No. 2 Duke Faces Off Against No. 10 Maryland in NCAA Quarterfinal Saturday - Duke University (2024)

Duke Athletics

Men's Lacrosse 5/16/2024 5:00:00 PM

The Opening Faceoff

• Duke advanced to the NCAA quarterfinal with a commanding 19-7 victory over Utah in the opening round. Dyson Williams and Josh Zawada combined for 13 points and the Blue Devil defense held the Utes to two second-half goals in the win.
• Duke and Maryland are meeting for the 82nd time and for just the eighth time in NCAA Tournament action. The last time the two squads met in NCAA postseason play was in the 2021 semifinals, a 14-5 win by the Terrapins.
• Maryland moved into the quarterfinal round with a convincing 16-8 win over Princeton in College Park. The Terrapins are 9-5 overall and finished Big Ten action, 3-2. Maryland's 16 goals versus the Tigers are the most all season for the Terps. Braden Erksa leads the offense with 36 points, while Eric Spanos has 34. The Terrapins average just 11.07 goals per game, but allow only 10.36. Luke Wierman is outstanding at the faceoff position, leading the Big 10 and ranking third nationally with a 61-percent success rate.
• Duke ranks third nationally in scoring offense and 14th in scoring defense. Dyson Williams is the top goal scorer with 55 markers, while Brennan O'Neill has 51 goals and a team-best 78 points. Kenny Brower anchors the defense with 19 caused turnovers.
• The winner Saturday advances to championship weekend in Philadelphia to play the winner between Virginia and Johns Hopkins.

By the Numbers
204 & 100 - Goals and assists for Brennan O'Neill - just the second Blue Devil and fourth player in NCAA DI history to amass 200 goals and 100 assists in his career
10.22 - Duke's goals allowed per game average this season, holding seven opponents to single-digit scoring
206 - Career goals for Dyson Williams to rank tied for second in Duke history and fourth in NCAA Division I history
44-22 - Duke's record in the NCAA Tournament
.613 - Faceoff percentage for Maryland's Luke Wierman, ranking third nationally
992 - Career faceoffs won by Jake Naso, eight shy of becoming the seventh player in Division I history with 1,000
14-5 - Duke's record in the NCAA Championship quarterfinal games
.550 – Man-up percentage in the past six games, scoring on 11-of-20 opportunities
.333 - Duke's EMO - 7-of-21 - in the first 10 games of the season
11 – Man-up goals for Dyson Williams, the second most nationally
825 - Combined career points for Duke's attack trio of Brennan O'Neill (304), Josh Zawada (290) and Dyson Williams (231)
300 – Career points for Brennan O'Neill, fourth in Duke history and five away from passing Jordan Wolf for the third spot

Series History

• Duke and Maryland meet for the 82nd time overall. The Terrapins hold a 60-21 advantage in the series and a 4-3 edge in NCAA Championship action. The Blue Devils and Terps last squared off in the 2021 NCAA Semifinal, falling 14-5 in East Hartford, Conn. Duke defeated Maryland in the 2018 semifinal, 13-8.

Duke in NCAA Tournament Tidbits

• Duke is playing in its 26th NCAA Tournament and is the No. 2 seed for the fourth time. The Blue Devils are 44-22 all-time in NCAA postseason games and 14-5 in quarterfinal outings.
• The Blue Devils are 35-12 in the NCAA Tournament under John Danowski and have advanced to 12 NCAA Semifinals under his watch.
• John Danowski has 39 NCAA Championship wins (4 at Hofstra, 35 at Duke) to lead all active Division I coaches and rank second all-time behind Bill Tierney's 44 as a DI leader.
• The Blue Devils are one of nine Division I programs to appear in at least 26 NCAA Tournaments. Duke's 44 wins in 26 showings makes it one of eight teams to have more wins than appearances. A win Saturday would make the Blue Devils the one of five Division I programs with 45 NCAA postseason wins in program history.

A Win Over Maryland Would...

• Be head coach John Danowski's 472nd career win
• Be Danowski's 253rd win at Duke
• Send Duke to the quarterfinals for the 20th time
• Be Danowski's 39th NCAA Tournament victory and 35th at Duke

Brennan O'Neill | A | Senior
304 career points to rank third in program history
> ranks and 21st in NCAA history
204 goals to rank fourth in program history
> three away from passing Zack Greer
> nine shy of breaking the Duke record held by Justin Guterding
100 assists to rank eighth in Duke history
> six away from passing Myles Jones for the No. 8 spot

Dyson Williams | A | Graduate Student
231 career points – tied for ninth in program history
> the 16th Blue Devil to reach the 200-point milestone
206 career goals – tied with Zack Greer for second at Duke
> ninth player in NCAA history to reach the mark
> seven away from breaking the Duke record held by Guterding

Jake Naso | FO | Senior
992 career faceoff wins
> seventh in NCAA DI history
552 career ground balls
> eighth in NCAA DI history
1,660 faceoffs taken
> second in NCAA DI history

Josh Zawada | A | Graduate Student
290 carer points
> 10 away from 300
152 career goals
> 12th among active players

Tyler Carpenter | LSM | Graduate Student
81 career caused turnovers
> the third Blue Devil to reach 80
> nine shy of breaking JT Giles-Harris' Duke record

Kenny Brower | D | Graduate Student
73 career caused turnovers
> fourth in Duke history

John Danowski | Head Coach
472 career victories - the most of any Division I coach in NCAA history and third across all three divisions
> six away from becoming the second coach in any division to win at least 478 games
253 victories at Duke

To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's lacrosse, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMLAX".

Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

#GoDuke