11/24/2009 - Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C.-The Duke University men's lacrosse team will open the 2010 season as the top-ranked team in the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Top 25. The Blue Devils edged two-time defending champion Syracuse for the top spot. Duke is tabbed third in the coaches' poll for the Face-Off Yearbook.

Duke captured its third consecutive ACC Championship in 2009 and advanced to the NCAA Semifinals for the third straight year. The Blue Devils welcome back a wealth of talent, including the top four scorers from the offense that averaged 11.74 goals per game.

Defensively, the Blue Devils return mostly intact with two of the three close defenders coming back in 2010. Duke allowed just 8.42 goals per game in 2009.

Led by head coach John Danowski in his fourth season, Duke will officially open the season on Feb. 13 against Bucknell in Atlanta, Ga. The Blue Devils will play three scrimmages against the U.S. National Team (Jan. 31), Ohio State (Feb. 6) and Robert Morris (Feb. 6). The meeting with the U.S. National Team will be in Orlando, Fla., while the remaining two games will be in Durham.

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