Duke’s Comeback Effort Falls Short in ACC Title Game

Sunday, May 4

Charlotte, N.C.

12 p.m.

Duke University

12-5

Syracuse

11-5

Syracuse

Duke University

Duke men's lacrosse timeout huddle at American Legion Memorial Stadium

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke’s Comeback Effort Falls Short in ACC Title Game

5/4/2025 3:34:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score Box Score

DURHAM, N.C.—Duke had a last-second look at the goal but missed just wide, falling to No. 12 Syracuse, 9-8, in the ACC Men's Lacrosse Championship title game at American Legion Memorial Stadium Sunday afternoon.

The ninth-ranked Blue Devils, trailing by two or three goals for much of the game, pulled within one with 1:01 left in the fourth quarter. Duke (12-5) forced a Syracuse (11-5) turnover with 22 seconds remaining, cleared the ball and called a timeout with eight ticks on the clock.

The ball was in Benn Johnston's stick as the sophomore midfielder raced to the middle of the field and found Eric Malever open on the left pipe. Malever tried to sneak it inside the far post but missed just wide to give Syracuse the 2025 ACC Men's Lacrosse Championship crown.

Andrew McAdorey led all Duke scorers with two goals and an assist while Malever had three assists. Tomas Delgado and Johnston both had two goals. Patrick Jameison made 16 saves to anchor a solid defensive performance.

How it Happened

Syracuse got on the board first with an Owen Hiltz strike from the right side. The Blue Devils got looks at the cage early but couldn't find success.
Stalwart defense by Duke kept the Orange off the board for the next seven minutes and Delgado's stellar weekend continued with the opening marker for the Blue Devils at the 5:57 mark of the first period.
McAdorey gave the Blue Devils the 2-1 lead three minutes later, finishing a feed from Malever. Syracuse answered with consecutive goals 53 seconds apart for a 3-2 lead after the opening frame.
Jameison was solid in net for Duke, making five first-quarter stops.
Duke's offense continued to struggle to find a rhythm in the second quarter, getting just four shots off in the opening 10 minutes. Syracuse scored just once in that span, holding a 4-2 lead with 4:45 left in the period.
The Orange extended their lead to three, 5-2, with three minutes left as Finn Thomson threw in his second of the afternoon.
With time winding down in the first half, McAdorey threw a shot at goal from behind the restraining line. The traffic in front of the crease blocked Jimmy McCool from seeing the ball as it snuck inside the right post to pull the Blue Devils within two, 5-3, at the break.
Duke went without 17:43 without a goal but allowed Syracuse just two scores in the second quarter to stay within striking distance.
Johnston pulled the Blue Devils within one, slipping it under McCool for his first goal of the game. Jameison and the Duke defense kept the Syracuse offense in check until the 7:17 mark when Michael Leo beat Jameison to make it a 6-4 game in favor of the Orange.
The two teams traded goals as Duke tried to get closer than two, but Syracuse always had the answer, leading 8-5 after three quarters. The trend continued into the fourth period as Johnston pulled the Blue Devils within two on man-up only for Payton Anderson to give the Orange another three-goal advantage.
The comeback effort continued for the Blue Devils with Liam Kershis beating his man around the cage for his first of the day. Max Sloat made it a one-goal game with 1:01 left in the fourth. Syracuse won the ensuing faceoff and ran off 30 seconds before calling a timeout with 28 ticks on the clock. Henry Bard forced the Orange turnover after the timeout, setting up the heart-stopping finish.
Syracuse outshot Duke, 39-34 and won the ground ball battle 37-20. The Orange dominated at the faceoff dot winning 14-of-20.

Up Next

Duke will find out its NCAA Tournament fate Sunday night during the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Selection Show at 9:30 p.m., on ESPNU.

Team Notes

Duke moves to 7-10 in ACC Championship final games. The Blue Devils are 24-25 all-time in ACC Championship games and 1-3 in title games decided by one goal.
The Blue Devils held Syracuse without a goal for at least 10 minutes twice in the game keeping the Orange at bay for 10:47 over the second and third quarters and without a goal for the final 10:54 of the game.

Player Notes

Tomas Delgado, Patrick Jameison, Charlie Johnson and Andrew McAdorey were named to the ACC All-Tournament Team.
Charlie Johnson finished the game with two caused turnovers, pushing him to 30 for the season. He ranks third in Duke single-season history and is just the third player in program lore to reach 30. Luke Duprey owns the season record at 37.
Eric Malever finished the afternoon with three assists – the sixth time he has done so this season and the 12th time in his career.
Patrick Jameison made a career-high 16 saves – his 11th double-digit saves performance of the year and the 23rd of his career.
Andrew McAdorey's three points give him 179 for his career to rank 25th in the Duke records book.