Preview: No. 1 Virginia Set to Host No. 4 Duke in Colossal ACC Showdown

April 17th, 2004 was the last time the Virginia men's lacrosse team defeated Duke in the regular season. “Yeah” by Usher was the No. 1 song in the United States. It has been 19 long years since UVA knocked off Duke in the regular season, although the Cavaliers did defeat the Blue Devils in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament in 2019 in the most recent postseason meeting between the two programs.

Last season, Virginia traveled to Durham and was outplayed by Duke 17-8 in a matchup in which the Cavaliers were heavily favored. This year, these two championship contenders will play twice in the regular season, once in Charlottesville once in Durham. Both teams only have one blemish on their records, with Virginia falling to Maryland and Duke losing to Jacksonville.

Since the loss to Jacksonville in February, the Blue Devils have won their last seven games and have looked dominant in doing so, more than earning their top 4 ranking. As for the Cavaliers, they bounced back from their first loss with a 15-10 win against the previously ranked No. 1 Notre Dame on the road last Saturday. 

Now, the two powerhouse programs will meet for the first time this season on Friday evening in Charlottesville before facing off in Durham two weeks later. These two teams could very well meet a third time in May.

Read on for a full preview of the regular season battle between No. 1 Virginia and No. 4 Duke, including details on the game, an opponent scouting report, and keys to the game.

Game Details

Who: No. 1 Virginia (7-1, 1-0 ACC) vs. No. 4 Duke (9-1, 2-0 ACC)

When: Friday, March 31st at 5pm ET

Where: Klöckner Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia

All-time series: Virginia leads 50–36

Last meeting: Duke defeated Virginia 17-8 on April 14th, 2022, in Durham

Opponent Scouting Report: Duke

2023: 9-1

Coach John Danowski is 20-2 against Virginia and has turned the Blue Devils into a championship contender this season after an 11-6 record last season. This season, Duke ranks 4th in scoring offense and 11th in scoring defense and 5th in the nation in faceoff win percentage. Duke has proved itself with a convincing 15-8 win against North Carolina and a 14-12 win against Penn. The Blue Devils also had a 14-13 overtime win against Denver, with the game-winning goal coming from Tewaaraton candidate Brennan O’Neill, who leads the charge for the Blue Devils on the attack.

O’Neill has 29 goals and 23 assists this season and has become a force on the left side of the goal. O’Neill uses his 6'2", 225-pound frame to back down defenders, similar to Virginia’s Griffin Schutz. On attack, O’Neill is joined by Dyson Williams, an inside finisher who leads the team in goals this season with 33. A former high school teammate of O’Neill, Andrew McAdorey is also a threat on the attack, known for his speed as a dodger and facilitating abilities as a passer. 

Owen Caputo and Garrett Leadmon lead the midfield for Duke, with Tommy Schelling featuring regularly on the offensive end as well. Caputo has been impressive this season with 21 points to his name, while his brother Jake serves as an SSDM for the Blue Devils. Duke has had to cope with the losses of Nakeie Montgomery and Joe Robertson on offense, but has managed to get off to a stronger start to this season than last. 

This offense enjoys playing in transition and plays at a fast pace. It’ll be important for the Cavaliers to be disciplined on the ten man ride and not allow any free goals for the Blue Devils.

On the defensive side, the Blue Devils lost goalie Mike Adler, and are now led by William Helm in net. In front of the cage, Helm is joined by Wilson Stephenson, who has 15 caused turnovers this season. Alongside Stephenson, Will Frisoli and Kenny Brower make up the defensive unit, while Tyler Carpenter leads the charge at LSM.

Duke’s defense may not be its strength, but many returning players on that defense limited Virginia to only eight goals last year. Faceoff specialist Jake Naso has helped keep the ball away from the defensive end this season, posting a 65.3% faceoff percentage. On the flip side, LaSalla has a 58.7% faceoff percentage this season, setting up a competitive rematch from last year. Last season, LaSalla went 14/23 against Duke while playing through injury. Another strength for Duke is its man-down defense as the Blue Devils rank 4th in the nation.

Keys to the Game

Virginia

One of the main reasons the Cavaliers pulled away from Notre Dame was the performance of Cole Kastner against Pat Kavanagh. If Kastner can emulate that performance against Brennan O’Neill, the Duke offense will struggle to produce.

Another key for the Cavaliers will be Connor Shellenberger. If Shellenberger plays how he played against Notre Dame last week, no team will be able to stay with Shellenberger and the No. 1 scoring offense in the country. The Cavaliers have been known for their strong starts this season which is helped by LaSalla dominating the x in the first quarter. If Virginia can pull away early on, the Cavaliers will have a good chance at earning their first regular season victory against the Blue Devils since 2004.

Duke

For the Blue Devils, the key will be the faceoff x and Jake Naso. If Duke wants any chance to stay with the Virginia offense, Naso will need to dominate the x, earning extra possessions for the Blue Devils. If goalie William Helm can stand tall between the pipes and bail the Duke defense out, that will also help allow the Blue Devils to keep this game competitive. If Duke can keep the game close until the fourth quarter and not allow Virginia to pull away, O’Neill and company have plenty of experience already this season in close games. The Blue Devils just need their specialists Naso and Helm to keep them in it. 

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