The top-seeded Duke mens's lacrosse team scored the first six goals of the game and seven of the final eight to put away Johns Hopkins, 19-11, in an NCAA tournament quarterfinal matchup at the University of Delaware on Sunday afternoon.
The Blue Jays (11-5), in search of their first trip to the national semifinals since 2008, overcame their slow start and pulled to within 12-8 at halftime. Back to back scores by Holden Cattoni after the break brought JHU within two goals at 12-10 with 9:16 to play in the third quarter, but Duke seized control, holding Hopkins to one goal over the final 24 minutes.
The defending national champion Blue Devils (15-3) advanced to the NCAA semifinals for the eighth consecutive season, where they will face fifth-seeded Denver. Notre Dame and Maryland will square off in the other national semifinal. Both games will be played Saturday at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium, with the winners facing off in the national championship game on Monday.
Cattoni and Rob Guida paced Johns Hopkins with three goals apiece, and Connor Reed had a goal and four assists, but the Blue Jays' attack misfired on 20 of its 35 shots, forcing Duke's goalkeepers to make only four saves. JHU goalkeeper Eric Schneider had 10 saves in his final game.
The Blue Devils scored six times in the first 10 minutes and led 12-5 with five minutes left in the first half, but Hopkins ripped off a five-goal run that spanned the second and third quarters. JHU's leading goal scorers for the season, senior Brandon Benn and sophomore Ryan Brown, were each held to one goal. Both finished the season with 40 goals, making them the first Johns Hopkins teammates to score 40 or more goals in the same season since Terry Riordan and Brian Piccola in 1995.
Wells Stanwick had three assists, giving him 44 for the season, the fourth-highest single-season total in school history.
More coverage
- Johns Hopkins can't catch up in NCAA quarterfinal loss to Duke (The Baltimore Sun)
- Duke downs Johns Hopkins to reach lacrosse semifinals for eighth straight year (Raleigh News & Observer)
- Duke too much for Johns Hopkins (Inside Lacrosse)
Posted in Athletics
Tagged men's lacrosse
