Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Georgetown on May 10, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 16
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Final
Men's Lacrosse
12
vs Georgetown
16
Sunday, May 2
Chapel Hill, NC
4 P.M.
Duke University
at
North Carolina
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Duke and North Carolina Battle for ACC Crown Sunday
4/30/2021 12:40:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Get Your Tickets
Don't miss the chance to watch the Blue Devils live in person to close out the regular season. Tickets are on sale for $10 at GoHeels.com. Tickets are going fast so purchase them now. Please note you need to purchase in blocks.
The Opening Faceoff
60 – Consecutive games Michael Sowers has scored a point - every game of his career
7 – Points Joe Robertson scored against North Carolina in the first meeting, including the overtime winner
103 – Career points for Nakeie Montgomery, the 48th Blue Devil to join the century club
17.25 – North Carolina's scoring average, first nationally among teams that have played more than one game
9.69 – Duke's scoring defense, second in the ACC .722 - UNC's man down defense percentage, the best in the ACC
.452 - Duke's man-up offense percentage, second in the league
3 – Of the league's top seven goal scorers who are Blue Devils - Robertson (2), O'Neill (3), Sowers (7)
6-1 – Duke's record under Danowski in postseason rematches against UNC
Duke Wins in Overtime Again; Moves To 12-1
Duke Meets North Carolina in Another Top-5 Showdown
Next Men Step Up
Seniors Led The Way
A Win over North Carolina Would
Special Teams Are Special
Scouting North Carolina
Duke Against Top-10 Foes
Danowski in Rematches
Up Next
First-Round Site Options
UAlbany's Fallon Field
Denver's Barton Lacrosse Stadium
Hofstra's Shuart Stadium
Maryland's Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium
North Carolina's Dorrance Field
Virginia's Klockner Stadium
#GoDuke
Don't miss the chance to watch the Blue Devils live in person to close out the regular season. Tickets are on sale for $10 at GoHeels.com. Tickets are going fast so purchase them now. Please note you need to purchase in blocks.
The Opening Faceoff
- Duke is 12-1, tied for the best record through 13 games in program history. The 2005 squad went 11-0 before suffering its first loss and the 2008 squad was 12-1. The Blue Devils moved up to No. 2 in the USILA poll following the win againt Notre Dame last week.
- Michael Sowers recorded four goals and five points overall, while Nakeie Montgomery had three goals and an assist. Cameron Mulé scored the overtime winner on a man-up play. Mike Adler made 10 saves as Duke held Notre Dame scoreless for the final 10:36.
- Sunday's matchup will be the sixth straight week the Blue Devils will be embroiled in a top-five battle with another ACC program. It will be the third time these two teams will meet with both ranked in the top-three and the fifth time ast top-five foes.
- An ACC Championship is on the line Sunday as Duke sits atop the standings with a 4-1 league record. UNC is second at 3-2. A win by the Blue Devils gives Duke the title outright, while a Tar Heel victory will make Duke and UNC co-champs.
- North Carolina, ranked third, is coming off a 12-10 victory over Notre Dame. The Tar Heels feature the nation's top scoring offense (17.25) and the league's top scorer in Chris Gray (5.92 ppg). Duke held UNC to its lowest goal total this season, 11 goals, in the first meeting April 1 in Durham.
60 – Consecutive games Michael Sowers has scored a point - every game of his career
7 – Points Joe Robertson scored against North Carolina in the first meeting, including the overtime winner
103 – Career points for Nakeie Montgomery, the 48th Blue Devil to join the century club
17.25 – North Carolina's scoring average, first nationally among teams that have played more than one game
9.69 – Duke's scoring defense, second in the ACC .722 - UNC's man down defense percentage, the best in the ACC
.452 - Duke's man-up offense percentage, second in the league
3 – Of the league's top seven goal scorers who are Blue Devils - Robertson (2), O'Neill (3), Sowers (7)
6-1 – Duke's record under Danowski in postseason rematches against UNC
Duke Wins in Overtime Again; Moves To 12-1
- Duke made it through its non-conference slate with an 8-0 record and went undefeated in the month of February for the first time since 2014. The wins against Syracuse and North Carolina pushed Duke to 10-0 for the second time in program history – the 2005 team started 11-0. Under head coach John Danowski, Duke has gone unbeaten three times in February – 2-0 in 2007 and 2008 and 4-0 in 2014. Duke's 12-1 mark matches that of the 2005 and 2008 team through 13 games.
- The Blue Devils have played three overtime games this season, the second most in a season in program history. Duke played four overtime games last season.
Duke Meets North Carolina in Another Top-5 Showdown
- For the sixth straight week, the Blue Devils will face a top-five team. Duke moved to No. 2 and North Carolina No. 3.
- Sunday afternoon's contest will be the third time these two programs will meet when ranked in the top three and the fifth with both in the top five. Duke is 9-2 when ranked higher in the 21 top 10 matchups and 3-1 overall with both ranked in the top five.
Next Men Step Up
- "Next Man Up" has always been a mantra within the Duke men's lacrosse program. This past Thursday night seniors Raines Shamburger and Cameron Mulé came in and provided everything Duke needed.
- Shamburger, having played in 18 career games prior to the contest against Notre Dame, earned his first career start in the top-four matchup after Wilson Stephenson suffered an injury at Virginia. The Atlanta native finished the night on close defense with two caused turnovers as Duke held the Irish without a goal for the final 10:36 and 1-of-4 (.250) on extra man opportunities when they came in with a 68 percent success rate.
- On the other end of the field, Mulé came off the bench in overtime when the players said they wanted to run a certain play on extra man that involved the senior attackman. The native of Dix Hills, N.Y., did everything he needed to do, including a one touch shot off a Sowers pass to win it for the Blue Devils.
Seniors Led The Way
- With Duke trailing 12-7 with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame, Blue Devils seniors stepped up to lead the team to victory. A senior or graduate student had a hand in each of the six final goals as Michael Sowers and Nakeie Montgomery scored twice, and Joe Robertson assisted Owen Caputo. Senior Cameron Mulé came off the bench in overtime and threw in the game winner.
- On the defensive side of things, Giles-Harris recorded two ground balls down the stretch, while Robertson forced a turnover that led to Duke's 10th goal. Sowers picked up the loose ball after the turnover.
- With veterans Sowers and Robertson leading the charge, seniors have accounted for 56 percent of the team's points in ACC play this season.
A Win over North Carolina Would
- Be head coach John Danowski's 431st career win
- Be Danowski's 212th win at Duke
- Be Danowski's 36th ACC victory
- Be the program's 601st overall victory
- Make Duke 74-64-1 in the month of May
- Be Duke's fifth top-5 win of the season
Special Teams Are Special
- Duke's special teams were exceptional against Notre Dame as the Blue Devils held the Irish's top-ranked extra-man offense to just 1-of-4. Notre Dame, far below the season average of 68 percent.
- On man-up themselves, the Blue Devils made the one penalty Notre Dame committed count as they scored the game winner. The Irish entered the contest with a 67 percent success rate on man-down.
- At the faceoff X, Jake Naso did his usual thing and won 15-of-29 draws (.519).
Scouting North Carolina
- North Carolina enters its final regular season game with a 10-2 overall record and a 3-2 mark against ACC foes. The Tar Heels are coming off a 12-10 win over No. 2 Notre Dame last Sunday. Their two setbacks are to Virginia and Duke.
- The Tar Heels lead the nation in scoring offense with 17.25 goals per game. Duke is responsible for North Carolina's lowest scoring output of the season, scoring 11 in the first meeting. Chris Gray paces the attack with 71 points from 39 goals and 32 assists, while Nicky Solomon has 38 points off 20 goals and 18 assists.
- Defensively, the Tar Heels are allowing 10.92 goals per game and nearly 40 shots per game. North Carolina has held five teams to single digits this season, including keeping the Orange to only nine. Will Bowen is the top takeaway artist with 23 caused turnovers and 31 ground balls.
- At the X, Zac Tucci and Andrew Tyeryar have split the duties. Tucci is 113-of-195 for a .579 win percentage, while Tyeryar is 88-of-165 (.533).
- In goal, Collin Krieghas has started all 12 games and owns a 10.48 goals against average and a .531 save percentage. He is averaging 11.25 saves per game.
Duke Against Top-10 Foes
- When Duke and North Carolina meet, it will be the 115th time the Blue Devils have played a top-10 opponent since 2007. Duke is 72-42 in the games and Duke is 44-8 when ranked higher. This is the third top-three matchup between the rivals.
Danowski in Rematches
- For the first time in his Duke tenure, John Danowski will face ACC teams twice in the regular season, meeting Notre Dame and North Carolina a second time. Duke has met North Carolina the second most of any of its regular season foes, going 6-1 in postseason rematches.
- Head coach John Danowski is 25-15 overall in postseason rematches from regular season games at Duke and is now 1-0 in regular season rematches. He is 17-13 in rematches when the Blue Devils win the regular season contest.
Up Next
- The Blue Devils await the announcement of who their next oppnoent will be. The NCAA selections are set to be announced on ESPNU May 9 at 9 p.m. First round action begins May 15-16.
- The quarterfinals, as of now, are still set to be hosted by Notre Dame and Hofstra with the championship being held at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., on Memorial Day Weekend.
First-Round Site Options
UAlbany's Fallon Field
Denver's Barton Lacrosse Stadium
Hofstra's Shuart Stadium
Maryland's Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium
North Carolina's Dorrance Field
Virginia's Klockner Stadium
#GoDuke
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