Duke men’s lacrosse has followed a very similar script through three games this NCAA tournament. Using a depth of offensive talent — with Tewaaraton finalist Justin Guterding anchoring the unit — the Blue Devils have jumped out to early leads in all three contests.
But in each game — Villanova in the first round, Johns Hopkins in the quarterfinals and Maryland in the national semifinal at Gillette Stadium on Saturday — the opposing team wasn’t going down without a fight.
Duke has felt the tide turn in more than a handful of games this season, but more often than not, it has found an answer. Whether it’s the depth, physical endurance or an inspirational John Danowski halftime speech, the Blue Devils have found a second gear.
And it did so on Saturday. After jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the second quarter, the Blue Devils had to hold off the defending champion Terps through a less-than-perfect third quarter. Maryland cut the deficit to one goal late in that period, but Duke, again, dipped into its energy reserve to grab hold of the game.
The Terps got no closer — unable to recover from the Blue Devils’ hot start. Guterding and freshman Joe Robertson helped close out the 13-8 win over Maryland, ending any hope of a national championship repeat and sending Duke to the national title game for the first time since 2014.
“Very proud of our guys for jumping, executing really well offensively early on, withstanding the run that you knew that Maryland was going to make, and then again executing really well and with a lot of contributions from a lot of people,” Danowski said. “I thought it was a real team effort, and we're delighted to be together for another two days.”
“We never really shy away from setting our goal to win a national championship,” said goalie Danny Fowler, who finished with 12 saves. “To get another two days with this group of guys and to get a chance in both of our last years to play for that goal that we set in really what is the epitome of greatness in college lacrosse, you really couldn't ask for more.”
Freshman Nakeie Montgomery had three goals in the first half to fuel the Blue Devils — he now has eight goals in three tournament games after scoring just six in the regular season. Robertson, also a freshman, added a hat trick of his own. Guterding finished with three goals (and three assists) to push his NCAA all-time leading number to 210.
“There was 50/50 groundballs all over the place at the face-offs, and it seemed like we came up with a little more than they did,” Guterding said. “Offensively we like to play with the mindset that we can't really be stopped, and guys are starting to play like that with the utmost confidence, and it's really nice to see.
Much like Yale in the game prior, Duke burst out of the gates in its first Championship Weekend appearance since 2014. Every player on the Blue Devils’ roster, save for goalie Danny Fowler, had no experience playing on the sport’s biggest stage.
It was hard to tell by the way this team jumped on a Maryland that had made it to this stage in four straight seasons. The catalyst for the early 6-0 run? Montgomery, who like many of Duke’s offensive threats early, drew the Terps’ short stick middies, and took advantage with his speed, scoring two of the six goals and picking up the “hockey assist” on another.
He flew past Maryland freshman Bubba Fairman on his first goal, and beat Adam DiMillo to push the lead to 5-0. Montgomery’s skills did not go unnoticed in Maryland coach John Tillman’s preparation for Saturday, but he said his team had trouble sliding early.
“We had some miscommunication early, and we were late,” Tillman said. “We actually picked up a little too late, and I think that's part of what hurt us was when we addressed the ball. And certainly 15 -- we watched those clips over and over again. I think I had watched every game all year. … They’re just so athletic and so dynamic that before you know it, if you're a half-second late, they're going to make you pay.”
It wasn’t just Montgomery that lent a hand in the Duke early onslaught. Foxborough native Sean Lowrie, Peter Conley, Kevin Quigley and Robertson each had goals in the first half — which ended at 8-5 after Maryland scored twice in the final three minutes.
In total, nine different Duke players tallied a point in the victory.
“It's just kids at this time of year making plays that lacrosse players do,” Danowski said of his contributors on offense. “You kind of put them in situations, but now it's up to them. That's the beauty of our game. The game happens very quickly, and that's the fun.”
The third quarter played out much like Duke’s meeting with Johns Hopkins in the quarterfinals last weekend. Connor Kelly and Bubba Fairman combined on a two-goal run that put the Terps within 8-7 with 8:05 left in the quarter.
Duke’s defense was under pressure and its offense had slipped into a lull for a brief period. Guterding, who leads the nation in goals per game, said he was working too hard to create opportunities for himself, rather than his teammates.
“There was a point where the game got a little tight, and I felt like I needed to kind of take over, and that wasn't the way we were playing in the first half,” Guterding said. “[Assistant coach] Matt Danowski came up to me and just said ‘remember, it's Duke versus Maryland, not you versus Maryland.’ Obviously he's done that to me in the past. It was just a couple-minute stretch where I turned it over or just wasn't really playing team offense. That's on me.”
After Maryland squandered a chance to tie the game shortly after its goal, Duke found its groove again. Guterding helped the Blue Devils control the tempo like it had in the first quarter, dishing it off to Robertson twice for goals in the late third quarter and early fourth quarter.
Duke rode the momentum into a 12-7 lead with 6:48 remaining — one far too large for a Terps team accustomed to playing from ahead. Fowler held strong in the cage, making seven of his 12 saves between the second and third quarters. Whenever the Terps got a sniff of an extended run, Fowler stood tall to fend them off.
“I thought this was Danny's best game of his career,” Danowksi said. “This is not easy, and Connor Kelly is a great shooter, and Bernhardt, and they've got tremendous amounts of weapons, and I thought Danny was relaxed and comfortable.”
The loss puts an end to Maryland’s quest for the first title repeat since the Blue Devils did it in 2013-14. Senior Connor Kelly ends his career with a one-goal, three-assist effort — six of his shots were stopped by Fowler.
Wisnauskas and Jared Bernhardt each had two goals for the Terps offense, which had trouble with a Blue Devils defense that caused 11 turnovers. It was a team that lost significant pieces from last year’s title-winning roster, including Matt Rambo, Colin Heacock, Isaiah Davis-Allen, Tim Muller and others.
Still, the Terps were just the second defending champion to make it back to Championship Weekend.
“We lost some amazing players, three first-teamers, some strong personalities,” Tillman said. “So there were a lot of holes to fill. We just knew we would really have to work hard and improve to go where we want to go, and certainly getting here is a tremendous accomplishment for those guys.”
Kelly finishes the season with 82 points. His 148 goals rank fifth in program history.
“I couldn't think of playing for any other program for under Coach Tillman,” Kelly said. “This program is in great hands, obviously. The past couple years speak for themselves. I've been part of a great group. I can't thank enough the guys for my individual success. It stems from the team and from top to bottom starting with Dan Morris and ending on the attack, so I can't thank enough for such a great journey.”