Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Georgetown on May 10, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 16
/
Final
Men's Lacrosse
12
vs Georgetown
16
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Naso Continues to Shine; No. 3 Duke Preps for No. 4 UVA
4/12/2021 3:53:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Duke Meets Virginia in Top-5 Showdown
For the fourth straight week, the Blue Devils will be embroiled in a top-five battle with another ACC program. Duke, after falling to No. 3 in the USILA poll, travels to Charlottesville for a Thursday night matchup at No. 4 Virginia. The Cavaliers are coming off a crucial win over North Carolina this past Saturday.
Thursday night's contest will be the 15th time these two programs will meet when ranked in the top five and Duke is 5-1 when ranked higher in those games. Eight of the 14 top-five showdowns have come since 2007 with the Blue Devils going 6-2. The two losses were in postseason action. In a testament to the success of both the Blue Devils and Cavaliers, this will be the 17th time the two will play as top-10 opponents in the past 20 outings and the 32nd time since rankings started in 1973.
Jake Naso Continues to Shine
Rookie faceoff specialist Jake Naso continues to thrive at the X for the Blue Devils. The St. Anthony's product was outstanding yet again this past weekend, winning 16-of-22 draws at Notre Dame. Coming into last Saturday's game, the Fighting Irish's Kyle Gallagher was leading the ACC and ranked second nationally with a .722 faceoff win percentage. Gallagher went just 2-of-11 in restarts, while Charles Leonard, who sported a .714 win rate at the time, went 5-of-12.
After taking and losing one faceoff in Duke's season opener, Naso has taken 79 percent of the team's faceoffs (225-of-285) and won 152 of them for a .673 win percentage. He currently leads the ACC at the X and ranks fifth nationally.
His 152 faceoff wins as a freshman are the most in Duke men's lacrosse history and rank among some of the best rookie performances over the past 15 years. Current Denver graduate student TD Ierlan sports the highwater mark for a rookie with 323 victories his freshman season at Albany, while Denver's Trevor Baptiste won 310 in 2015.
Among the 18 different players currently ranked in the top 25 for single-season faceoff wins in NCAA Division I history, Naso is sixth when comparing his current numbers to those respective players' rookie results.
Duke's Dominance Against Virginia
One of the strangest phenomenon in Division I lacrosse has been Duke's success over the Cavaliers under head coach John Danowski. The Blue Devils are 18-2 versus Virginia since 2007 with both losses coming in postseason action. Duke last lost to Virginia in the regular season in 2004, a 13-4 setback in Charlottesville. The Blue Devils have won those 18 games by an average of 5.2 goals per game and have scored at least 15 goals nine times.
The Cavaliers' Effective Ride
Virginia sports the most effective ride in the country statistically as it's holding opponents to a .757 clearing percentage for the season. Cavalier foes are 178-of-235 on clear attempts this season. In Virginia's four ACC contests, opponents have been able to clear their defensive half 88 percent of the time (69-of-78).
On the opposite side of the ball, Duke has struggled at times clearing this season, doing so successfully 84 percent of the time (201-239) and most recently was 21-of-29 against Notre Dame. The Blue Devils rank fourth in the ACC and 36th nationally in clearing percentage.
Duke has played two of the top four teams in opponent clearing percentage in High Point and Denver and went 16-of-22 and 20-of-21 in those games, respectively, for a .837 success rate.
#GoDuke
For the fourth straight week, the Blue Devils will be embroiled in a top-five battle with another ACC program. Duke, after falling to No. 3 in the USILA poll, travels to Charlottesville for a Thursday night matchup at No. 4 Virginia. The Cavaliers are coming off a crucial win over North Carolina this past Saturday.
Thursday night's contest will be the 15th time these two programs will meet when ranked in the top five and Duke is 5-1 when ranked higher in those games. Eight of the 14 top-five showdowns have come since 2007 with the Blue Devils going 6-2. The two losses were in postseason action. In a testament to the success of both the Blue Devils and Cavaliers, this will be the 17th time the two will play as top-10 opponents in the past 20 outings and the 32nd time since rankings started in 1973.
Jake Naso Continues to Shine
Rookie faceoff specialist Jake Naso continues to thrive at the X for the Blue Devils. The St. Anthony's product was outstanding yet again this past weekend, winning 16-of-22 draws at Notre Dame. Coming into last Saturday's game, the Fighting Irish's Kyle Gallagher was leading the ACC and ranked second nationally with a .722 faceoff win percentage. Gallagher went just 2-of-11 in restarts, while Charles Leonard, who sported a .714 win rate at the time, went 5-of-12.
After taking and losing one faceoff in Duke's season opener, Naso has taken 79 percent of the team's faceoffs (225-of-285) and won 152 of them for a .673 win percentage. He currently leads the ACC at the X and ranks fifth nationally.
His 152 faceoff wins as a freshman are the most in Duke men's lacrosse history and rank among some of the best rookie performances over the past 15 years. Current Denver graduate student TD Ierlan sports the highwater mark for a rookie with 323 victories his freshman season at Albany, while Denver's Trevor Baptiste won 310 in 2015.
Among the 18 different players currently ranked in the top 25 for single-season faceoff wins in NCAA Division I history, Naso is sixth when comparing his current numbers to those respective players' rookie results.
| Freshman Faceoff Wins | ||
| TD Ierlan - Albany | 323 | |
| Trevor Baptiste - Denver | 310 | |
| Kevin Massa - Bryant | 241 | |
| Alex Smith - Delaware | 204 | |
| Gerard Arceri - PSU | 195 | |
| Jake Naso | 152 | |
Duke's Dominance Against Virginia
One of the strangest phenomenon in Division I lacrosse has been Duke's success over the Cavaliers under head coach John Danowski. The Blue Devils are 18-2 versus Virginia since 2007 with both losses coming in postseason action. Duke last lost to Virginia in the regular season in 2004, a 13-4 setback in Charlottesville. The Blue Devils have won those 18 games by an average of 5.2 goals per game and have scored at least 15 goals nine times.
The Cavaliers' Effective Ride
Virginia sports the most effective ride in the country statistically as it's holding opponents to a .757 clearing percentage for the season. Cavalier foes are 178-of-235 on clear attempts this season. In Virginia's four ACC contests, opponents have been able to clear their defensive half 88 percent of the time (69-of-78).
On the opposite side of the ball, Duke has struggled at times clearing this season, doing so successfully 84 percent of the time (201-239) and most recently was 21-of-29 against Notre Dame. The Blue Devils rank fourth in the ACC and 36th nationally in clearing percentage.
Duke has played two of the top four teams in opponent clearing percentage in High Point and Denver and went 16-of-22 and 20-of-21 in those games, respectively, for a .837 success rate.
#GoDuke
Duke Men's Lacrosse: Excellence on and off the field defined
Friday, August 29
Duke Men's Lacrosse Recruiting Video
Friday, August 29
Andrew McAdorey Media Availability 5-7
Wednesday, May 07
John Danowski Media Availability 5-7
Wednesday, May 07
