at Koskinen Stadium. The Blue Devils have dropped three straight games for the first time since 2004. The Fighting Irish have been on the losing end of two of Duke national championships in 2010 and 2014, but are 5-1 against the Blue Devils during regular-season play in the last six years.
“Notre Dame scored pretty easily and had their way with us,” Duke head coach John Danowski said. “I don’t know that their kids every felt really challenged by us.”
Duke (7-4, 0-3 in the ACC) is not living up to the sky-high expectations of a two-time defending national champion. For the third time this season, the team has underperformed against top-ranked opponents, including a 17-13 loss to then-No. 1 Denver Feb. 14 and a 19-7 drubbing at the hands of then-No. 1 Syracuse March 22.
Owners of a 2-3 record against ranked opponents, the Blue Devils are on their heels as the season moves into April. Notre Dame (7-1, 3-0) came prepared for its top-10 matchup unfazed by last year’s championship defeat, snapping Duke’s 21-game home winning streak and handing the team its first loss at Koskinen Stadium since March 2, 2013.
“Defending national champs—that is last year,” Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan said. “That ship has sailed. We don’t get to beat that team or compete against that team again.”
The first half was a series of missed opportunities for the Blue Devils. Despite grabbing 8-of-14 faceoffs, sloppy passing and a lack of offensive execution forced the team to play from behind from the game's opening whistle. Duke had six turnovers and only converted on 4-of-26 shots in the first half.
Notre Dame's two-headed attack of senior Conor Doyle and junior Matt Kavanagh provided an early boost for the Fighting Irish, who took an 8-4 lead into the locker room.
“In the first half I thought we just came out soft,” Duke senior midfielder Tanner Scott said. “We didn’t really have any passion.”
The Fighting Irish veterans continued impose their will on the Blue Devils in the second half. Doyle finished with three goals and four assists, and Kavanagh added three goals and two assists.
Duke played directly into the defensive scheme of the Fighting Irish throughout the game. Although the Blue Devils were firing shots from all angles, Notre Dame's defensive pressure kept Duke at bay.
Even when Duke spread out its offensive attack to open up more shooting lanes in the second half, the Fighting Irish stifled every attempt the Blue Devils made to get back into the game. Sophomore goalkeeper Shane Doss recorded a career-high 17 saves for Notre Dame.
A lone bright spot for the Blue Devils was Scott, who scored a hat trick on just four shots and provided the most offensive firepower the team could muster. After seeing limited playing time in his first three years, the senior has come on strong for Duke in 2015. The Conestoga, Pa., native has now scored 12 times for the Blue Devils this season after beginning the campaign with five tallies for his career.
“Tanner is a direct result of being a senior in the program who has practiced a lot and watched a lot,” Danowski said. “He was kind of on the periphery last year a little bit...and now he is playing much more, and he has taken full advantage of his opportunity.”
Scott did not reflect on his individual performance after his team's loss—noting that the Blue Devils are already looking ahead to their final ACC game of the year, where they will try to right the ship against No. 8 Virginia Sunday at Koskinen Stadium.
“We’ve just got to get back to work,” he said.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.