With its NCAA tournament hopes teetering on shaky ground, No. 12 Duke rode the offense of Brennan O’Neill and the goaltending of Mike Adler to a key 17-8 win over No. 4 Virginia on Thursday afternoon in Durham, N.C.
The Blue Devils started this season 5-1, but had gone just 4-4 over the eight games leading into Thursday’s matinee that was moved up due to expected storms in the region. None of their nine wins had come over current Top 10 teams and Duke was one of the first three teams out in Patrick Stevens’ latest bracketology for USA Lacrosse Magazine. Beating the two-time reigning NCAA champions is obviously a significant boost to its postseason aspirations.
Virginia may have been just what Duke needed. For all of Virginia’s success, Duke head coach John Danowski is now 20-2 against the Cavaliers since taking the job in 2007.
Virginia freshman goalie Matt Nunes made six saves in the first quarter, but Duke finally broke through with Brennan O’Neill scoring the game’s first two goals within 34 seconds of each other late in the opening quarter.
Nunes made just two saves the rest of the way before leaving the game in the fourth quarter and Duke’s offense carved up the Virginia defense with crisp passing and effective dodges.
On the other end of the field, Duke graduate goalie Mike Adler was hot at the start and never cooled off.
Virginia returned All-America Matt Moore to the lineup, but even with his addition after an injury suffered in a loss to Richmond, the Cavaliers couldn’t solve Adler. Adler matched his season high of 20 saves, making nine saves in the third quarter to dispel any notion of a Cavalier comeback.
Virginia managed just three goals in the first half, trailing 7-3, and they never got closer than four in the second half before the Blue Devils eventually blew things open.
O’Neill both finished, with four goals, and distributed, with four assists, setting a new career-best for assists in a game.
Reed Landin and Dyson Williams each had three goals in a very efficient offensive game for Duke. The Blue Devils connected on 17 of 40 shots for the game, including a 6 of 9 effort in the third quarter when they really took control. On the flip side, Virginia was just 8 of 49 with Adler denying the Cavaliers repeatedly.
Moore led the Cavaliers with a pair of goals in his return while star Connor Shellenberger was limited to just two assists. It was the first time this year and just the third time in his Virginia career that Shellenberger did not score a goal.