Pioneering defensive excellence.
No. 5 Duke continues to put on defensive clinics against the best teams in the nation, this time shutting down and defeating No. 10 Denver to win 11-7 at a neutral-site venue in Severn, Md. After holding high-powered Syracuse to its lowest scoring total of the season Wednesday, the Blue Devils only allowed one goal in the first half to help propel them to victory. Brennan O’Neill led the way with another hat trick, while Benn Johnston, Dyson Williams and Max Sloat added two goals each.
“Really, we are growing as a defensive group,” said Duke head coach John Danowski after the contest.
Up 7-6 with 6:27 to go and Denver riding a scoring streak, the Blue Devils (9-2, 0-1 in the ACC) needed some offensive cushion to seal their top-10 victory. Reigning Tewaaraton Award winner O’Neill showed why he earned his stripes, picking up a loose ball behind the crease, charging at the net with reckless abandon and finishing low after a shot fake up high. A few minutes later, Josh Zawada dodged left from behind the crease, spun his defender and used the inside leverage to capitalize from close range. As time wound down in the game, Zawada fed it to Williams, who pelted it from way outside into the goal. The strong three-goal rush ensured a Duke victory, extending its advantage to 10-6 and putting the game out of the reach of the Pioneers (6-2).
“The bar is set so high,” Danowski said of his offense. “And the guys always feel they let people down when they don’t ascribe to that standard. They put so much pressure on themselves that sometimes they forget to play the game … it’s a lot of fun.”
The Blue Devil offense fired out of the gates in the first quarter, with three goals within the first seven minutes of action. A charging Johnston worked around the screen, flipped a pass to the right side for Sloat, who caught and ripped it into the back of the net to open the action. Then, O’Neill showed his pure talent and agility, as his stutter-step allowed him to dive towards the mouth of the goal and easily pass it into the back of the net. A few minutes later, Aidan Danenza broke his defender’s ankles with a spin move and fired a bullet into the lower right-hand corner of the net in a play destined for the SportsCenter Top 10. A fourth goal from Johnston gave the Blue Devils a comfortable four-goal advantage by halftime.
Although the offense cooled and eventually slumped, the defense stood strong, sliding properly and preventing good looks on the cage. When Denver did fire shots at Duke freshman goalie Patrick Jameison, the Devon, Pa., native stopped seven of the eight total shots on target. Duke also forced six turnovers and was a perfect 12-for-12 on clears in the first half. The only time the Blue Devils’ efforts were thwarted was thanks to the Pioneers’ Cody Malawsky. He exploded from behind the cage, fought through a hold by Charlie O’Connor and finished with one hand, an insane individual effort to make it 4-1 at halftime.
“Everyone wants to beat Duke,” Danowski said. “Everyone wants to beat you, that’s a given, so how do you handle that? I think that’s something every team or every individual has to learn.”
Out of the locker room, Denver began to claw its way back into the game. Goals from Joshua Carlson and Michael Lampert brought it within one. After nearly a 23-minute drought, the Duke offense finally found some life again, as Sloat fired a cross-field skip pass which Johnston rocketed into the back of the net. As time was winding down on the shot clock, Lampert ate a cross check and scored at close range to make it 5-4 heading into the fourth quarter. Denver would never turn that deficit into a tie or an advantage, allowing the Blue Devils to slip away.
Duke hosts Boston University this Wednesday in its final nonconference matchup of the year.
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