No. 1 Duke Comes Away with Road Win; Beats Towson 19-7

Saturday, February 20

Towson, MD

4 P.M.

Duke University

4-0

Towson

1-2

Duke

Towson

Photo by: Towson University Athletics

No. 1 Duke Comes Away with Road Win; Beats Towson 19-7

2/20/2021 6:53:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score Game Notes Photo Gallery

TOWSON, Md. – The top-ranked Duke men's lacrosse team scored 11 first-half goals and never looked back en route to a commanding 19-7 victory at Towson Saturday afternoon. Four Blue Devils registered hat tricks, with Brennan O'Neill leading the way in goals with four and Michael Sowers compiling a team-high six points.

Defensively, Duke was outstanding, holding Towson (1-2) to just 28 shots for the game, including only 19 through the first three periods. Freshman Jake Naso dominated at the X, winning 21-of-25 faceoffs and picking up 11 ground balls.

"I'm just really proud of our guys," said head coach John Danowski. "I thought they handled the trip very well today. We had a great week of practice, five full days, and I think a game like this certainly shows that."

Duke (4-0) got off to a fast start, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first 2:14. Nakeie Montgomery opened the scoring just 29 seconds into the game with an unassisted tally. Michael Sowers and Owen Caputo tacked on goals 50 seconds apart to make it 3-0.

Montgomery and Caputo both finished with hat tricks – the second for Montgomery this season and the first for Caputo. Sowers' six points came off two goals and two assists, moving him to eighth in the NCAA career records book for points with 321.

The Blue Devils added three more in the quarter, including one from Joey Manown, for a 6-2 lead at the first break.

The second and third quarters were all Duke as the Blue Devils held Towson without a goal, while scoring eight for a 14-2 leader after 45 minutes of lacrosse. The Tigers' scoring drought spanned 34:21, the longest scoring drought for a Duke opponent this season.

O'Neill provided the highlight of the game 34 seconds into the second frame, finishing a behind-the-back goal. Duke continued to roll after that, getting four goals from Joe Robertson and Caputo.

Towson notched five goals in the fourth quarter to bring the game to the 19-7 final. James Avanzato and Andrew Milani both had two goals for the Tigers. Shane Brennan made 13 stops in goal for Towson.

Eight different Blue Devils scored goals in the victory, while 12 players recorded at least one point, including senior Cameron Mulé scoring twice in his first action this season.

Sophomore Tyler Carpenter continued to pile up the ground balls with five on the day, while junior Braden Burke had four. JT Giles-Harris corralled three as Duke won the ground ball battle 41-26.

In goal, Mike Adler had eight saves, five of which came in the third quarter, in 45 minutes of action.

Duke returns home to host Air Force, Feb. 27 at 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

#GoDuke